St. Hugh's Past Students' Association
Fidelitas
History of St. Hugh's High School
Source: SHHS Orientation CD 2007
The Most Rev. Enos Nuttall has been lauded as the founding father of St. Hugh’s High
School. Nuttall was the fifth Archbishop of the West Indies between 1880-1916, where he fought for education of blacks and further established an Anglican Order of Deaconesses in Jamaica. It was this new order and through his prompting that Sister Madeline Thomas opened the doors of the Deaconess Home School on Hanover Street in 1899.
The school opened in 1899 as an experiment in the education of young women. Later, the Deaconess Home School and the Deaconess Home High School (1913) for girls amalgamated in 1925 becoming the Deaconess High School starting with 90 students. In 1928 at the request of the Jamaica Schools’ Commission, the school changed its name to St. Hugh’s High School. As the school expanded its core and extra curriculum its Hanover Street location became too small. In 1939, 1 Leinster Road was purchased as the new location for the School.
The Emblem, the Swan: St. Hugh, the school’s patron saint was noted for his kindness to people and animals. He had a pet swan which lived in the Bishop’s house. It was from 
St. Hugh’s association with the swan that the school derived part of its logo. The Swan reminds us of the loyalty and goodness of our patron saint and holds before the students an ideal for which they should strive all their lives.
School Motto, Fidelitas: The motto, Fidelitas meaning faithfulness and loyalty is tagged with the swan.
Past Principals
- 1899-1908 L. McDougall
- 1908-1913 Miss A.R. Thomson
- Mrs. May (nee Atkinson)
- Miss Francis
- 1925- Miss Mary Walter and Miss Cuppage
- 1926 Miss Stopford, M.A.
- 1931 Deaconess Marion Turner
- Miss Wihelmina Joels
- 1937 Mrs. Ruth Webb
- Dorris Wiley
- 1940-1962 Mrs. Rita Landale
- 1962-1979 Dr. Inez Carnegie
- 1979-1987 Miss Marjorie Thomas
- 1987-1994 Mrs. Marcia Stewart (first past student as Principal)
- 1994-1996 Miss Daphnie Morrison (acting Principal)
- 1996-Present Mrs. Yvette Smith
The School Song
Sung at all events of St. Hugh's High School and Past Students' Associations, the song captures a bit of the school's history. An instrumental sample of the song forms the background music on this page.
St. Hugh of old was wise and bold,
A bishop of renown.
For man and bird and beast, we're told
Loved Hugh of Lincoln Town.
He conquered self by fast and prayer.
And when the fight was won
He wrought and toiled with zealous care to lead his people on
We build our name and spread our fame,
And honour good St. Hugh
Whene'er we bring to task or game, the best that we can do.
In willing service, ordered rule
And duty fairly met
We'll write a record for our school
That time shall ne'er forget
And when at last our school days past,
On other roads we fare,
Our hearts shall keep the sunshine cast
On these glad days we shared.
The knowledge won the vision gained,
God grant we may not lose; but cry from noble heights attained
"We'll still keep faith, St. Hugh"
