A committee set up by the Ministry of Education determined that a set of nine (9) subjects should be offered at the forms 4 and 5 levels. The first form 4 class was established in September 1991. The Dennery Multi-purpose Centre was used to provide accommodation for the form fours as the new wing earmarked to house both forms 4 and 5 was awaiting construction. There was some controversy surrounding the construction of that new block since part of the structure would encroach on the existing Dennery Cricket Field. This situation unsurprisingly was not popular with some of the local cricketers. There were some protests and opposition but in the end the wing was constructed and was eventually accepted by all.
With the addition of the form 4 level, the school was upgraded to a full fledged secondary institution. That development prompted a name change from Dennery Junior Secondary School to Clendon Mason Memorial Secondary School.
In the first few years, the students struggled to maintain a CXC General Proficiency pass rate in excess of 50%. However scores kept improving yearly and in 1996 the institution won the award for the most improved school at the CXC General Proficiency level with a pass rate of 60%. This rate was consistently maintained or exceeded in the following years and by 2002 it had jumped to 75%.
The school soon became recognised nationally as a sports powerhouse and in the 2000s CMMSS would win either the National Cricket and Football inter-secondary competitions on numerous occasions. In 2008 the school achieved the coveted “double” winning both the inter-secondary schools cricket and football competitions. Championships followed in the Secondary Schools Debating and Cheerleading competitions. Several medals were also won by CMMSS athletes in the national inter secondary schools athletics meets.
CMMSS continues to make strides in all areas. In the 2013-2014 academic year, national awards (1st to 3rd place) were attained in Cricket (1st), Football (1st), Volleyball (2nd), National Science and Technology Fair (1st & 2nd) and the National Science and Technology Quiz (1st & 2nd).
Despite these positives the school has had to battle with the undesirable scourges of parent apathy and student indiscipline. The latter used to be a serious problem at one point but in the recent past a noticeable mitigation of that concern was noticeable. A resurgence of the issue in the middle of first term of the 2014 school year prompted the implementation of a number of measures to curb its growth.
This new dispensation along with expectation of a new eastern wing on which construction started in late November 2014 means that the future looks bright for. With the assistance of the dedicate staff, parents – who are now more involved through the formation of Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs) – and of course the school’s enthusiastic students who form the overwhelming majority, means that there is every reason to be optimistic about the future.