September 2015 - Coalition of Jamaican Alumni Associations of

The Coalition Monthly
The Newsletter for Jamaican Alumni Associations in Florida
Published by the Coalition of Jamaican Alumni Associations of Florida
P.O. Box 970313, Coconut Creek, Florida 33097
September
2015
September
2015
Education Matters!
INSIDE THE
Sav
NEWSLETTER
ALPHA’S SISTER
BERNADETTE
2015-2016
SCHOLARSHIPS
RECIPIENTS (p.2)
ANDREW JAMES
TOPS CAPE AT
WOLMER’S (p. 4)
THE HIGH COST
OF FREE
EDUCATION:
PARENTS OF
GSAT AWARDEES
GET PAINFUL
AWAKENING
(pp. 7-8)
CONTACT
INFORMATION
FOR ALUMNI
ASSOCIATIONS
(pp. 23-26)
Remember
your alma
UPCOMING EVENTS
WOLMER’S – CAMPION
“REUNION SOCCER WEEKEND”
September 12-13, 2015, Page 3
CORNWALL COLLEGE ALUMNI
21st ANNUAL DINNER-DANCE
November 7, 2015, Page 16
CALABAR HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI
2015 “END OF SUMMER DANCE”
September 19, 2015, Page 5
CONVENT OF MERCY (ALPHA)
“CLASS OF 1975 “LINK-UP”
September 12-13, 2015, Page 17
ST. THOMAS MORE PREP SCHOOL
“REUNION”
September 19, 2015, Page 6
CONVENT OF MERCY (ALPHA)
WHITE NIGHT OLDIES “DANCE &
DINNER”, November 14, 2015, Page 18
RUSEA’S OLD STUDENTS (FLORIDA)
ON THE SEA 7-DAY CRUISE
October 3, 2015, Page 9
ST. HUGH'S ALUMNAE
“HOLIDAY JAM SESSION”
November 14, 2015, Page 19
TRENCH TOWN ALUMNI
“SCHOOL DAYZ”
October 10, 2015, Page 10
IMMACULATE HIGH SCHOOL ALUM
25th ANNIVERSARY GALA
November 14, 2015, Page 20
TITCHFIELD ALUMNI
COLUMBUS DAY WEEKEND
JAMBOREE”, October 9-11, 2015, Page 11
CENTRAL BRANCH PRIMARY
SCHOOL “REUNION”
February 25 – March 3, 2016, Page 21
MANNINGS PAST STUDENTS ASSOC
FAMILY DAY & PICNIC
October 17, 2015, Page 12
ST. GEORGE’S & IMMACULATE
ALUMNAE INT’L “CRUISE”
July 9-15, 2016, Page 22
TARRANT HIGH SCHOOL PAST SDTS
MEET & GREET PARTY
October 30, 2015, Page 13
mater!
TARRANT HIGH SCHOOL PAST SDTS
6th REUNION & FUNRAISING BANQUET
October 31, 2015, Page 14
Support your
MUNRO-HAMPTON ALUMNI
FALL MASQUERADE “MOP-HOP”
October 31, 2015, Page 15
Save the Date!!
ALL ALUMNI
WALKATHON
DECEMBER 5, 2015
school with
pride!
Please send your event flyer or any other news you wish to share with other alumni associations to
[email protected]. We will be happy to publish it in the newsletter and include it on the Coalition’s
website (www.cjaaf.info) under “upcoming events”.
Editors: Sandra Schrouder PhD & Rupert Rhodd PhD
CONVENT OF MERCY ACADEMY “ALPHA” ASSOCIATION INC (FLORIDA CHAPTER)
SISTER MARY BERNADETTE 2015-2016 SCHOLARSHIPS RECIPIENTS
This year, Convent of Mercy Academy “Alpha” Association Inc., celebrates 20 years of dedicated and continuous
assistance to our “little sisters” at our alma mater, Alpha Academy, as well as underserved children within communities
of South Florida. Also, 2015 marks the seventh year since the inception of the Sister Mary Bernadette Little (SMB)
scholarship awarded to students of Convent of Mercy Academy “Alpha” in Jamaica, by the Alpha Florida Chapter. The
SMB Scholarship is given to deserving students who achieved excellence in their educational pursuits and their
involvement in extra-curricular activities and community service are also taken into consideration.
This year, two scholarships were awarded. The calibre of applicants received was exceptional and made our job of
selecting one out of eight applications such a difficult task. All applicants were brilliant in CSEC and CAPE results
and their performance throughout their high school years were stellar. They showed exceptional alacrity in their
community service and extra-curricular activities in and outside of Alpha Academy.
