Thu | Mar 28, 2024

Manchester High alumni raise over $12M for benefit projects, trust fund

Published:Friday | March 31, 2023 | 12:52 AMTamara Bailey/ Gleaner Writer
From left; past student and Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Christopher Tufton, with past student and donor Clive Wint, board member, past student and donor Dr Carl Bruce, and past student and donor Simone Scarlett during the launch of the Manchester H
From left; past student and Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Christopher Tufton, with past student and donor Clive Wint, board member, past student and donor Dr Carl Bruce, and past student and donor Simone Scarlett during the launch of the Manchester High school Endowment Trust fund at their recent Global Alumni Network homecoming gala at the Golf View Hotel in Mandeville.
From left; President of the Manchester High School Global Alumni Network, Dr Lundie Richards presents a cheque of $1.5 million to Manchester High School Principal Jasford Gabriel at the recent Global Alumni Network homecoming gala held at the Golf View Hot
From left; President of the Manchester High School Global Alumni Network, Dr Lundie Richards presents a cheque of $1.5 million to Manchester High School Principal Jasford Gabriel at the recent Global Alumni Network homecoming gala held at the Golf View Hotel in Mandeville, recently.
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Mandeville, Manchester:

The Manchester High School Global Alumni Network (MHSGAN), through its inaugural homecoming week of activities held recently, reports that it has successfully reached its short-term target to raise funds to support the institution.

A total of $1.5 million was raised by the MHSGAN towards a gymnasium project, and $11 million in seed fund raised for the recently launched Manchester High Endowment Trust Fund.

Past student of the institution and Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Christopher Tufton, said a board has already been put in place to manage the trust fund.

“We are aiming over the next year and a half to get up to $100 million and I am going to be personally making my duty to encourage, motivate [persons] to raise the $100 million. That fund will start investment and the proceeds of which will be used to support the development of students and teachers.”

The expectation is that contributions toward long-term goals will continue.

Tufton earlier credited the institution for transforming his life and ultimately preparing him for what he has accomplished.

“Without Manchester High I would be nowhere. It gave me all the teachings and by extensions the learning and the way of life … and it gave me the best friends that up until today I still cherish and (am) appreciative of … Our legacy is to support the future generations,” he said.

Principal Jasford Gabriel said the institution can only maintain its progress through meaningful and consistent partnerships with alumni groups, having made significant strides in academics and sports among other areas since its inception 168 years ago.

“This networking is crucial to the entire future of the institution because alumni know school culture. The alumni perspective formed by the values that their alma mater taught them is key to retaining the strength of a school’s culture … .”

He added, “Alumni sustains school development. It is no secret that not enough funding is available so that we can be self-sufficient as far as meeting the demands of the educational system … .”

In addition to the student mentorship opportunities that alumni networking will yield, Gabriel is hoping that a short-to-long-term plan of getting an auditorium for the over 1800 students will become a reality.

He added that an additional five-classroom block is needed to properly accommodate current the student population as is a high-quality sport facility to support the various programmes at the institution.

President of the Manchester High School Global Alumni Network, Dr Lundie Richards, said the network, which was established in 2021 to form greater collaboration with alumni groups across the world, is a bold step to ensuring the school is adequately supported.

“We want to ensure that we continue to transparency and accountability. It is important that our current cohort of students begins to realise that they are the future of tomorrow and we will be depending on them to carry on that baton. Let us ignite that flame and we will indeed have a lasting legacy.”