Cornwall College science lab to get $5.8 million upgrade
Published:Thursday | January 14, 2021 | 12:06 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
The staff and students at Cornwall College, in Montego Bay, will soon have one of their science laboratories significantly refurbished, as a contract for the work was signed on Tuesday by the school’s administration and members of two of its alumni associations.
The signing ceremony, which was done on the school grounds, was attended by representatives of the Cornwall College Alumni Association’s (CCAA) Montego Bay and South Florida chapters.
The renovation work will be done by Marken Construction over a six-month period at a cost of approximately $5.8 million. However, no starting date was announced for the project, which will include replacing countertops, electrical and plumbing work, and other general repairs.
In outlining the importance of the school’s science laboratory, Janet Silvera, director of communications for the CCAA’s South Florida chapter, explained that many prominent doctors and scientists were trained at the 124-year-old institution, including for service to the British Empire.
“Cornwall College was the first government school in Jamaica and the first high school in the West Indies to offer chemistry and physics as subjects in its curriculum. It also had the first chemistry high school lab in Jamaica, and this was established in the 1920s,” explained Silvera, who is also president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
“It is said that the reason for this distinction is the fact that Cornwall College was supposed to provide doctors for the British Empire because there was a high demand for medical services as Britain was involved in multiple wars,” added Silvera.
Among the school’s most noteworthy past students are National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang; University Hospital of the West Indies Consultant Urologist Dr Richard Mayhew; Rhodes Scholar and world-renowned plasma physicist Professor Vernon Wong; and Dr Garth Taylor, co-founder of Canadian Surgical Eye Expeditions.
Michael Ellis, the principal of Cornwall College, said that a state-of-the-art science laboratory is needed by the students to adequately pursue the STEM curriculum, which focuses on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
“A science lab with 21st-century features is critical, as it helps us to deliver the STEM curriculum, and a renovated science lab is critical for that purpose. Cornwall College is reputed to have produced the most doctors, pharmacists, and scientists, not only in Jamaica, but all across the world, and the school will continue to make its mark,” said Ellis.
Dr Richard Meggo, president of the CCAA’s Montego Bay chapter, said that several of the school’s past students will be closely involved in the planning and execution of the renovation work.
“The old boys were the ones who did all of the planning, who are part of the project team, and who will be doing the project management, the renovation, and reconstruction. It is all in the family, and we have a vested interest to ensure that quality work is done, and that is what will happen,” said Meggo.