Quoting reggae artist Jimmy Cliff, “When there is a will, there is a way”, Chairman of Parkinson’s Class of 1977, Victor Brathwaite and his small group of concerned alumni have taken on the responsibility to uplift their former school through a number of initiatives which include improvements to classrooms, computer labs, sick bay, home economics rooms, and provide sporting equipment and office supplies to the school.
Brathwaite and his relatively small group of 25 members have poured out their love and appreciation for their alma mater through a series of contributions within the a ten-week period. He said that presently, the Class of 1977 have repaired 300 classroom desktops, they will be providing ink for printers, they have donated a printer to the library, repaired 21 laptops (with a goal of fixing 25) and are working on increasing the strength of Wi-Fi on the school grounds.
In addition, Brathwaite said that there is a small number of alumni overseas (seven members) who have been contributing to the school, particularly one individual who will be sponsoring the football team. He said all of this was possible without corporate sponsorship (with the exception of Barbados Lumber Company who supplied the wood for the desktops), but through the generosity of past students and their “goodwill”. Brathwaite added that in addition to the infrastructure improvements, his group will be assisting some of the students who are in need of support.
“Going forward, we hope to, we assisted the school this year with five students and these are the children who you would term in need of assistance. We have agreed to increase it from five to seven (students),” said Brathwaite.
In addition to this, they have done industrial cleaning in the staff room and there are plans to mentor the young student body. Also, the Class of 1977 intend to adopt the block (Western) for five years and the group will be coming a month before the term starts and do their work there.
The group was formed during the tenure of principals Broomes and Alleyne, and after a tour with the current principal, Brathwaite and his members saw what was “far from ideal for the students” and sought to change it. This Friday, members of the local branch and overseas branch in New York will be coming to make a special presentation of supplies to the home economics room at the school, just in time for their SBAs. Brathwaite wanted to make special mention of those who have assisted his group during the period – Bernard, who delivered the lumber; and overseas members of Class of 1977 – Linda Brathwaite and Tracy Brereton. During the Class’ acknowledgement at the school’s opening ceremony for the 50th Anniversary of Barbados, Brathwaite said he felt emotional about the changes he and his members have made to the school in such a short time span.
“Although we have finished in 1977, 90 per cent have not been here since then. With all honesty, we have made up with for lost time for all we have done and what we intend to do,” he said. (KPB)
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