The 2015 recipients were Dian Ellis and Janique Simpson, both were accepted at the University of the West Indies,
Mona Campus to begin classes the first week in September 2015.
“I respect the legacy of
Sister Bernadette and the
ladies of whose lives she
has impacted in an indelible fashion. These ladies
who work assiduously to
lift Alpha on high,
becoming benefactors to
scholar-ships which make
sister’s ascent up the
rungs of the education
system that much easier. I
have never been one to disappoint. I will strive in my
endeavours at the University of the West Indies in the
Faculty of Science and Technology as I make my rise
to one day in the near future graduate to the field of
Medicine.”
Janique Simpson
Dian Ellis – Scored 11 CSEC subjects, 10 Distinctions!
She did 4 subjects in CAPE in her first year of 6th Form
and awaiting the results of 4 additional subjects in Upper
6th. Miss Ellis will be studying for a Bachelor of Science
Degree in Accounting and her career goal is to be a Tax
Practitioner or an Auditor. She has been awarded
numerous honours throughout her high school years, and
volunteerism is very important in her life.
Congratulation to these two exceptional Alpha Ladies!
We wish them all the best and give support for their hard
work for the next 3 years towards completing their first
degree
Janique Simpson – Scored 1’s (Distinctions) in 12 CSEC
subjects. She aced 5 CAPE subjects and the results of 5
more are pending. Miss Simpson’s high school years were
exemplary in many areas. She plans to pursue her studies
at the UWI with her goal of becoming a medical doctor
and to give back to her community and country.
“The Sister Bernadette Little
Scholarship has lightened my
financial burdens which allow
me to focus more on the most
important aspect of school
learning. I now move on to
challenge myself to continue to
live out the Mercy Philosophy
which has instilled in me those
educational, cultural and
spiritual values which will
enable me as I move on to
become a torch bearer for my sisters that I will leave
behind as I shine a light and pave the path to success so
that those looking on can follow”
Dian Ellis
Submitted by
Ms. Jennifer Figueroa
Liaison Director - SMB Scholarship
AD VERUM ET BONUM – To the Good and True
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ANDREW JAMES TOPS CAPE AT WOLMER'S
BY ALDANE WALTERS
The Observer, Sunday, September 06, 2015
JAMES... I prayed, and I did the work
SIX grade ones at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency
Examinations (CAPE) is no small feat, and according to Wolmer's
Boys' School Andrew James, it could only have been possible with
divine assistance. James bagged grade one in applied mathematics
unit 2, pure mathematics unit 1, communication studies, physics unit
1, chemistry unit 1, and biology unit 1, becoming the school's top
student in the exams.
The 18-year-old told the Jamaica Observer that he was never nervous
going into the Caribbean Examinations Council-administered exams
as he had faith that God would grant him the success he worked for
over the years. "Never," he said in response to the question about
being nervous. "I prayed, and I did the work. I knew that God was with me, so I didn't have to be."
He says that he knew that he would do well, but thought he would only have earned grade one in five of
the six subjects he sat, applied mathematics being the exception. His mother, Tracy-Ann Miles said that
James is an industrious son. "He has that drive. He was always studying and I never had to tell him to
study," she told the newspaper. James' success was even more special for the mother of three and the rest
of the family as it was the first of its kind in the family. He was also the first of his kind to attend the elite
boys' school that has been operating for almost three centuries.
Miles says that it was she who encouraged her son to have a relationship with God. "It is very important
for young people nowadays to have a relationship with God, as it provides a sense of direction for them,"
Miles, a mother of three, said.
James, her eldest is Inter-Schools Christian Fellowship president and will take on the added responsibility
of chief secretary of Wolmer's prefect body. Other than divine help, James says his teachers and friends
also contributed to his overall success. "In truth, I don't think I have any bad teachers. All of them actually
did their best. All of them were actually there with me. I have friends that really encouraged me, they
believed in me," he said.
In terms of his overall preparation strategy, the 18-year-old told Career & Education that focus and
understanding, were his guide. "I tried to focus on what I was doing," he said. "I prefer to [pore over] one
topic for maybe one hour than read through a whole lot of things quickly," he said.
James aspires to become a neurosurgeon. He said he believes that it is part of his purpose set out by God,
a view his mother shares.
