The Hon. A. Wesley Powell Founder of the Excelsior Education Centre

As part of the Hon. A. Wesley Powell’s dream, Excelsior Primary & Infant School’s (EPIS) main purpose is to solidify the educational foundation of its students, preparing them for lifelong instruction which can be received at the Excelsior Education Centre. EPIS is a Methodist institution that is run by a Principal who is supervised by the Ministry of Education (MOE) as well as the School’s Committee of Management. As part of the Excelsior Education Centre, which is owned by the Methodist Churches in Jamaica and the Caribbean, the EXED Board also has oversight for joint activities that are undertaken on a yearly basis. 

Mission

• Continue to be innovative and move towards technological advancement and effectively utilise the facilitates available to cater to the needs of the students while sensitising and mobilising its staff and parents towards self-actualisation
• Provide opportunities to encourage and foster spiritual development, patriotism and leadership potential
• Develop a closer and stronger link with the immediate communities in order to harness the necessary and available resources to influence the scope and sequence of the curriculum
• Encourage esteem for self and others
• Develop aesthetic appreciation and cultural talents to enhance individually through all the appropriate and relevant media

EPIS prides itself on employing teachers that are qualified as well as competent. Approximately 90% of the staff are trained graduates and those teachers who have not yet earned their bachelor’s degree are currently doing so.  Our teachers are consistently encouraged to use methods which provide children with concrete experiences and as a result, additional certification and training is welcomed by all. The curriculum seeks to address the intellectual, social and physical needs of the children that are placed in our care. Our goals therefore, are to ensure that all students who have graduated are able to read at least at the grade five (5) level, is numerically competent and possesses the necessary writing skills. Our teachers participate in weekly sessions to plan for creative and differentiated lessons, as well as other training & staff development workshops where their teaching skills are honed.

EPIS is located on Courtney Ave, which is off Lexington Ave, in Vineyard Town area that is in the Parish of St. Andrew. It is part of a group of Excelsior Educational Institutions, the others being the High School and Community College. The school was established in 1979 and is a part of a lifelong education process extending to the college level. It is situated in the postal district of Kingston 3, and is easily accessed by vehicular traffic as well as pedestrians. The school was originally built to accommodate approximately six hundred (600) students. However, due to current need the school’s population has increased to 978 students and this number includes the Infant Department. As a result of this, the student pupil ratio at EPIS is 23:1 at the Infant Dept and 38:1 in the Primary Dept. With the recent mandate form the Ministry of Education (MOE) to lower the teacher to pupil ratio, EPIS is now making significant strides to ensure the school comes very close to ensuring this mandate becomes a reality.

Although much of the school’s population is drawn from the adjacent communities of Nannyville, Mountain View, Back Bush and Vineyard Town itself, many children come from the entire Corporate Area of Kingston and St. Andrew as well as St. Thomas, St Catherine, and as far as Clarendon. Children are brought to school by their parents or guardians who work within but reside outside the Corporate Area. Ninety-Nine (109) students are currently registered on the PATH Programme. Children are given the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities such as swimming, dancing, football, gymnastics, athletics, softball, cheerleading, various clubs, Festival of the Arts and Spelling Bee Competitions. 

The economic activity of the residents in the immediate surroundings is varied and the parents whose children attend the school are from diverse backgrounds and socio-economic circumstances, some holding ‘nine-to-five’ jobs. The school has won awards for the top choir in different categories; placed in the top ten in science competitions; they are past champions in debating competitions and are the top primary school in swimming. Because EPIS has had good success over the years in both academic and extra-curricular activities, it is regarded as a school of choice and has the full support of its surrounding communities. EPIS currently has a vibrant PTA body that integrally woven into the everyday life of the school. The PTA is governed by an Executive body of parents who bring to the table an extremely high level of expertise on a variety of disciplines. Together with the School Board, Principal, Vice Principal and the rest of the Management team, the PTA is committed to the growth and development of the institution and ensures that all activities, events and decisions are made in the interest of the children at EPIS.