KINGSTON, Jamaica – Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States, Audrey Marks is calling for greater diaspora support for non-traditional high schools that are responsible for the education of hundreds of thousands of youths in the building of Jamaica.

Addressing the inaugural fundraising dinner of the Anchovy High School Past Students’ Association in Delaware on the weekend, Ambassador Marks pointed to the paucity of representation of these institutions in the US-based Union of Jamaican Alumni Associations (UJAA), and the subsequent lack of support.

She pointed out that most of the invitations she has received for fundraising events have been from traditional institutions.

“I think this is the second invitation I am getting from one of our newer non-traditional high schools and I am here to encourage more past students of non-traditional high schools to form support organisations,” she urged.

Noting that Anchovy High is celebrating 51 years, Marks said it is time for such institutions to establish well-organised alumni associations to take advantage of the goodwill of their past students as well as assistance from donors and corporate bodies.

She commended the Anchovy alumni in Jamaica and overseas for the work that they have been doing in supporting their alma mater and called on past students who are not a part of the body to get involved.

Marks pointed out that alumni associations of high schools are a potent force for the development of Jamaica.

“It is most rewarding to compute the level of contribution and assistance that these organisations continue to give to the various educational institutions in Jamaica,” she noted.

She singled out groups in the US under the banner of the UJAA that are making a tremendous contribution to education.

She also lauded the leadership of UJAA, and past presidents Karlene Largie and Lesleyann Samuels, who attended the event, for their unstinting service for the past 25 years.

“I want to take this opportunity, on behalf of the Government of Jamaica, to say, ‘thank you; we value and appreciate your work’,” Marks said.

President of the Delaware Chapter of the Anchovy High School Past Students’ Association, Damion Smith, said that the body is committed to giving back to their alma mater, which has played a great role in equipping them to play their part on the world stage.

Smith said the alumni has identified several key projects that it will be undertaking at the institution.

She called on past students to support the initiatives, which are designed to improve conditions at the school and better prepare students not only in academics but technical and vocational education as well.

– JIS