Thursday, October 1, 2009

By Althea Brown-Robinson

After a conciliatory meeting with the newly  inducted president of the Methodist Church in Jamaica, the Alumni chapters in Florida and New York have agreed to lift their funding freeze.

Reverend Everald Galbraith met with representatives of the Alumni chapters on Friday, September 25, 2009 in Kingston, Jamaica.  This marks an end to the stalemate with the Methodist Church, the Excelsior Board and the chairman that has been aground for more than 8 months over the selection process for the Principal which many believe was marred by irregularities.  We want to commend Rev Galbraith for rising above the fray and scheduling the time to meet with us. 

We are encouraged by Rev. Galbraith’s fresh message of “unity”, “togetherness” and putting “self in the background”.  We are excited about his willingness to meet, listen, and take careful notes of our deep concerns for the future of Excelsior High School.  We are optimistic that he will take action and lead the charge to heal the divided XLCR community, ensure that there is a clear vision for the school and unite us towards the common goal of creating a learning environment which permits the attainment of high standards for all.

We trust and believe Rev Galbraith’s sincerity in his “promise” to diligently review all the material we shared, solicit information from the appropriate parties and provide the leadership that will bring our community together again.  As such, the Alumni boards of FL and NY have voted to immediately lift the freeze on funds distribution to the school which was imposed more than 8 months ago.

Althea Brown-Robinson is the Vice President of the Excelsior Alumni Association of Florida