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THE HIGH COST OF FREE EDUCATION:
PARENTS OF GSAT AWARDEES GET PAINFUL AWAKENING
Verona Antoine-Smith
The Daily Gleaner, August 9, 2015
Perhaps the biggest irony of free education in Jamaica is the high costs that parents still have to pay for their
children to access it. Emerging trends in some secondary schools demonstrate that the idea of free education is,
at best, a political cliché. This year, some parents of Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) awardees who were
placed at selected secondary schools were done a disservice. No sooner had they accepted their placements, they
were met with immediate financial demands.
1. The registration process
One of the first costs encountered by parents was associated with the registration process. Most schools charged
a fee for registration packages, which parents had to collect in order to proceed. These fees ranged from as low
as $800 in one Region 3 school to a high of $7,500 in a Region 1 school.
Upon opening this package they were met with other impending expenses: medical examination, summer school,
uniform/material, book lists, and PTA and auxiliary fee vouchers. While many parents could voluntarily dismiss
summer school programs and, hence, the related charges, that represented the only cost that they could evade. All
other costs had to be paid, which led to a growing concern for many: When are these fees due?
2. July deadlines
While parents could appreciate the immediacy with which a medical report might be required, several expressed
concern that some administrators demanded the payment of the contentious auxiliary fees long before the start of
the new academic year. Just under 40 per cent of the surveyed schools ordered parents to fork out the year's fees
in July, with deadlines as early as the week commencing July 13, 2015.
It could be argued that parents should have been saving for their children's high school education; nonetheless,
the harsh economic climate in which Jamaicans currently exist cannot be ignored. In January, The Statistical
Institute of Jamaica reported an unemployment rate of 14.2 per cent, and that included parents. Yes, some parents
are actually unemployed, some are beneficiaries of the Programme of Advancement Through Health and
Education (PATH), some get by on remittances, some earn the minimum wage, and some are gainfully employed,
according to the statistics, but their net salary is woefully inadequate.
Then there are those who get paid round about the 25th of each month. When administrators demand payment
long before payday, where exactly do they expect parents to source it from? More important, is this a reasonable
expectation?
Think about it. The entire summer break is ahead, yet long before parents can figure out who will stand as
guarantors for their next 'back-to-school loan', they are mandated to pay auxiliary fees.
From an administrative perspective, it can be understood that school repairs are necessary, utility bills need to be
defrayed, and the list continues. But where is the Ministry of Education's contribution to these schools? Principals
must take the Government to task, collectively address any inefficiencies through the Jamaica Association of
Principals of Secondary Schools, and insist that traunches be paid in a timely fashion.
Coalition Monthly – September 2015
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3. No fees ... no textbooks
In some schools, accessing textbooks for rental was contingent on the payment of auxiliary fees. Obviously, this
was an administrative tactic to enforce parents' compliance. However, the grim reality was that parents who
couldn't afford to pay at the appointed time were not allowed to collect their children's textbooks, which the
ministry provided under the National Textbook Rental/Loan Scheme. Fifty four per cent of the schools surveyed
admitted that these new students had to pay auxiliary fees as a precondition to collecting their rental books.
Conversely, some administrators denounced this worrying trend and indicated that their textbook rental was not
contingent on the payment of any fees whatsoever. Further, some explained that payment wasn't due until August
31 and, even so, payment plans were in place for those parents who could not afford to pay the total fees at once.
4. The real cost of free education
So with the surveyed auxiliary fees for the academic year 2015/16 ranging from $6,000 to $41,000 (in nonboarding institutions), one might ask: How much does free education cost? Indisputably, its real cost varies across
households: One parent, a PATH beneficiary, broke down in tears when she was informed that her son would not
get the textbooks until the auxiliary fees were paid.
Another parent was baffled to see a tablet listed as an Information Technology (I.T.) requirement on her daughter's
book list. In another school, the breakdown of the auxiliary fee reflected a charge of $9,000 for IT lab access.
Clear instructions were that if the student doesn't pay that fee, there would be no access to IT for that academic
year.
The Ministry of Education continues to take deliberate steps, to monitor school fees and to approve textbooks for
purchase and/or rental. Its efforts are aimed at minimising the financial burdens faced by parents, thereby
increasing students' access to education, with the ultimate goal of improving national literacy rates and overall
academic performance.
Clearly, additional measures are required to preserve this vision and to safeguard parents.
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CENTRAL BRANCH PRIMARY SCHOOL GRAND REUNION IN FEBRUARY 2016
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JAMAICAN ALUMNI ASSOCIATIONS/FRATERNITY GROUPS IN FLORIDA
1.
ALPHA ALUMNEA (CONVENT OF MERCY ACADEMY)
Donna Fong
(President)
(786) 246-0924
[email protected]
[email protected]
http://www.alphafloridachapter.com/
9.
2.
