ON September 9, 2010, the Camperdown High School Past Students’ Association, Florida Chapter, performed a philanthropic act to their alma mater by donating sneakers to the various age-group netball teams.

The alumni chapter has been pivotal over the years in numerous school welfare projects, and has been a critical means of support for the institution.

The sneakers were customised by Atlanta-based shoe design company, Footwork Customs and all were hand-painted with a design that features the school’s red and blue colours. They were handed over by Orville Thompson, an Atlanta resident and past student of Camperdown High School, to the principal Valentine Bailey, the senior team vice-captain Annika Richards, and team manager Gwenneth Barrett.

Bailey and Barrett displayed immense appreciation for the donation as they noted the difficulty in funding sports programmes at secondary institutions.

Secondary institutions in Jamaica cannot function solely by grants provided by the government or the daily operations of the school’s administration. It also takes support from third parties such as alumni groups, parent teacher associations and even the current students at the institution.

TEENage Observer urges TEENs to show gratitude for the five, six or seven years that their school took to mould them into the man or woman that they are today or will become in the future, by giving back to their respective institutions.