St Mary’s College has successfully completed the refurbishment of its three major Science labs, viz Biology, Chemistry and Physics. The refurbishment of each of the three labs cost in excess of $1M.
A commissioning and blessing ceremony was held February 5 to officially mark the completion of the refurbishment programme and to say “Thank You” to the three sponsors.
The refurbishment programme commenced in 2018 and was completed late last year. A Labs Refurbishment Committee comprising members of the Past Students’ Union, teachers from the Science department of the College and representatives of the respective financiers of the refurbishment programme, together with CIC alumni who are highly experienced professionals in their respective fields, came together to plan and execute the programme.
Refurbishment of the two Biology labs was financed by Shell Trinidad and Tobago Limited (Shell) as part of its national STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Programme in support of Science education in this country.
At the ceremony, Leslie Bowrin, External Relations Advisor to Shell and the liaison between Shell and the Refurbishment committee, explained that Shell’s role in financing the work on the Biology labs is part of the company’s drive to encourage the holistic development of students.
Principal of the College, Nigel Joseph, spoke on behalf of Dr Wayne Frederick, a distinguished past student of St Mary’s and now President of Howard University, Washington DC. Dr Frederick spearheaded a drive to raise funds to refurbish the two Physics labs, undertaking this role because, as he put it, his experience at St Mary’s was second to none so he wanted to give back to his alma mater, hoping that other generations will do likewise.
Brevard Nelson, current President of the Past Students’ Union listed the several projects undertaken by the organisation in recent years, amounting to over $5M within the past five years. Included in that list was the refurbishing of the College’s two Chemistry labs, and the refurbishment and air-conditioning of the Centenary Hall on the 100th anniversary of this iconic institution.
The source of the funds for these projects was the two major fundraising activities hosted annually by the Past Students’ Union, Fete With The Saints and Dining With The Saints.