Past students donate to Titchfield science lab

PORT ANTONIO, Portland:

Two past students of Titchfield High School donated equipment valued at US$12,000 to the science lab and also to the football team at their alma mater on Wednesday.

The donations, which included a microscope, two industrial laptop computers, two test tubes, and 10 footballs, were delivered by past student/businessman Julian Walker and Lloyd Clough from the overseas diaspora, during a low-keyed handover ceremony at the principal’s office.

“I am delighted on behalf of all of us at Titchfield to receive these valuable donations from our past students,” said principal, Richard Thompson.

“I had discussions at the end of last term with our head of science department, who indicated that they are in dire need of laptops and other science equipment. So with this microscope and other equipment for our science lab, come September, things will be better for us. I just want to encourage other past students to think about organising themselves and giving support to Titchfield,” he added.

According to Thompson, now that they have returned to face-to-face classes at Titchfield, following two years of the COVID-19 pandemic where most of their resources were depleted, there is now a definite need for them to fill the gaps, to rebuild.

Thompson noted that the donations from the two past students could not have come at a better time.

Walker, who operates a gaming shop in Port Antonio, said it is always a good thing to give back to your former school, to assist with the growth and development of other students.

“It is always good to give back and Lloyd Clough and I have been talking about this for some years,” Walker said.

“Clough is kind of a ‘dual citizen’ – not just America/Jamaica, but he’s also of Ocho (St Ann) and Portland. He has been doing some stuff in that part of the island (St Ann) and I said ‘listen man, we need to recognise Titchfield also, because Titchfield played a part in our lives’. Hence we are here today to do the small handover of a few items for the chemistry lab, laptops and some mixing glass, and of course, some gear for the football team. I am sure somewhere down the future we will try our best to organise more stuff that is critically needed for the school,” Walker said.

Meantime, Clough, who has been actively involved in making frequent donations to schools in St Ann, said that any opportunity or request to render assistance to Titchfield High School, which he said assisted greatly in helping to shape his future, will be given serious consideration, as the future of students is of paramount importance to the development and well-being of Jamaica.