ANCHOVY, St James — President of Anchovy High School Past Students’ Association, Albert Ferguson, says the newly launched group will be working closely with the school’s administration to transform it into an educational facility of choice.

“We will be working with the principal and the board to ensure that Anchovy attain the title, a school of choice… we are looking to see the fruits of that by the time this institution begins to celebrate its 50th anniversary in two years,” said Ferguson.

“That will require engaging the students, looking at behaviour patterns, looking at teaching methods, the whole aspects of teaching and learning and the environment.”

The plans for the school include acquiring a school bus and to ensure that sports is a “mainstream offering of the institution”.

“Sport is a very important vehicle in an educational institution. It provides well-rounded individuals and the Anchovy Past Students’ Association is going to be working with the school to ensure that the sporting disciplines of Anchovy are being taught and the students are exposed in competitions so that they can be well-rounded, so they have sports and academics together…,” said Ferguson during his maiden address.

The president, who is also the chairman of the organising committee of the Western Primary Schools’ Athletic Championships later told the Jamaica Observer West, that “ schools really rely heavily on past students associations to assist with extra-curricular activities such as sports and that is one of the areas that we as a body will be focusing on to ensure all the students that come here are able to be engaged in a discipline of their choice and complete in events organised by ISSA (Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association), the governing body for sports in high schools.”

Additionally, Ferguson, who is a journalist, said the association will also be working to equip the schools with the necessary ICT components in an effort to ensure that teachers and students are equipped with the enhanced learning tool.

He added that while the school has a computer laboratory, it is in need of proper tooling.

Ferguson was installed by Mayor of Montego Bay Homer Davis during a ceremony held at the school last week Thursday. He is being supported by a 10 -member executive committee. The president and his committee members are all past students of the school.

Speakers during the function included Mayor of Montego Bay Homer Davis, Dr Walton Small, former principal of the school; Everett Riley, senior education officer for the Ministry of Education Region 4 , and HF Smith, founding principal. President of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association Owen Speid was the guest speaker.

Anchovy High opened in 1972 as Anchovy Junior Secondary and was renamed Anchovy High School a few years later.