ROSE HALL, St James — Rose Hall Academy Chairman Adam Stewart says ground for the construction of a new school on 13 acres of land donated by Rose Hall Developments Limited chair, Michele Rollins, is expected to be broken in January.

Speaking at the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) at the historic Rose Hall Great House in St James last Thursday for the construction of the new school, Stewart said the facility, which will be built from a slew of fund-raising efforts, will open next September.

He later told the Jamaica Observer that his committee would be seeking to raise US$1.5 million for the build-out of the school, as he appealed for corporate Jamaica to support the initiative, adding that donors will receive tax benefits.

The school will be located in the upscale Rose Hall area and will be known as Rose Hall Academy.

The MOU was inked by Spanish-Jamaican Foundation President Josep Bosch, Rollins, and Stewart, in front of a small, yet influential gathering including stakeholders and dignitaries such as Cabinet member Dr Horace Chang, who is also the member of parliament for St James North Western.

“It will be an international school. It will be a school based on the motto of Jamaica: ‘Out Of Many, One People’, that people from Trelawny, people from Montego Bay, people from Kingston, people from St Lucia, the Commonwealth, from USA, Canada, Europe… who moved to Jamaica, to Montego Bay, will all feel welcome and be a part of the international educational institution,” said Stewart, who is also the deputy chairman and CEO of Sandals Resorts International and the Jamaica Observer.

He said that the school, which will have “the best views of probably any school in the Western Hemisphere”, will also have “awesome extra-curricular activities, as well as an awesome academic platform”.

In explaining the need for the construction of the school, Stewart told the gathering that in recent years there has been a raft of infrastructural and economic developments in Montego Bay, which have resulted in an increase in the population.

“We have watched industries grow within the last decade in and around Montego Bay, thousands of hotel rooms. We have seen the advent of the BPO sector, we have seen major commercial banks coming into the town of Montego Bay and set up major banking centres; we have seen linkages and supply businesses expanding… and so many more have moved their base to Montego Bay. Montego Bay is not sleeping any more. Sandals, for example, has moved more than 500 new jobs to Montego Bay over the last 10 years, and we have seen the struggle of people finding access to academia in the town of Montego Bay, particularly in high school… so for any city to survive we have to have major hospitals and school facilities,” he explained.

Stewart said consequently, himself and a few other Montego Bay businessmen, including the iconic Anthony “Tony” Hart, got together in an effort to find an appropriate piece of land to construct a “world-class school”.

Rollins, he added, was later approached and her company decided to donate the land for the school.

Rollins, at the signing ceremony, said that construction of the school is “a win-win for everybody”.

“We couldn’t be more honoured in partnering with the construction of the school. It’s a dream that we always had,” Rollins said, adding that her company has been involved in the development of Jamaica for more than 50 years.

Bosch also expressed his delight about the project.

“It is a beautiful project that will bring new life to scores of children in Jamaica, so we are very happy to participate in this beautiful project,” he said.

The Rose Hall Academy will be built and operated under the ethos of providing each student with the opportunity to achieve his or her full academic and personal potential while learning in an educational environment based on international standards.

The school will also encourage leadership, character, and community service, while embracing cultural diversity.

Set to open as a private, co-educational high school (grades 7-12) with roughly 80 students, the school’s mission is to provide a holistic educational approach, ranging from cutting edge academic pursuits to a wide range of extra-curricular activities for students from diverse cultural origins and backgrounds.

It is also anticipated that soon after opening, expansion will begin to facilitate students from kindergarten to primary school (K to Grade 6).

Dr Chang, in his remarks, stressed the Government’s support for the initiative, noting that it will be a welcome addition to Montego Bay.

He emphasised that his Administration will “do whatever we can to support it”, as he expressed confidence that the project will meet its deadline.