As Seventh - Day Adventist, Daniel and Margarrtte Peart determined that their children should also “come out of Babylon,” and in 1895 wrote to professor Fredrick Greggs, head of the education department in the USA, showing the great need for a Christian school.” Their daughter, Maud Peart, (later Gouldburne) then a teacher in training at a government college, and her brother C.C. Peart, also wrote expressing how much they would like to have a Christian education. Their request was granted; Daniel Peart donated money for the purchase of the Willowdene property in 1906. 

The school was started by C.B. Hughes in 1907 and later moved to a more spacious property at Riverdale.  The student body welcomed others from Trinidad, British Guiana, Barbados, British Honduras, Dominica, Belize, Haiti and St. Kitts.  

Since its establishment in 1919 at Coolsworthy, an emerald hillside in Mandeville, the institution has been a beacon to the community, the nation and the world. The move from Riverdale facilitated the growth from West Indian Training College (1936) to accommodate the expansion to the 14^th grade level. A new era began in 1959 when the educational programmes were expanded to the bachelor’s degree (16th grade), and the name was changed again to West Indies College.  The only baccalaureate degree then was theology, the first group receiving their degrees in 1960. 

Between 1919 and 1989, 21 presidents from the United States, Australia, Trinidad, Barbados, and Jamaica gave some of their best years, assisted by dedicated  teachers and workers, far too many to mention, each laying an important block in this structure, and each noble deed is recorded in heaven’s files. 

The contributions of these dedicated leaders and their teams provided the necessary foundation on which their products could build. Because of the tireless efforts of the board members, faculty, students, alumni, friends and patrons, the way was paved for a major transition.