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'Herbie' Nelson eyes success as KC's new principal
BY HG HELPS Editor-at-Large
Monday, September 28, 2009
A former Manning Cup football star is on a mission to score the most rewarding goal of his life: taking Kingston College (KC) to greater success.
NELSON...I am looking forward to working there and keeping that great spirit going
Herbert "Herbie" Nelson, the powerfullybuilt former Jamaica College forward of the 1970s, has been appointed the new principal of the all-boys school, KC, and is bursting at the seams in his quest to improve the 84-year-old institution that has produced some of Jamaica's outstanding all-round talent.
"It will be a daunting task, but it is something that I have accepted humbly, while recognising the mission ahead," Nelson, 53, told the Observer, days before he replaces acting principal Everton Burrell as day-to-day head of the school that has campuses at North Street and Upper Elletson Road in the Jamaica capital.
Nelson takes over on Thursday, October 1 and his appointment is for an initial one-year period, after which his work will be assessed by the Ministry of Education to determine his future.
Now, the man who broke KC hearts when his JC outfit downed the famed Purples 1-0 in the 1974 Manning Cup final, believes that his success will be spurred largely by the KC or 'Fortis' spirit in his first assignment as operational head of a high school.
"I went to Jamaica College which was still at the time an aristocratic school. KC started as a school for underprivileged boys by Bishop Gibson, and the sort of camaraderie displayed by KC boys past and present is second to none.
"I take the appointment with humility and a level of responsibility. It is a demanding job. I am ready now and happy that the Board of Governors has chosen me.
"After I did the interview, they said that I was converted and that I am now fully purple," Nelson said.
A schoolboy hero in his time, Nelson knows what it is like to operate under pressure from a demanding community of boys who always want to be filled with success.
Following JC's victory in 1974 with an all-conquering team that also included inspirational captain Martin Woodstock, one of the finest talent to have played schoolboy football, and Luke "Shenk" Whitney, KC gained revenge the following year and went on to win the Walker Cup knockout and the all-island Olivier Shield, something that Nelson remembers vividly, and credited the school for its fighting spirit.
"KC is one of the great Jamaica schools. It's one of the best. I am looking forward to working there and keeping that great spirit going," he said of the institution that started operating on April 16, 1925.
Already, members of the KC fraternity have embraced Nedlson's appointment.
Chairman of the KC Old Boys Association (Jamaica chapter) Dr Ray Fraser is looking forward to working with the man on whose shoulders the burden of managing the activities and affairs of over 1,800 boys of the institution rest.
"He is coming at a time when we have not had an appointed principal for about five years," said Dr Fraser, the senior medical officer of the Annotto Bay hospital in St Mary.
"I hope that he brings leadership to the school and brings all the stakeholders, including the old boys, the PTA, the Trust Fund together so that we can all work for the common good of the school we love so much.
"The school has a rich tradition of excellence and I hope that it will continue under his leadership," Dr Fraser said.
Nelson holds a first degree in history and a master's degree in education administration, tools which he believes will prepare him for the job of being not the ordinary headmaster, but one who exemplifies sound management skills.
He taught at Campion College for nine years and worked at the now Jamaican Foundation for Lifelong Learning, formerly JAMAL, for 11 years.
BY HG HELPS Editor-at-Large
Monday, September 28, 2009
A former Manning Cup football star is on a mission to score the most rewarding goal of his life: taking Kingston College (KC) to greater success.
NELSON...I am looking forward to working there and keeping that great spirit going Herbert "Herbie" Nelson, the powerfullybuilt former Jamaica College forward of the 1970s, has been appointed the new principal of the all-boys school, KC, and is bursting at the seams in his quest to improve the 84-year-old institution that has produced some of Jamaica's outstanding all-round talent.
"It will be a daunting task, but it is something that I have accepted humbly, while recognising the mission ahead," Nelson, 53, told the Observer, days before he replaces acting principal Everton Burrell as day-to-day head of the school that has campuses at North Street and Upper Elletson Road in the Jamaica capital.
Nelson takes over on Thursday, October 1 and his appointment is for an initial one-year period, after which his work will be assessed by the Ministry of Education to determine his future.
Now, the man who broke KC hearts when his JC outfit downed the famed Purples 1-0 in the 1974 Manning Cup final, believes that his success will be spurred largely by the KC or 'Fortis' spirit in his first assignment as operational head of a high school.
"I went to Jamaica College which was still at the time an aristocratic school. KC started as a school for underprivileged boys by Bishop Gibson, and the sort of camaraderie displayed by KC boys past and present is second to none.
"I take the appointment with humility and a level of responsibility. It is a demanding job. I am ready now and happy that the Board of Governors has chosen me.
"After I did the interview, they said that I was converted and that I am now fully purple," Nelson said.
A schoolboy hero in his time, Nelson knows what it is like to operate under pressure from a demanding community of boys who always want to be filled with success.
Following JC's victory in 1974 with an all-conquering team that also included inspirational captain Martin Woodstock, one of the finest talent to have played schoolboy football, and Luke "Shenk" Whitney, KC gained revenge the following year and went on to win the Walker Cup knockout and the all-island Olivier Shield, something that Nelson remembers vividly, and credited the school for its fighting spirit.
"KC is one of the great Jamaica schools. It's one of the best. I am looking forward to working there and keeping that great spirit going," he said of the institution that started operating on April 16, 1925.
Already, members of the KC fraternity have embraced Nedlson's appointment.
Chairman of the KC Old Boys Association (Jamaica chapter) Dr Ray Fraser is looking forward to working with the man on whose shoulders the burden of managing the activities and affairs of over 1,800 boys of the institution rest.
"He is coming at a time when we have not had an appointed principal for about five years," said Dr Fraser, the senior medical officer of the Annotto Bay hospital in St Mary.
"I hope that he brings leadership to the school and brings all the stakeholders, including the old boys, the PTA, the Trust Fund together so that we can all work for the common good of the school we love so much.
"The school has a rich tradition of excellence and I hope that it will continue under his leadership," Dr Fraser said.
Nelson holds a first degree in history and a master's degree in education administration, tools which he believes will prepare him for the job of being not the ordinary headmaster, but one who exemplifies sound management skills.
He taught at Campion College for nine years and worked at the now Jamaican Foundation for Lifelong Learning, formerly JAMAL, for 11 years.
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