…………Serving Jamaicans at home and abroad May 2009 ______SOUTH FLORIDA JAMAICA ALUMNI NEWSLETTER

Editors Dr. Sandra Schrouder E-mail: [email protected]; Dr. Rupert Rhodd E-mail: [email protected]

A Tribute from the Jamaican Alumni Associations in South Florida

It gives us great pleasure to write these few words of appreciation on behalf of Jamaican alumni associations in recognition of Air Jamaica’s outstanding record of support for through Jamaican alumni associations in South Florida. As the editors of the newsletter over the past five years, we know first hand the support that Air Jamaica has given to the Jamaican alumni associations in South Florida and on behalf of the alumni associations we say a big “thank you” to Air Jamaica.

At present, there are 36 Jamaican alumni associations registered in South Florida and more than 75% of these have been around for more than 10 years. The alumni associations usually have a major annual fundraising event and 99.999% of the time they are supported by Air Jamaica in the form of a gate prize of two round trip tickets or tickets to assist with transporting principals to events in south Florida. If we use an average figure of 25 alumni associations receiving 2 tickets every year (and we are certain some have received more than two), then over the past 10 years, more than 500 tickets have been donated to Jamaican alumni associations in South Florida. If we convert the tickets to a dollar value and include the invaluable assistance of Kaye Chong and her staff, we can deduce that Air Jamaica has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Jamaican alumni associations in South Florida.

Air Jamaica, the Jamaican alumni associations in South Florida are very grateful for your unstinting support over the years without which their fund raising activities would not have been so successful. Air Jamaica, schools in Jamaica thank you for assisting the Jamaican alumni associations in South Florida. Without your support, these schools may not have received over US$150,000 annually from Jamaica alumni associations in South Florida. With Air Jamaica’s support, the Jamaican alumni associations in South Florida have furnished classrooms, purchased lab equipment, fans, expanded infrastructure, and built gyms in schools in Jamaica and may even have a hand in the world record

1

May 2009 performance of Usain Bolt and the victory of Shelly-Ann Fraser. Air Jamaica, the less fortunate in the communities of South Florida that have benefited from the volunteer efforts and financial contributions of Jamaican alumni associations, thank you for the years of support.

The Jamaican alumni associations in South Florida salute Air Jamaica on its 40th Anniversary. May the Love Bird continue to soar to even newer heights and Air Jamaica’s love be ever present everywhere in this world. Thank you Air Jamaica!!

Rupert Rhodd & Sandra Schrouder

╦╦╦╦╦╦╦╦╦╦╦╦╦╦╦╦╦╦╦╦╦╦╦╦

List of Events for May 2009 (More information inside the newsletter)

May 2: St. Hugh’s Alumnae Association of Florida Fidelitas Jazz White Affair May 2: CAST/UTECH Alumni – Florida Chapter Champagne Reception May 23: Camperdown High School Past Students’ Association: Florida Chapter “White Knight Fete” May 23: The Alumni Association of Titchfield High School “Portie Dance” May 23: Holmwood Past Students Association – Florida Chapter, 7th Annual Fundraising Banquet May 22-24: Alumnae Association – South Florida Chapter “Grand Reunion Weekend” ◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘

Quotes of the Month “He who forgives ends the quarrel” “If you can laugh at it, you can live with it”

======KINGSTON TWENTY-ONE With more than 2100 Jamaican Businesses & Organizations WWW.KINGSTON 21.INFO [email protected] listed in over twenty-one different categories (954) 915-0524 2

May 2009 William Knibb Memorial High School Alumni Association, Inc. “Coming out Strong!!!!”

William Knibb Memorial High School was founded on January 16, 1961 by Rev Stephen James, former pastor of the Duncan’s Circuit of Baptist Churches. The school was named after the renowned Baptist emancipator, the Rev. William Knibb. Founded some 48 years ago, when the parish of Trelawny had only one high school, William Knibb Memorial High School began as a co- educational institution having an enrollment of 42 students (21 girls and 20 boys) of varying ages at the old Baptist Manse on 9 Market Street, Falmouth. Although the school is still owned by the Jamaica Baptist Union, in 1975 it became a government grant- aided school. As the student population increased, the need for additional space became necessary and so the school was relocated in 1976 to the present site at Carib Road, Martha Brae. The student population has grown immensely over the years and now stands at approximately 1350 students and a staff of 80 including teachers and auxiliary.

Having alumni over the globe, William Knibb Alumni Association is prominent in various locations most notably; the South Florida, the New York and Trelawny. Due to the tremendous effort of The President and Officers, the William Knibb Memorial High School Alumni Association Inc., became a reality on October 30 2008. This is truly the dream of all the past students of William Knibb High School as alumni all over the globe now have a place to connect and work together as one entity: http://www.williamknibbalumni.com. We encourage the formation of other chapters as through our collective effort William Knibb Memorial High School, our blessed alma mater of which we are so proud, will become a bastion of education and training for future generations especially in western Jamaica.

Through the William Knibb Memorial High School Alumni Association, Inc., all chapters and individual will be able to work together in unison and not in isolation. Furthermore, contribution to our alma mater can be made through a single unit. Technology is a great blessing. It is so great to be able to connect with Alumni in Jamaica, US, Canada, Europe, Tortola, (BVI), Trinidad, Grenada and other Caribbean countries, Germany, Japan, Iraq, just to mention a few. We look forward to making a great difference and networking with all the Alumni Associations located in Florida.

