Dear Editor,

The Asafa Powell Foundation has recommended to Parliament that the Charlemont High School in Linstead, St Catherine, be renamed the Asafa Powell High School. While I acknowledge the gesture to honour a man who has contributed significantly to the development of sports and philanthropy in the nation, I do not support the recommendation to rename the institution. Although change is inevitable, it should occur when it is needed and when it is guaranteed. At this point neither is applicable.

Charlemont High School is a household name that has achieved success, not only through the contributions made by Asafa Powell but also through the dedicated and outstanding contributions made by students, parents and members of staff; some of whom have been at the institution since its inception. Senator Delano Franklyn, chairman of the Asafa Powell Foundation, said that “all the necessary stakeholders were informed of this decision”. But I wish to ask who these stakeholders are.

The necessary stakeholders could not have been informed when the principal and staff as well as the Parent Teachers Association and the Past Students’ Association were not informed. Is it that we are not considered to be important stakeholders in the development of this institution? It is our school and we have contributed to the successes of Charlemont as well. Therefore, we should have been consulted before any such agreement was reached and sent to Parliament. I feel insulted that no real decision was taken to inform the various parties who moulded and fashioned Charlemont. I wore its uniform for seven years and I do not wish the school’s history to be replaced without proper consultation.

They should find other means of honouring Asafa, so I have proposed the following: build an auditorium or a new block and name it the “Asafa Powell Auditorium” or the “Asafa Powell Block”; or construct a new school and name it the Asafa Powell High, but to rob us of our school’s name is like robbing a people of their identity and culture. If we are going to rename our beloved institution the Asafa Powell High School, then I guess we can recommend that the William Knibb High School be renamed the Usain Bolt High and Wolmer’s Girls School be renamed the Shelly-Ann Fraser High and Vere Technical High the Veronica Campbell High School. These are people whose personal feats in track and field have far outweighed or are equivalent to those of Asafa.

Asafa, we love you and we will continue to support and cheer for you, but the decision to rename our beloved Charlemont is not the right one. I hope that we can reach an amicable solution as we continue to strive for excellence and keep the great eagle of the sky soaring towards triumph and victory.

Andre Johnson

Hue_ajohnson@yahoo.com