Friday, January 22, 2010

The Excelsior Alumni Association (USA) Inc has earmarked J$1 million to help with the renovation of  the General Science Laboratories at the school, the organization has announced. Lennington (Lenny) Wright, Assistant Treasurer, made the announcement on behalf of the organization as the school marked the 79th anniversary of Founder's Day.

First announced at Founder’s Day 2006 as part of the school's 75th Anniversary commemoration, the science lab project is being done in phases, the first completed segments of which were handed over to the school by the Excelsior Past Students Association and the Digicel Foundation, a major sponsor, in September 2009.

As progress on the project continues, attention now turns to other phases of the mission of ensuring first-rate facilities for science education at the alma mater. The New York-based Excelsior Alumni Association is set to make good on its earlier pledge to help with the initiative. The group’s contribution, an increase on the initial commitment of J$750,000.00, and part of the proceeds of the alumni association's year-long celebration of its 40th anniversary, continues its long established tradition of giving back to the school.

In just the last two years, the group has given more than J$2 million to help with various projects at the school. This includes J$758, 000.00 to help with construction of the block of class rooms which houses the Sixth form; approximately J$200,00.00 to help with books and others resources for the Sixth Form; more than J$400,000.00 to help re-stock the music room; some J$500,000.00 annually to help with the its decade-old scholarship program, among a slew of other initiatives at the school.

Now with an eye to streamlining contributions to the school, the leadership of the four active alumni chapters-in New York, Florida, Toronto and Jamaica-has been holding a series of consultations in an effort to continue collaboration in pursuing their collective mission of lending assistance to students at Excelsior.