ARDENNE ALUMNI ORGANIZATION
Judith Lawson-Keane
(President)
(954) 483-0833
[email protected]
http://www.ardennealumni.org/d7/
10. CORNWALL COLLEGE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Lance Gibbs
(President)
(954) 600-5915
[email protected]
www.ccalumni-florida.com
3.
CALABAR HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI
Michael Schloss
(President)
(754) 422-3307
[email protected]
www.cbarfla.org
11. DINTHILL TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI ASSOC.
4.
CAMPERDOWN HIGH SCHOOL PAST STDS’ ASSOC
Michelle Cooper
(President)
(954) 802-6590
[email protected]
[email protected]
http://www.camperdownfl.org
5.
CAMPION COLLEGE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Toni Brice
(President)
[email protected]
http://campionalumni.com/ccaa/
6.
CAST/UTECH ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Dr. Marilyn Morrison-Padilla (President)
(954) 578-5858
[email protected]; [email protected]
http://www.facebook.com/pages/CAST-UTECHAlumni-Association/226258306042
CHURCH TEACHERS’ COLLEGE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Mike Andrews
(President)
(305) 502-6713
[email protected]
[email protected]
http://www.ctc.edu.jm/alumni/default.aspx
Alvin Watkis-Williams
(305) 342-9567
[email protected]
[email protected]
(President)
http://dinthillfloridaalumni.com/
12. EXCELSIOR ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Althea Brown-Robinson (President)
(954) 914-0811
[email protected]
http://www.xlcrflorida.org
13. FERNCOURT HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Dr. Anthon Francis
(President)
http://www.fhsalumniassociation.com/
14. GLENMUIR ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Fitzroy Benjamin
(President)
(305) 588-0521
[email protected]
http://glenmuiralumni.com/
7.
CENTRAL BRANCH PAST STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION
Dr. Justin Peart
[email protected]
15. GREEN ISLAND HIGH ALUMNI ASSOC OF NA
Norrine Tavares
(President)
(917) 969-4308
[email protected]
www.greenislandalumni.com
8.
CLARENDON COLLEGE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Bethany Powell
(President)
(786) 262-3404
[email protected]
http://www.clarendoncollegefl.org/
16. HOLMWOOD TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI
Lloyd McGhie
(President)
(954) 826-7665
[email protected]
http://www.holmwoodtechnical.com/
17. HOLY CHILDHOOD HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNAE ASSOC.
Joan Wright
[email protected]
http://www.facebook.com/HCHSworldalumni
18. IMMACULATE CONCEPTION HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNAE
Janice McIntosh
(President)
[email protected]
www.ICHSalumnae.com
19. JAMAICA COLLEGE OLD BOYS ASSOCIATION
Xavier Murphy
(President)
(954) 536-8811
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.jcobafl.org
20. JAMAICA EX-POLICE ASSOCIATION (JEPA)
Malachi Smith
(President)
(954) 572-9009
[email protected]
21. JAMAICA EX-SOLDIER ASSOCIATION
Patrick Russell
(President)
(954) 324-5506
[email protected]
www.jesasf.com
27. MANNINGS HIGH SCHOOL PAST STUDENTS’ ASSOC.
Cosmond Vaughan
(President)
(954) 748-4658
[email protected]
http://www.manningssfl.com
28. MARYMOUNT HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNAE ASSOC.
Pat Matthews-Darlington (President)
(954) 288-3853
[email protected]
29. MEADOWBROOK HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI ASSOC.
[email protected]
www.mhsalumniassoc.org
30. MICO ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Ruben “Tony” Brown
(President)
(954) 804-7200
[email protected]
http://micoalumnisf.org/index.html
31. MONTEGO BAY HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNAE
(954) 330-4500
[email protected]
http://www.ncmgmusic.com/montegobayhighschoola
lumnaeassociationofsoflorida/id2.html
22. KINGSTON COLLEGE OLD BOYS ASSOCIATION
(954) 587-5257
[email protected]
www.kcobafl.org
32. MONTEGO BAY HIGH INTERNATIONAL ALUMNAE
Lisa Legg/Karen Morris-Clarke
(561) 714-3441/984-0616
http://mbhsiaa.org/
[email protected]; [email protected]
23. FRIENDS OF KINGSTON TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL
Shannet Brown-Peterkin (President)
(954) 610-3192
[email protected]
