STEWART TOWN, Trelawny — The tireless efforts of Westwood Old Girl’s Association (WOGA), in partnership with several sponsors, led by the Sandals Foundation, has resulted in the well-needed renovation of the Enid Beale Home Economics Laboratory at the 143-year-old institution.

During last Friday’s official reopening of the facility, immediate past president of WOGA, Doreen Dietrich, saluted Sandals Foundation and the other sponsors who partnered to complete the $25-million project. She highlighted that Sandals Foundation contributed the lion’s share of the funds needed to fund the project, which was conceptualised by WOGA, which in 2022, “as a part of their anniversary celebration, chose the refurbishing of this building as their legacy project”.

“The total cost of renovating the building, $25 million, and then equipment, roughly $2 million. So it’s a lot of money. This is one of the biggest projects that has been undertaken by the Westwood old girls,” Dietrich disclosed.

“If I convert the $27 million into US dollars, we’re talking about roughly US$170,000. Sandals gave over US$70,000,” she added.

She hailed the other sponsors which included Desnoes and Geddes Foundation, Half Moon Hotel, Allied Protection, Guardian Life Limited, Spectrum Limited, and Proven.

Dietrich recounted how past students became emotional and were prompted to act after seeing the poor state of the structure which housed their beloved domestic sciences (DS) classes.

“This building has been here many years. For a while it was in a state of disrepair, and old girls, some of them wept when they came here, because, you know, they didn’t, they couldn’t imagine, their lovely DS, as we call it, in that state. But we said we are going to do something about it. So those who were crying, ladies, you can now cry tears of joy right now. It’s a legacy project,” she said.

“When we heard the first estimate, it might have been $15 million. Then it started growing and growing and growing. We started mobilising our funds,” she added.

Heidi Clarke, executive director of Sandals Foundation, said partnering with WOGA and other sponsors for the project was a no-brainer as the aim of the collaboration was to provide students with essential skill development opportunities while also focusing on heritage preservation.

“For us, it’s a very exciting day for two reasons: the Sandals Foundation believes that we have to preserve the culture of Jamaica and the rest of the islands we operate in. Far too often, our beautiful, old buildings that hold so much history are knocked down and not preserved because of the fact they take so much money to maintain or rebuild if they’ve gone into disrepair. So I really would like to salute the fact that you all have dedicated your efforts to preserving this building and the history of this school, and the history of part of Jamaica, so that for us is a big thing,” Clarke said.

“But more than that, it’s about empowering you, young people, young women,” she added.

Karen Francis, the school’s principal, who is also an alumna, and who expressed deep gratitude to the alumnae for their unwavering quest to revive the facility, which dates back to 1903, noted that up to 70 girls use it.

She shared that the facility has been out of commission since 2018 due to issues with the roof of the over century-old structure. She reflected that over the seven years that the space was out of service, it proved challenging to accommodate the over 60 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) students, plus grades seven to nine home economics students, in a small laboratory at the school.

“The Enid Beale Home Economics Laboratory holds a special place in the heart of our school and its absence since 2018 has been deeply felt. The number of girls who use this lab numbers up to 70. Today we celebrate not only the return of the laboratory, but also the dedication and loyalty of our alumnae,” Francis said.

“Your contributions will have a lasting impact on the education and development of our students. We are grateful to our sponsors for making this happen. Thank you!”she added.

Regional director for the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information’s Region Three, Karlene Segre, who is also a Westwood past student, described the official opening of the newly refurbished amenity as a momentous occasion which is “a testament to the power of collaboration, generosity and the enduring spirit of the Westwood High School community”.

“I extend my deepest appreciation. WOGA’s love and commitment to this, your alma mater, has shone brightly through this project. You have not only given back to the school, but helped shape youth. You have also demonstrated the profound value of altruism. As the saying goes, we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. Your contributions are a shining example of this truth and your efforts will undoubtedly impact the lives of current and future students for generations to come,” Segre expressed.

She also extended gratitude to the sponsors.

“Your partnership exemplifies the importance of public-private collaborations in advancing education and community development. Together we are building a brighter future for students and by extension, our nation,” she said.

Meanwhile, Dietrich implored the students to protect the facility, one of the many pioneering accomplishments of former principal Miss Jeffrey Smith. Initially named in her honour, it was renamed the Enid Beale Centre in 2002 in honour of a past student who returned to teach cookery and eventually retired as a vice-principal.

“This is our gift to you, and what do we ask? We ask that you ensure the care, the protection and the maintenance of the building and the equipment, so that it will benefit many generations to come,” Dietrich implored.