The Alpha Institute

CATEGORY: Arts and Culture

The Sisters of Mercy in Jamaica recently celebrated a significant milestone of 142 years of service to the youth in Kingston and across Jamaica.

On May 1, 1880, Jessie Ripoll led four women to open an orphanage called Alpha Cottage on a 40-acre property along South Camp Road in Kingston. The task became overwhelming for Ripoll and her friends, and the Religious Sisters of Mercy, a Catholic order of nuns in Bermondsey, England, were invited to assist.

The first four sisters arrived in 1890 and established a convent. Ripoll joined the convent and changed her name to Sister Mary Peter Claver. She later became the first Mother Claver in Jamaica.

Today, her legacy has spread over 43 acres that was once a haven for thieves to include Alpha Institute (formerly Alpha Boys’ School), Convent of Mercy Academy, Alpha Infant School, Alpha Primary School, and Jessie Ripoll Primary School.

Over the years, the Alpha Institute, a vocational training centre, has been doing an exceptional job of providing specialised academic instruction, social services and trade training to young men in need of employment and life skills teaching.

Their mission is the empowerment and personal transformation of young people through education and skills training. Most of their students reside in inner-city communities, where social conditions are very challenging. The training programme at Alpha is designed to generate holistic development and career advancement in a variety of relevant employment areas.

“We do accept what we regard as dropouts from the traditional high school; we take them as they are, and we try to move them forward. We prepare them for the City and Guilds examinations in mathematics and English, and this is between stages one and three,” said Margaret Little Wilson, administrator at Alpha Institute.

Music, which is their flagship offering, offers courses in music performance and music technology. Landscaping, woodwork, carpentry and barbering are also offered. The Alpha Institute will also be reintroducing screen-printing, and it is looking to add greenhouse technology.

“We also have a psychosocial intervention, which includes guidance and counselling through anger management, conflict resolution, self-esteem and self-awareness interventions. We find that these areas are very lacking, especially in a young man who is underachieving. We also look at their employability skills by preparing them for the work world. We teach them how to prepare job applications and their resumes,” Little Wilson said.

The Alpha Institute is home to Alpha School of Music, which has started offering an Associate Degree in music performance and is Jamaica’s only tertiary music school focused on ensemble performance. The institute is also known as the cradle of Jamaican popular music.

In 2016, they were the winners of the Jamaica Best School Band Competition. They also received a subsection prize of having the Best Band Leader.

Later in 2019, they again entered the competition and were awarded the Most Improved Band title, the winner of the Composition of the Most Original Song, and having the Best School Music Instructor in the competition. They have also received numerous awards in the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC).

The Alpha Institute is being recognised by the RJRGLEANER Honour Awards in the category of Arts and Culture for its continued role in using the arts to liberate at-risk inner-city youth, transforming them into productive citizens and cultural ambassadors.

“We are very pleased that Alpha is being recognised in this way. What that says to us is that Alpha, after 142 years, is still alive and still fulfilling its mission. We plan to continue this legacy and continue this tradition by paying attention to the students that we have. Each generation of students comes with different challenges, and we have to adapt and change and make sure that we give them what they need to survive as a musician and as a human being,” said Gay Magnus, bandmaster at the Alpha Institute.

INTERESTING FACTS

• Alpha Institute celebrated 142 years of service on Foundation Day, May 1.

• Alpha School of Music is the only tertiary institution that offers an associate degree in music performance.

• Sister Mary Ignatius Davis was known as the Mother Teresa of Reggae, although she was unable to play a musical instrument.

• Alpha Institute is one of five schools run by the Sisters of Mercy on the 43-acre South Camp Road property.

• Alpha Institute, formerly Alpha Boys’ School, is known as the cradle of Jamaican popular music.

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS

• In 2016, Alpha Institute won the Jamaica Best School Band Competition, and also received a subsection prize of having the Best Band Leader.

• In 2019, they were awarded the Most Improved Band, Best Composition of the Most Original Song, and Best School Music Instructor in the Jamaica Best School Band Competition.

• The institute has also received numerous awards in the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC).

• The Alpha Institute was the opening act for Reggae Sumfest in 2019.

BUCKET LIST

• To create an infrastructure so that the Alpha Institute will be able to finally accommodate female students.

• To setup a state-of-the-art performance centre.

• Hopes to build larger classrooms to accommodate more students.

• Continue with its mission to be able to provide scholarships for students.