A Historical Background Of The Institution We Attended Known Then As Carron Hall Vocational Now Known As Carron Hall High School

The story goes like this:

A man name Dr. John Pringle had some money which he wanted to use for a worthy cause. He made the proclamation that anyone who was capable of taking the money and build a home for the  Orphan Children around the area could do so.  Mrs. K. Gellaty, daughter of the Rev. James McNee, who was the Minister of the Presbyterian Church at the time, took up the Challenge.

In 1921 the building was completed and a stone laid at the front of the building by Lady Probyn who officially named the building Girl's Home. The Following year, 1922, the building was officially opened by Mrs. Margaret Stuart, daughter of Dr.  Pringle who was the then Custos of St Mary and then called Pringle Home. The first girl who entered the door was Veta Cruickshank from Woodside after which followed many others. With the progress of the Institution, many other buildings were added, a common room and two dormitories.

With this expansion, the vision widened and the institution began taking students to train for three to five years. Students began to come in from all Parishes, overseas from places such as Haiti, Cuba, and Hispaniola. The focus at the time was Cooking, Sewing and Guiding where girls from the district could also attend and play games and also learn to sew.

Mrs Gellaty thought it would be a wiser idea to remove Pringle Home.  She then leased the institution to the Government, made a home on the other side of the property and called it Pringle Home for Girls which is presently known as 'Pringle Home for Children as they also began to take boys. This change was made in 1937.

In the 1930s the importance of Vocational training and Education was the focus of the Government. This type of training was aimed at training the youth of the country to appreciate rural economics, make use of natural resources, thus raising their standard of efficiency and improving their economic position. Girls were encouraged to become good homemakers and receive practical training in housecraft, needlecraft, farming, and other practical avenues.

The success of this venture led to another Institution for Boys called Dinthill in Linstead in 1938 and a third boys center at Knockalva in Hanover in 1940.

In 1937  the Government took over the running of the Institution and named it Practical Training Center (PTC)  Which up to today is still so called by the elderly in the community) The Principal at the time was Miss Foster Davis, her tenure was from 1937 to the 1950s. The Schoool name later changed to Rural Secondary Technical School (R.S.T.S) and then to Jamaica School Of Home Economics. 

In 1962 the school was closed for months for unknown reasons, then reopened the September of that year. At this time, the government thought it prudent to changed the name again to  Carron Hall Vocational School For Girls. In 2002 the Government once again changed the name to Carron Hall High School for which it is now known.

Some previous Principals of the School were Miss Foster Davis, Miss C Ashbourne, Mrs Esther Saunders.Mrs Josephine Pinnock who took over from Mrs Saunders in the early to mid-60s and served until 1970. Mrs K Robinson took over from Mrs Pinnoch in 1970 and served until 1983, after  Mrs Barette Young who acted as Principal until 1995  when Mrs D. N. Dawes took over. Miss Dawes retired early in 2014 and another past student Delores Reid Blair is the current Principal.