Wed | Sep 10, 2025

$1m gift for centennial trio

Published:Wednesday | September 10, 2025 | 12:11 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
From left: Kayon Whyne, principal of My Alvernia High School; Garvin Atkinson, principal of Chetwood Memorial Primary School; Ashley Anguin, chairman of administration for the Jill Stewart MoBay City Run; and Theresa Cherian, principal of the Mount Alvern
Contributed
From left: Kayon Whyne, principal of My Alvernia High School; Garvin Atkinson, principal of Chetwood Memorial Primary School; Ashley Anguin, chairman of administration for the Jill Stewart MoBay City Run; and Theresa Cherian, principal of the Mount Alvernia Preparatory School, during a cheque presentation of $1 million in the Mount Alvernia/Chetwood Centennial handing over ceremony at Mount Alvernia High on Tuesday.

WESTERN BUREAU:

The Mt Alvernia High School, Mt Alvernia Preparatory School, and Chetwood Memorial Primary School have jointly received a cheque for $1 million, provided by the Jill Stewart MoBay City Run charity organisation, in recognition of the three institutions’ historic combined centennial celebration this year.

Representatives from the three schools received the cheque on Tuesday during a handover ceremony held at the Mt Alvernia High School.

Out of the $1-million donation, $500,000 will go toward refurbishing Mt Alvernia High’s auditorium, while $250,000 will be used to build a pavilion at Chetwood Primary, to serve that school’s 1,200 students. The remaining $250,000 will be used to build a second floor for Mt Alvernia Prep’s auditorium.

In expressing her gratitude, Kayon Whyne, the principal of Mt Alvernia High, said the gesture “beautifully demonstrates what we can achieve when we come together, and it fills my heart with immense pride to be on the receiving end of such generosity during this, our 100th anniversary celebration”.

Garvin Atkinson, the principal of Chetwood Primary, thanked God for the donation on behalf of the three schools, which were established in 1925 by the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany in the United States.

“As we come today to accept the gifts that will be bestowed to us, we have myriads of needs at Chetwood Primary, but our God is the supplier of all our needs, and He is the supplier of the needs of the other schools also. As sister schools, we build and collaborate with each other, because, divided we fall, but together we can achieve so much,” said Atkinson.

IMPORTANCE OF GENEROSITY

Theresa Cherian, the principal of Mt Alvernia Prep, said the donation provides an avenue to teach the importance of generosity, because “we want to grow and achieve more and give back to our students, and giving back should become a way of life, because that is what education is all about. The Franciscan Sisters made sure we understood that what we are being educated for is service”.

Tuesday’s donation is the latest event to take place during the three schools’ centennial celebration, which includes upcoming events such as ‘Mt Alvernia Day’ and a 5K walk/run scheduled for November 23.

Marline Stephenson Dalley, the chairman of the three schools’ centennial committee, said the century-long milestone provides a foundation that the current generation of students and teachers can strengthen for future generations.

“We are celebrating 100 years now but, what of the next 100 years? Many of us will not be here by then, but we have to invest in the students who are here and now. That foundation has already been laid, and we have to build on it in the spirit of excellence, innovation, and love,” said Stephenson Dalley.

Meanwhile, Janet Silvera, the chairman of the Jill Stewart MoBay City Run organisation and a past student of Mt Alvernia High, urged the teachers present for the handover ceremony to continue encouraging their students to achieve their full potential.

christopher.thomas@gleanerjm.com