Thursday, July 16, 2020

NAME OF FEATURE | THE GLEANER | THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2020 4 GRADUATION YEARBOOK – MT ALVERNIA HIGH SCHO L F ACULTY MEMBERS, students, parents and well-wishers gathered on March 5, 2020 for the official opening of the school gym. The gym, which was constructed by converting a 40-foot shipping con- tainer, took two and a half years to complete and is a gift from the Mt Alvernia High South Florida Alumnae Chapter. The members held various fundraising events and, after receiving a donation of the container, sought help from generous donors both locally and interna- tionally to make the space comfortable and functional. THE VISION for the gym was that of the athletic coach, AndrewHenry, and the school’s principal, Stacey Reynolds, both of whom could see the need to develop the immense athletic talent at the school. “We are so excited to have the gym completed, although we have been using it for at least a year and a half now,” said Coach Henry. The project was completed in stages, starting with cutting windows and a door, after which equipment was brought in to make it functional while additional funds were being sought. In making her remarks, South Florida Chapter President Judith Falloon-Reid said: “It has been two and a half years of fundraising, planning and changing plans as things change, to get to this moment. We are grateful to every donor.” The facility, which cost approximately US$11,000 to complete, is fully equipped with weight-training equipment, treadmill, stationary bicycle and other strengthening machinery. South Florida past students donate gym to Mt Alvernia High School The new gym at Mt Alvernia High School. Past student Janet Lewin-Griffiths tries out a piece of the equipment in the new gym. Inside the gym at Mt Alvernia High School. History of Mt Alvernia High MT ALVERNIA High School began in 1925 as St James Academy, a small boarding school, and was soon after renamed Mt Alvernia Academy. It was established by the Allegany Franciscan Sisters to fill the need for the Cambridge University Junior Examinations and the London Royal School of Music Examinations. The number of students attending classes increased steadily over the years. IN 1939, Mother Antoninus, OSF, succeeded Mother Theophane as principal. The school population was only 27. In 1943, a centre for the music examinations of the Royal Schools of Music was estab- lished at Mt Alvernia and soon after, the school was considered capa- ble of presenting candidates for the Cambridge School Certificate Examinations. In 1953, Sr Eloine Marie became principal of the school and imme- diately began working towards having Mt Alvernia established as a grant-in-aid school. The curriculum was further enlarged, and qualified teachers with degrees were em- ployed in order tomeet the require- ments of the Ministry of Education. Finally, in August 1959, Mt Alvernia became a grant-aided school with an enrolment of 71. Since then, the school population increased even more rapidly and new blocks of classrooms were erected to keep pace with the growing numbers. In 1971, Sr Joan Clare was ap- pointed principal, and over the next 15 years the enrolment increased from 347 to 1,516. A newwing con- sisting of three floors was built and a third floor was later added to the old wing. A few notable achievements over the years are as follow: n 1960 – First graduation n 1966 – Became Examination Centre for Cambridge n ‘O’ Level examinations n 1968 – Sixth form established. n 1970 – Commercial Department was expanded n 1972 – French added to the curriculum n 1979 – Social studies added to the curriculum n 1983 – German added to the curriculum n 1988 – Computer studies added to the curriculum n 2009 – Technical drawing added to the curriculum n 2012 – Grade 12/sixth form re-established. Extracurricular activities have also flourished over the years and stu- dents have participated in several in- ter-school competitionswith success. With theopeningof theMontegoBay CommunityCollege in1978, the sixth formwas closed. French andGerman have been removed from the curric- ulum because of an acute shortage of teachers. Grade 12/sixth form was re-established in 2012. Sister AngellaHarriswas appointed principal in 1995 and continued the heritage of a high level of achieve- ment in academics, sports and the overall development of the school. Miss Carmen Hall became princi- pal in 2005 and maintained a high academic standard. In September 2008, Mrs Therisa Cherian, a Roman Catholic with a wealth of teaching experience, was selected as the principal and retired in 2015. The untiring efforts of dedicated members of staff working with our students ensure that a rich history continues to be written. In Jamaica, the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany have been involved in the field of education for over 150 years.