We are proud of our alumni and grateful to those alumni who have already signed on and even more grateful to those who are financial members. It was with this same pride that the William Knibb Memorial High School Alumni Association, Inc. was able to make a small financial contribution to William Knibb Memorial High School on March 16, 2009. This is just a start as we are expecting with your efforts to do much more in the future. It is certainly an honor to give back and to promote the growth of our alma mater. The President and Officers commend past students for their efforts and wish continued success in their future endeavors. It is also an honor to be a part of a growing body of alumni associations in South Florida as now we have a chance to work with each other on joint fund raising efforts for the benefit of educational institutions in Jamaica. All road leads to our grand homecoming reunion in July of 2010.

Charmaine Shettlesworth

3

May 2009

4

May 2009

5

May 2009

6

May 2009

7

May 2009

8

May 2009

9

May 2009

10

May 2009

Save the date!!!! Saturday, June 6, 2009

Queens ~ Calabar Alumni presents

Summer Fete

At

At the West Broward Lodge 927 NW 178 Avenue Pembroke Pines

11

May 2009

Information for Alumni Associations in South Florida

1. Convent of Mercy Academy “ALPHA” Pat Lee (President) (954) 708-0363 [email protected]; [email protected]

2. Ardenne Alumni Organization of Florida Judith Lawson-Keane (President) (954) 483-0833 [email protected]

3. Calabar Old Boys Association, Florida Edmund Campbell (President) (786) 256 2565 [email protected]

4. Camperdown High School Past Students’ Association Michelle ChueSang Cooper (President) (954) 802-6590 [email protected]; [email protected]; www.camperdownfl.org

5. Campion College Alumni Association Toni Brice (President) (954) 804-4068 [email protected]; www.campionflorida.com

6. CAST/UTECH Alumni Association – Florida Dr. Marilyn Morrison-Padilla (President) (954) 578-5858 [email protected]; [email protected]

7. Clarendon College Alumni Association Bethany Powell (President) (786) 262-3404 [email protected]

8. Cornwall College Alumni Association of South Florida, Inc. Lance Gibbs (President) (754) 368-5532 [email protected]; http://www.ccalumni-florida.com

9. DeCarteret College Alumni Assoc. of Florida, Inc Godfrey Comrie (President) (305) 305-8108 [email protected]

10. Dinthill Technical High School Alumni Association Alvin Watkis-Williams (President) (305) 342-9567 [email protected]

11. Excelsior Alumni Association of Florida Corneld Lindo (President) (954) 309-4405 [email protected]

12. Garvey Maceo Alumni Association Claudette Salesman (President) (954) 647-4724

12

May 2009 13. Glenmuir Alumni Association of South Florida Fitzroy Benjamin (President) (305) 588-0521 [email protected]

14. Green Island High Alumni Association of North America Dalvin Williams (President) (305) 431-1955 [email protected]; www.greenislandalumni.com

15. Holmwood Technical High School Alumni Association Hamlin Dalrio (President) (954) 484-9600 [email protected]

16. Immaculate Con. High School Alumnae Association Jennifer Hoyes (President) (561) 400-3400 [email protected]; www.ICHSalumnae.net

17. Old Boys Association of Florida Ray Stephenson (President) (305) 505-3008 [email protected], www.jcobafl.org

18. Kingston College Old Boys Association [email protected] (954) 587-5257 www.kcobafl.org

19. Knox South Florida Past Students Jean Clarage-Slosberg (President) [email protected]; [email protected]

20. Meadowbrook High School Alumni Association Paul McPherson (President) (954) 383-0321 [email protected]; www.mhsalumniassoc.org

21. MICO Alumni Association of South Florida Errol A. Evans (President) (954) 804-7200 [email protected]; www.miconians.com

21. Montego Bay High School Alumnae Association, South Florida Karen Morris (President) (561) 714-3441 [email protected]; www.mobayhighfl.com

22. Mount Alvernia High School Alumnae Association Andrea Smellie-McIntosh (President) [email protected]; http://groups.msn.com/MAHSSFCHAPTER

23. Munro-Hampton Alumni Association L. Ashley Coke (President) (954) 423-3961 [email protected]

24. Queen’s High School Alumni Association Natalie Chung (President) (954) 471-4744 [email protected]; www.qhsafl.org

13

May 2009 25. St. Andrew High Old Girls Association Deirdre Benka-Coker (President) (954) 805-6796 [email protected]; www.sahsflorida.org

26. St. Andrew Technical High Alumni Association David Jemison (305) 687-1677 [email protected]

27. St. Elizabeth Technical High School Alumni Association Dawn Bramwell (President) (941) 815-7223 [email protected]

28. St. George's College Old Boys Association of Florida Dennis Barnett (954) 347-1092 [email protected]

29. St. Hilda’s High School Alumni Association Claudette Nelson (President) (754) 422-0090 [email protected]

30. St. Hugh’s Alumnae Association of South Florida Karen Lee Murphy (President) (954) 536-0016 [email protected]

31. St. Jago High School Alumni Association Garnett Walker (President) (305) 766-6213 [email protected]

32. The Alumni Association of Titchfield High School Edith Walsh-March (President) (954) 240-3296 [email protected]; http://www.titchfieldhigh.com

33. UWI Alumni Association of Florida Margaret Barrett (President) (954) 485-0444 [email protected]

34. Vere Technical Alumni Association Carlton Robinson (President) (561) 793-8108 [email protected]

35. William Knibb Memorial High School Alumni Association Charmaine Shettleworth (President) (561) 396-0447 [email protected]

36. Wolmer’s Alumni Association Kidson Barnes (President) (954) 742-0550 [email protected]; http://www.wolmersouthfla.org

To advertise your events in the newsletter or to correct information about your association, please contact the editors Dr. Rupert Rhodd ([email protected]) and Dr. Sandra Schrouder ([email protected])

14