Denbigh High’s visual arts department gets a boost
Published:Thursday | January 15, 2026 | 12:08 AMOlivia Brown/Gleaner Writer
Denbigh High School in Clarendon expects a sharp rise in Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) visual arts passes, following a major upgrade to the Visual Arts Department’s computer lab. The transformation, funded by Dr Laverne DaCosta, a Jamaican-American professor at Arizona State University and lifelong advocate for education, has been marked by renaming the space in her honour.
The donation — desktop computers, a heat press, and printers capable of sublimation, vinyl and direct-to-film (DTF) printing — has strengthened the school’s creative infrastructure. More than equipment, the upgrade aligns Denbigh’s visual arts programme with modern industry standards and global trends.
Visual arts teacher Giovanni Nembhard noted that the department already had a strong base, with a 90 per cent pass rate in the last CSEC sitting. With the new studio, he expects rapid advances in painting, textiles, and graphic design. The enhanced space now supports instruction in sublimation, vinyl, and DTF processes, alongside industry-standard software such as Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, with animation to follow. Students’ enthusiasm, he said, has surged: “Students’ attitude towards the industry [has increased] … they actually love it,” adding that they continually challenge him “as a teacher to do my homework as well as to keep in the current affairs in terms of designing aspect”.
Equipped with new technology, Denbigh will soon be able to undertake specialised work such as vehicle wrapping, broadening students’ practical exposure and industry readiness. Three students recently entered the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission competition. Though they did not reach the finals, judges commended the quality of their work and urged them to continue in the field.
Previously, limited access to technology forced students to share laptops and endure scheduling conflicts. That constraint, Nembhard said, has now been removed. “With these computers that were given to us by Dr DaCosta, this will actually push and boost the teaching infrastructure here at the Denbigh High School,” he stated. He is also preparing to introduce the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) in visual arts. “Students are actually saying, ‘Mr Nembhard, when are we going to start doing CAPE?’ So very soon, we’re going to be offering CAPE,” he said.
COMMITMENT TO HOMELAND
For Dr DaCosta, the initiative is personal. An educator of more than 30 years, she described her mission as shaping young people for lasting careers. “My mission, my passion, is to shape young people for the future,” she said. A native of Lionel Town in Vere, Clarendon, she explained that her decision to give back was rooted in a commitment to education in her homeland. “My desire to give back to my country and specifically to education was the driving force,” she said.
She underscored the role of technology in modern education, calling it integral to teaching, creating and reaching global audiences. She also envisages collaboration between Denbigh and Arizona State University, including student exchanges to share cultural and technological learning.
Principal Annett Daley said the upgrade exceeded expectations. What began as a modest plan to add computers and printers evolved into a comprehensive modernisation, complete with air-conditioning, improved windows, and a redesigned space. Such facilities, she noted, open doors for students pursuing vocational subjects, enabling them to earn from creative work.
Daley reaffirmed the school’s emphasis on integrating vocational skills with traditional academics, particularly within STEM. “Over the years, we have stressed … the importance of the skill areas because we don’t see the skills standing by themselves, and we don’t see the traditional subjects standing by themselves. We really see incorporation,” she said. With the boost to NCTVET programmes, she added, the country is recognising the importance of skills training. “Hurricane Melissa has passed. You’re going to need the skilled persons to build back Jamaica,” she posited.
She continued: “The world has now transitioned, and it’s important for us to understand … the importance of the skills. So at Denbigh, we do not take the vocation subjects to say, ‘Oh, you’re just doing the vocation.’ No. It’s about incorporating the vocation with all the traditional subjects and to see the collaboration that can happen.”
Daley called for continued partnerships with alumni and well-wishers, acknowledging the limits of government funding. Referring to Dr DaCosta as the school’s “fairy godmother,” she stressed that sustained collaboration is essential to moving the institution into the 21st century.