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‘STETHS is the only school in Jamaica for me’ - Mascot Honeywell declares passion for Santa Cruz-based institution
September 20, 2024
"St Elizabeth Technical High (STETHS) is my side until God take me," uttered long-time school mascot Richard Honeywell.
A bona fide STETHS supporter since 1969, Honeywell, also known as 'Clown', is from Brighton in St Elizabeth.
During the school's games, the 69-year-old adds his flavour with his colourful, dapper, custom-made mascot outfit, repping the blue and yellow STETHS colours, oftentimes tinged with red. He also carries a matching coloured flag.
"STETHS is the only school in Jamaica for me, mi nuh know bout nutn else. If you wah hear mi bex, tell mi bout a next school," Honeywell declared.
"When my side a play, mi wi trace you till morning and see you next day and me and you a friend," he shared.
"I love everything about STETHS; the football, cricket, tracks, everything them play. I love it, it's my school, nobody can tell me about a next school," he added after preparing for the STETHS vs B.B. Coke High WATA ISSA daCosta Cup football match.
Fun fact is that Honeywell did not attend STETHS. He attended Santa Cruz All-Age. Adopting STETHS, and his deep passion for the Santa Cruz-based institution began by just watching football games at the school, when he was 14 years old.
"When I was a youngster, I always wanted to see football. When the footballers come yah, I would run from all-age school and watch the yute them from a cherry tree," he reminisced.
"In 1969 and 1970s when them go play, mi go all out with them and carry them bag," Honeywell said, as he stood like a proud patriot.
Before the transformation of the football field to its current green, lush state,, Honeywell said that he assisted two men, Mr Lawrence and Mr Evans, to do some work on it. Today the field is well manicured and maintained.
He believes it is the best in central Jamaica for schoolboy football and praised God he is alive to see where it is now.
According to him, people from overseas are impressed with the state in which the field is kept. And he is immensely proud because his blood, sweat and tears are in it, so he feels apart of it.
"Mi proud a STETHS. If nobody else nuh proud a it, me proud a it. My aunty come here, my cousin and friend," Honeywell noted.
"In 2015 when STETHS win the d'Cup tittle I was working at National Commercial Bank (NCB). I left work in the morning to go celebrate with the team but somebody from work call head office and say they see me down there. The bigger boss up there said them to leave Mr Honeywell make him celebrate with him team. Them start fight me until me retire in that same year," Honeywell said.
Noting that he has the highest respect for the principal of STETHS, Keith Wellington, Honeywell, didn't shy away from expressing his love and loyalty to him.
"Him younger than mi but a mi father that. Mi rate him, Mr Wellington come een like mi daddy. If a man ramp wid him too much and mi see it, mi a go hurt them and mi nuh care," he declared.
For this daCosta Cup season, Honeywell is confident his team will go far, regardless of what the naysayers believe.
"Nuff people say we nah go nowhere but me know wi a guh far. Mi just happy for STETHS. The ring ding a come Saturday up a Munro hill," he noted of their traditional matchup against archrivals Munro College, which will take place on the grounds of their opponents at high altitude Potsdam in the Malvern region. The game is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff on Saturday.
"We a come after each other since them take one a wi player," he stated. "Them feel seh them go kill wi inna football but it's a different game go play Saturday."
