Dear students, staff, parents, alumni and friends of JMC,
I bring you peace greetings from the Heights, trusting that it finds you highly spirited for the second half of the calendar year.
The sixth month of the calendar year witnessed a flurry of activity by which our collective mission as a college was further enhanced and advanced. Top on the list is the Club Exhibitions, which took place alongside the term’s Academic Conference on the 7th. As usual, the annual event allowed the Phoenixes to showcase their creative and innovative talents, across the broad spectrum of life, for notable recognition and purposeful development. I applaud our amazing staff who worked tirelessly to harness the wonderful talents of our excellent Phoenixes, and so make the 2025 Club Exhibitions a beautiful and memorable venture. Given the tremendous talents showcased by the Phoenixes, it is crucial that they are properly nurtured and harnessed for optimal growth and development. To that end, I solicit your patronage for the respective clubs of the college, inviting you to provide guidance, mentorship, and sponsorship as you are able. Dwarfed by the thrill and passion of Clubs Exhibitions, the Academic Conference, which took place earlier on the said date, gave parents important information about the learning ability and performance of the Phoenixes. Aware of the impact meeting with the class and subject teachers of the Phoenixes is to the deepening of intellectual competency, a notable quest of the college, I must commend parents who take the exercise seriously by making adequate arrangement to attend them termly as scheduled. Your commitment and collaborative engagement inspire a deep sense of shared value, which makes the pursuit of the magis all the more consoling and fulfilling.
Though not being a scheduled school event, the annual celebration of Fathers’ Day, observed by most countries on the third Sunday in June, caught the attention of some Phoenixes who made it a point to pay tribute to their biological fathers and the father figures in their life. Reflecting on the experiences of being loved, cherished, upheld, and cared for, these Phoenixes highlight the beauty and blessing of fatherhood and express profound gratitude. Pondering on the insightful reflections of the Phoenixes, I am struck by their deep appreciation for the little, and quite often, insignificant experience of their fathers. In recognition of their attentiveness to details and celebrating their expressiveness of thought, I am pleased to designate them as our Phoenixes of the month of June. Meanwhile, I am exceedingly grateful to the fathers and father figures of our college community who never cease to give of themselves, time, talents, and treasure, unreservedly for the paternal and protective care of their children. To further recognise and celebrate the numerous contribution of the fathers and father figures of our college community, I invite you to read the reflections of our Phoenixes of the month, from page 25-28, as published.
Following the rigorous and thorough prefectship selection process consisting of nominating, screening, voting, and interviewing of eligible Phoenixes of the Class of 2027, who underwent the Citizenship and Leadership Training program over the Easter holiday, thirty were designated for leadership as school prefects in the 2025/2026 academic year. I congratulate these Phoenixes and thank them for accepting the enviable responsibility to serve the college diligently and distinctively. In the same vein, I commend the effort and applaud the courage of students who subjected themselves to the stiff electoral process of the college’s electoral commission (JEC) but missed out on a portfolio. Inspired by the words of Theodore Roosevelt, in his famous speech titled, “Citizenship in a Republic,” I celebrate their efforts and enthusiasms to actively exercise leadership as school prefects, observing as Roosevelt did that engaging with life’s processes rather than merely observing from the sidelines is noble and dignifying.
This brings me to the milestone achievement of the Class of 2025, who on the 17th day of the month, brought their almost six years of intense and adventurous learning at the Heights to a joyful and grateful end. I congratulate them for the milestone achievement, praising their resilience, determination and passion that enabled them to stay the cause of the journey towards human excellence. The college anticipates the graduation ceremony of the Class of 2025 scheduled for the sixth of next month, which I commend to your fervent prayers and those of your family and friends. Meanwhile I would like to express, on behalf of the college community, our profound gratitude to the parents and guardians of our Class of 2025 Phoenixes for their steadfast and unwavering cooperation by which they enhanced the realisation of the college’s vision and mission for the greater glory of God and the flourishing of our excellent Phoenixes.
As we approach the end of the current term and school year, I strongly appeal that we pay attention to the school calendar for our immediate and distant future planning. This will eliminate the recurrent scheduling conflicts that undermine the educational process of the college thereby detrimental to the realisation of her mission.
In light of the unavailability of outbound flights to Abuja from Port Harcourt on the scheduled day of vacation, Saturday, 26 July 2025, affected parents have permission to make flight reservations for their children a day earlier, that is, Friday, 25 July 2025. Given this development, I sense the need for us to proactively engage the aviation industry for better and timely service around dates of resumption and vacation.
To conclude, I wish to express profound gratitude to every member of staff of the college; academic and non-academic for their generous services that make a difference in the lives of our Phoenixes. As we celebrate the Class of 2025 on the occasion of their graduation ceremony, I would be remiss not to recognise the fantastic work done by our college staff in their individual and collective lives. Thank you for being there when the Phoenixes needed you.
To our soon-to-be graduates: you are ready to move on to the next phase of your life, whether it’s doing a gap year to acquire valuable life’s skills or beginning university studies in pursuit of further scholarly endeavours. Wherever the next phase of your journey takes you, know that the Heights will always be your home! I believe in you and wish you the best for the future.
With profound gratitude,
Alexander E. Irechukwu, S.J.