Past Project

The Excelsior Alumni Association of Florida is pleased to have made a contribution of US$1,000.00 towards the fencing of the playing field. This was a joint venture among the alumni chapters.

KINGSTON: Jamaica
www.xlcrflorida.com

Chalk up another pledge kept by the Excelsior Alumni Association of Florida following the official reopening on September 27, 2012, of the refurbished dance studio—amid much fanfare—at the alma mater.

In January 2011, the Association selected the renovation of the dance studio as its 80th Anniversary Project in recognition of Excelsior’s eight decades of existence. Tucked away in a quiet corner of the school’s campus near the gymnasium, the rejuvenated facility is now the new face of dance at Excelsior and was reopened after a summer-long renovation. The improvements feature newly installed wooden flooring, a restored roof, repainted walls, and improved ventilation and lighting. The Florida alumni body contributed approximately J $360,000.00 to the rehabilitation cost, which was jointly undertaken with the school.

Dance Studio students

Althea Brown-Robinson, President of the Florida-based alumni organization, was on hand to participate in the reopening after making a whirlwind visit home for that purpose. The facility was reopened in an elegant ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by Senior Vice Principal Mrs. Allison Peart.

Grey skies and the threat of rain did not deter those gathered for the occasion. Before a group of students, teachers (including Principal Mr. Deanroy Bromfield), the School Chaplain, Dance Mistress Ms. Patsy Ricketts, and a few alumni, the alumni president made a brief speech. She observed that the dance studio initiative was the latest completed project and a symbol of her organization’s enduring commitment to the alma mater. Mrs. Brown-Robinson presented a plaque, requesting that it be placed visibly in the Dance Studio, “not as an advertisement of our contribution, but as a reminder to current students to become active alumni and to be willing to give back to their alma mater.”

The alumni president recalled being a member of the Excelsior dance troupe, led by current Dance Instructor Ms. Patsy Ricketts, that won gold at the National Festival during the 1970s.

Principal Bromfield thanked the Excelsior Alumni Association of Florida for its contribution and hailed the collaboration between the alumni and the school in bringing the project to fruition. He said he looked forward to other such ventures in the future. In her turn at the microphone, Ms. Ricketts complimented the Alumni Association and said she was thankful that the students could now work in an improved environment. The rehabilitated dance studio, she added, should inspire the dreams of every aspiring dancer.

The alumni president capped her brief visit to Jamaica with an appearance on the TVJ program Smile Jamaica, accompanied by Patsy Ricketts and featuring a performance by the Excelsior dance troupe.

The 80th Anniversary Dance Studio Renovation provides the perfect coda to a year of giving back to the alma mater. In 2012, the Association made a three-year commitment to support DASH Athletics as that group endeavored to help restore Excelsior’s waning track and field legacy. So far that year, the Excelsior Alumni Association of Florida donated more than J $750,000.00 to help underwrite various initiatives at the school.

For 2014, the Florida Chapter committed US $2,000.00 to the XLCR community. Our board decided to allocate this donation to three programs as follows:

1. Dance Studio – US $500.00 to be used to purchase or defray the cost of a sound system that is robust and has features best suited to provide music for the students.
2. Women’s Football Team – US $500.00 to be used to help cover the cost of team uniforms.
3. Student Lunch Initiative Program (SLIP) – The board agrees that children need proper nutrition in order to learn effectively. As such, we initiated the Student Lunch Initiative Program (SLIP) to assist students who are economically challenged and unable to afford lunch.
   We requested that student selection be managed by the Guidance Office, as they are most familiar with students’ special needs. The SLIP will be funded annually, and this year we allocated US $1,000.00 to the program. We asked that the funds be carefully monitored and that an annual report be provided detailing the use of funds and the number of recipients.

The Excelsior Alumni Association of Florida supported athletics by entering a three-year covenant with the DASH Athletics Organization to assist in revitalizing the Track and Field program. We agreed to fund at least one athletic camp annually, up to US $2,500.00.

In addition, we tapped our membership for equipment and sports gear to assist with providing clothing and furniture for the facility.

Contributions in the following areas and for the amounts as specified.

In 2007, theXLCR Alumni Association of Florida donated 22 new hockey sticks, 40 hockey balls, and two sets of goalkeeper gear in support of the three female hockey teams. This donation was made in response to a request by the hockey coach, Miss Hockey.

The Association also donated US $1,500.00 to support the reinstatement of the Sixth Form at XLCR.

• Sixth Form Receipt Request Letter
• Hockey Letter
• XLCR Alumni Scholarship Letter and Application