MANCHESTER, Jamaica — Victor Dixon High School, located in Mandeville, Manchester, recently honoured its student-athletes at its citizenship awards ceremony 2026, recognising the teamwork, leadership and character that carried the school through a historic season.

Both the boys’ and girls’ badminton teams advanced to the all-island final of the Jamaica Badminton Association’s Under-15 Schools Badminton League and placed third nationally, the girls opening their season with a win over Bishop Gibson High School and the boys with a win over Munro College.

Meanwhile, Victor Dixon’s track team finished first among a field of five competitors at the Jamaica Independent Schools’ Association (JISA) Western Track and Field Development Meet.

The citizenship awards ceremony, held June 11, 2026, included recognition for courtesy, punctuality, spiritual leadership, most improved, deportment and the Team Player Award, presented at the close of a historic season for the school. The road to those results was not smooth.

The girls’ badminton team had entered the season on a winning note, defeating St Hilda’s Diocesan High School in its opening match.

Then captain Jemimah Oluikpe had to travel overseas for a family emergency. What followed was a losing streak that stretched until her return late in the season.

Nathan Gordon (left) and Dylan Cole, members of the boys’ badminton team at Victor Dixon High School, display the trophy for being crowned the Central Jamaica champion in the Jamaica Badminton Association’s Under 15 League. The team also placed third nationally.

When she returned, teammates gathered around her and poured out everything that had happened. Her first question, Physical Education Teacher Xavier Small recalled, was simple: “Did you guys remember to pray?”

“The team has never lost a match worthy of remembrance after that,” Small said.

The girls’ captain said the turnaround came down to two things: harder work and a tighter unit.

“This year we improved a lot more because the training got a little more intense,” Oluikpe said. “The team is locked in; that’s why. And God’s willing as well.”

The boy’s badminton team matched that finish, placing third nationally as well after opening its season with a win over Munro College.

On the track, boys captain Anthoneil Beecher brought a similarly disciplined mindset to a season that ended with Victor Dixon’s track team finishing first at the JISA Western Track and Field Development Meet ahead of Institute of Career Choice, Northgate High, Heinz Simonitsch School and Teamwork Christian Academy. Beecher said a losing race was never the final word.

“Although you lose couple races, that doesn’t really mean anything,” Beecher said. “You just need to continue training and have self-motivation.”

His routine after a loss was deliberate: look back at the race, identify where his form broke down, consult his coach, and get back to training.

“I would look back on the race and see what I did if my form was off or any of those things, and I would continue training or ask my coach for advice and continue training,” he said.

Small, who presented the Team Player Award, said the qualities recognised at the ceremony were not always obvious to the naked eye. Some of the most valuable athletes, he noted, were the ones quietly making everyone around them better.

“There were traits that we look for that may not always be the most obvious,” Small said. “He’s always willing to do anything you ask him to do. He might be all over the place, but he definitely helps everyone who he can.”

True teamwork, Small said, meant executing tasks without complaint, helping a classmate grasp a skill in PE class and holding the group together when tensions flared.

“They are the ones who keep everyone together,” Small said. “They are the ones who, when the team may have conflicts, will calm them down and help the team to get to whatever we are aiming to get to.”

Beyond trophies and titles, Small reflected on what sport had done for students who once struggled to find their footing socially.

“I have seen many students grow as individuals,” Small recounted. “There were times when we would get a student who was shy, not much of a social person. I see many of them grow, becoming, sometimes, even being the life of the entire team.”

For the captains recognised at the citizenship awards ceremony, the awards were confirmation of what they had already lived out on courts and tracks during the season: that winning takes more than talent. It takes faith, consistency and the willingness to get up and go again.