www.friendsofkths.com
33. MOUNT ALVERNIA HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNAE ASSOC.
Andrea Smellie-McIntosh (President)
(954) 246-3595
[email protected]
http://mahsafl.com/
24. KINGSTON TECHNICAL PAST STUDENTS’ ASSOC, FL
Annette Corbett Gardiner (President)
954-674-7410
[email protected]
34. MOUNT ALVERNIA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION-CEN. FLA
Dawn Chin Jones
(President)
(813) 910-9880
[email protected]
http://www.mahscfl.org/
25. KNOX SOUTH FLORIDA PAST STUDENTS
Leary Mullings (Co-Chair)
(954) 594-2699
[email protected]
Dr. Susan Davis (Co-Chair)
(954) 648-2800
[email protected]
35. MUNRO-HAMPTON ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Dona-Lee Raymond
(President)
(954) 663-6744
[email protected]
[email protected]
http://www.munrohamptonflorida.org/
26. MANCHESTER HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
[email protected]
http://www.manchesterhighschool.org
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36. NORTHERN CARIBBEAN UNIVERSITY ALUMNI ASSOC.
(CENTRAL FLORIDA CHAPTER)
Vilma Campbell
(President)
[email protected]
http://www.ncucentralflorida.com
37. QUEEN’S HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Natalie Chung-Cauldero (President)
954) 471-4744
[email protected]
www.qhsalumnifl.org;
Online store: www.cafeshops.com/qhsafl
38. RUSEA’S OLD STUDENTS ASSOCIATION
Carolyn Tolsie Drummond (President)
[email protected]
39. SAM SHARPE TEACHERS’ COLLEGE ALUMNI ASSOC.
Max Beckford
(President)
(954) 478-9475
40. ST. ANDREW HIGH OLD GIRLS ASSOCIATION
Deirdre Benka-Coker
(President)
(954) 805-6796
[email protected]
www.sahsflorida.org
41. ST. ANN’S BAY PRIMARY PAST STUDENTS’ ASSOC.
Carlene Wittingham
(President)
(954) 354 9750
[email protected]
www.sabpspaststudents.org
45. ST. HILDA’S HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Jenifer Plummer-Barrett (President)
(917) 974-4863
[email protected]
46. ST. HUGH’S ALUMNAE ASSOCIATION
Karen Lee Murphy
(President)
Phone: 954-536-0016
[email protected]
http://www.shaafl.org/
47. ST. JAGO HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Garnett Walker
(President)
(954) 440-8786
[email protected]
http://psa.stjago.com/
48. ST. MARY HIGH SCHOOL SOUTH FLA ALUMNI ASSOC.
Michael Brady
(President)
(954) 663-7220
[email protected]
49. TARRANT HIGH SCHOOL PAST STUDENTS’ ASSOC.
Michael Rose
(President)
(9540 353-1702
[email protected]
http://www.tarranthspsa.com/
50. THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OF TITCHFIELD HIGH SCH.
Paul Perry
(President)
(954) 647-0293
[email protected]
http://www.titchfieldhigh.com
42. ST. CATHERINE HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Jasmine Barnes
(President)
(786) 252-6120
[email protected]
[email protected]
http://stcatherinehigh.com/html/
51. TRENCH TOWN COMP HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI
Leandus Campbell
(President)
(954) 684-1367
[email protected]
http://www.tthsa.com/
43. ST. ELIZABETH TECH HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI ASSOC
Noel Knight
(President)
(786) 302-2456
[email protected]
http://www.stethsreunion.com/class_custom4.cfm
52. UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES ALUMNI ASSOC.
Rupert Rhodd, PhD
(President)
(954) 242-2529
[email protected]
www.uwiaafl.info
44. ST. GEORGE'S COLLEGE OLD BOYS’ ASSOCIATION
Rudy Kameka
(President)
(954) 815-8891
http://www.stgcfl.com/
[email protected]
www.facebook.com/stgcfl
53. VERE TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI ASSOC.
Sandra Lee
(President)
(954) 478-3106
[email protected]
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vere-TechnicalAlumni-South-FL-Chapter/101936149849886
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54. WESTWOOD HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Donna-Lee Nicholson
(President)
(954) 609 4112
[email protected]
http://www.sfcwoga.com/index.html
55. WINDSOR /WILMAR HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI, NA
Indiana Robinson, EdD (President)
(267) 335-6589
[email protected]
56. WOLMER’S ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Karen McCallum
(President)
1-888-965-6377
[email protected]; [email protected]
http://www.wolmersouthfla.org
57. YORK CASTLE HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI ASSOC, FLA
(954) 634-7100
[email protected]
https://www.facebook.com/pages/York-Castle-HighSchool-Alumni-Association-FloridaChapter/603139906446843?sk=info
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