Dear students, staff, parents, alumni and friends of JMC
Choicest greetings from the Heights!
The second month of the term and fifth of the year, May, can best be described as exhilarating for us at the Heights and it gives me joy to recount some notable events that further accentuate the mission of the college. As usual, the month rolled in with the gallant celebration of the indefatigable members of staff of the college whose collective labour of love continues to yield abundant fruits in the life of every Phoenix. Beginning with sacred liturgy and ending with a festive meal after numerous memorable activities, which included awarding outstanding noble colleagues, the Workers’ Day celebration on the first day of the month was heartening for many, if not all members of staff. That said, I applaud every staff of the college for their devotion and service, entrusting their cares to the patronage of St. Joseph the Worker, patron of workers.
A testament to the amazing work done by the college staff is the stellar performance of our soon- to-graduate Phoenixes in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) released by the examination board in the first week of the month. I congratulate our Class of 2025 Phoenixes for their excellent results and commend the efforts of their instructors and caregivers whose collaborative efforts contributed to their enviable success. Worthy of mention is that sixteen (16) out of the seventy-two (72) Phoenixes who took the exam obtained an aggregate score of at least 350 out of 400. For their outstanding UTME performance, these Phoenixes have been designated, “Phoenixes of the Month,” with great honours (see figure I and figure II for the analysis of their results). Meanwhile, I humbly entreat your prayers for them in their ongoing certificate exam which is nearing completion. With the exception of the prolonged delay they experienced taking one of the English Language papers, Paper II, to be precise, on the 28th day of the month, the 2025 certificate examination has been largely incident-free.
Also incident-free and notably smooth was the Basic Education Certificate Examination of the Class of 2028, which they completed on the 23rd day of the month. We congratulate the one hundred and two (102) Phoenixes of the said class for the milestone achievement of completing Basic School and gearing up for senior school by their active participation in the Career Week which was very well organized through the counselling Unit of the college to expose them to different career options thus aid their discernment and choice of subjects for the next phase of their secondary education wherever that may be. Regrettably, the week long program was marred by the misconduct of some wildly enthusiastic Phoenixes as their action cost the entire class the picnic meant to draw the curtain on their junior school voyage. The Class of 2028 Phoenixes are billed to depart the college on the 4th of June for a well-deserved vacation during which they are required to engage in a month-long internship to further discern their career choice and make a head start on it. We wish them a fruitful vacation and internship.
In what could be described as a balancing act, the month presented the Phoenixes a wonderful opportunity to celebrate their childhood, having done so for the adult members of the community earlier on in the month. The Children’s Day celebration witnessed the showmanship and creative prowess of our Phoenixes as they treated themselves to a memorable fiesta; one for the books. I commend the school prefects and other students who worked with great zest and passion to make the day worthwhile for the rest of the Phoenixes, and pray that our beloved Phoenixes continue to grow into the best versions of themselves in their quest for excellence in character and learning.
Worthy of mention is the annual celebration of Cultures which took place on the 25th day of the month. The day’s celebration saw an array of diverse ways of being and becoming that form the fabric of our college community. The festival of cultures underscores the vision of the college to form men and women who are compassionate; men and women cognizant of their common humanity thus identifying with others, especially the least among us.
Preceding the festival by a week was another notable fest of great significance in the life of the college: the confirmation of eighty (81) Phoenixes in their catholic Christian faith. The celebration brought to completion two years of catechesis designed to deepen and strenghten their relationship with God that is vital for meaningful and fruitful living. We congratulate the newly confirmed members of the college community and charged them to be bold witnesses of the presence of God among us. I commend the chaplaincy team, led by our dynamic chaplain, Fr. Uchechukwu Oguike, S.J., for their fidelity to the mission of the college, namely, forming leaders who are exceptionally religious.
Moreover, in line with the noble mission of the college of forming persons who are intellectually competent, four (4) Phoenixes, two (2) from each of the schools, represented the college in the sixth edition of the Rivers State Rotary Mathematics Competition, qualifying for the finals after the preliminary rounds. In the finals round, the two senior school Phoenixes emerged first and second runners-up, while in the junior category, one of the junior school Phoenixes emerged first runner-up. I congratulate our excellent Phoenixes for a good representation of the college and laud members of staff, especially noble colleagues of the Math Unit for mentoring and accompanying the Phoenixes with grace and devotion.
Still on the bid to foster intellectual competency in and among the Phoenixes, eighteen (18) Phoenixes in their second year of senior school, were registered for the 2025 InterswitchSPAK National Science Competition scheduled to commence with the preliminary round on the 17th of June, 2025. I wish this set of Phoenixes a robust preparation in the days and weeks ahead and charge them to represent the college well, following in the footsteps of Oyindamola Aje, a former student of the college, who won the second edition of the competition five years ago.
Coming on the heels of the Children’s Day celebration was the First Continuous Assessment (CA 1) Test of the term. Thus, while celebrating their creativity, resilience, and playfulness as children, the Phoenixes didn’t lose sight of their mission of studies, a subtle formation in a balancing act which enhances productivity and success.
To give Phoenixes in their penultimate year of senior school a head start on college application, the director of graduate admissions at Canisius University, Mr. Amos-Augustine Kubeyinje, spent the afternoon of the 13th day of the month addressing them on widespread issues regarding applying to colleges abroad with particular focus on the United States of America (USA) and Canisius University. I thank Mr. Kubeyinje for his visit and the priceless assistance given to our excellent Phoenixes. During his visit, Mr. Kubeyinje informed me of a two/three-week summer program which Canisius University is organizing for Grade 10 and 11 students who desire to study in the US after they graduate from high school. The program is designed to give them a head start in living and studying in America, thereby making the transition smooth and seamless (see figure III for more information about the program)
In anticipation of the 2025/2026 school year, the school prefectship selection process, a notable exercise of the college by which she fosters a sense of civic consciousness necessary for community building and flourishing commenced early in the month and is nearing completion. I thank all who have contributed to the success of the exercise thus far, especially the Phoenixes vying for the different prefectship portfolios, which require them to submit themselves to scrutiny and interrogation for the ultimate good of the college.
I look forward to the events of the coming month, especially the annual club exhibitions, with great enthusiasm, as I imagine you do and commend preparations for their successful execution to your fervent prayers and invaluable support; monetarily and otherwise.
With profound gratitude,
Alexander E. Irechukwu, S.J.