Homecoming banquet to mark 40th anniversary of El Instituto de Mandevilla

El Instituto de Mandevilla celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, and as part of its commemorative efforts will host a fundraising homecoming awards banquet to raise funds to construct a bridge connecting the two campuses in Mandeville, Manchester.

With over 400 students currently enrolled at the institution, the building of the bridge is in line with the strategic objectives of enhancing safety and security on an ongoing basis on the campus.

According to principal Dr Faithlyn Wilson, it was the dream of the school’s founder, late Audrey V. Salmon, to host a homecoming event when the school celebrated its 20th anniversary; however, this did not materialise.

“It didn’t happen then, and it has been a dream to host such an event since then. In addition, we believe our present staff, students, parents, alumni, past parents and friends of El Instituto would like to see a bridge connecting both of our campuses. We have designated this the ‘GOLD Project’ and are also using the event to raise funds for the project,” Dr Wilson said.

“Our target for this event is $5 million, even though we know the project will cost much more. The implementation of this project will make traversing the two campuses easier for all and enhance safety,” she added.

El Instituto de Mandevilla, founded by the late Audrey V. Salmon, began as an evening language institute in 1978 offering help with Spanish for students struggling with the language in the public school system.

Salmon, a trained Spanish teacher, had worked for nearly 20 years in the public education system. She recognised the challenges students in the system faced and developed a curriculum which helped them gain distinctions in high school external examinations.

Salmon established El Instituto de Mandevilla Kindergarten and Preparatory School with 13 students, and the school has grown quite significantly since then.

“Today, we are the only private school in our region with an electronic school and learning management system (SmartTerm) to which all students, parents, [and] teachers have access. The impact of this strategic decision became even more relevant as we had to depend heavily of technology during the pandemic,” Dr Wilson said.

The school also made history as one of two preparatory schools in the region to be registered by the Early Childhood Commission.

The students have been awarded five government scholarships since 2017, and last year their head girl was the top Primary Exit Profile (PEP) student for Manchester, with the most outstanding record in Region 5. Fifty-four students in grade six sat the last PEP exams in April 2024.

“The coronavirus pandemic brought with it many challenges. While still on the path to recovery, we are grateful for how much we have overcome and that we are still moving forward,” Dr Wilson said.

“We invite those who share our vision to continue with us on this journey. and to envision with us an overhead bridge to connect the two campuses; a more technologically robust learning environment; a school bus to enhance extra-curricular activities and learning experiences; and a family that continues to care. A family that walks by faith and, therefore, is not afraid to change in order to remain relevant, so that we can continue our legacy of excellence,” Dr Wilson added.

The banquet scheduled for Saturday, June 1 at the Golf View Hotel in Mandeville will be a dazzling display of the El Instituto de Mandevilla family over the years. Additionally, having the ‘hostess with the mostest’ Juliet ‘Julie Mango’ Bodley, who is also a past student, will be the icing on the cake.

Danielle Archer, attorney-at-law and principal director of the National Integrity Action, also a past student, will deliver the keynote address. Tickets are available at Villa Pharmacy, Fontana Pharmacy and Three Angels Pharmacy.