NEW YORK, USA — Media studies, journalism, radio and music are among subjects expected to be offered upon completion of a multimedia building now under construction at St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) in bustling Santa Cruz, St Elizabeth.

The $60-million project is being undertaken by the school’s alumni association in the United States, in partnership with the Utah-based Church of Latter Day Saints of Jesus Christ (Mormons), which has contributed a grant of US$206,000.

Dr Cecil Wright, president of the past students’ association, told the Jamaica Observer that a further US$200,000 will be needed to complete the construction which is scheduled to last for two years.

He said that the remaining funds would be raised through a number of events to be undertaken by the alumni association. Groups of past students who attended the school during a particular year, for example, have been tasked with raising US$3,000 each.

Dr Wright, who is also executive director of admissions at Mercy University in New York, said the response to this initiative has been encouraging so far.

The current grant is the second major funding the alumni association has secured for STETHS in two years. Early in 2023 the association secured a $9-million endowment from California-based scientist and businessman Dr Cosmo Fraser, himself an alumnus of the school.

At the time, Wright told the Observer that, “the funding will play a significant part in providing books, meals, and transportation for students in need. Part of this endowment will be used to upgrade labs and other academic learning spaces at the school”.

STETHS began operations in 1961 with 110 students and now has an enrolment of more than 1,500 students. Notable alumni of the school include Olympians Shericka Williams, Winthrop Graham, and Bridgette Foster-Hylton, as well as West Indies cricketers Darren Powell and Jerome Taylor.