Noel Thompson, Freelance Writer
Chief executive officer of the CHASE Fund, W. Billy Heaven (left), cuts the ribbon at the entrance to the Irwin High School music lab in St James yesterday to commission the lab into operation. The lab received $400,000 from CHASE towards the purchase of musical instruments. Looking on are Doreen Bernard (centre), vice-chairman of the school's board, and Berlin Roper, vice-principal. - Photo by Noel Thompson
WESTERN BUREAU:
Irwin High School in St James has become the first to receive musical instruments to furnish its lab through the Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education (CHASE) Fund to the tune of $400,000.
The music lab was commissioned into operation yesterday and was officially opened by W. Billy Heaven, chief executive officer of CHASE, at a brief ceremony on the school grounds.
"For every dollar CHASE gets, there are 15 projects waiting to be funded from that one dollar. That means Irwin High must have been fortunate to have been considered for funding," Heaven told the gathering.
He said there was a great demand for funding from various organisations, which makes it competitive.
Our conviction
"It's a 15-1 relationship in terms of demand and supply. When we provide funding for any particular project, it is based on our satisfaction and our conviction that that is the project which is deserving of immediate funding," Heaven said. "It does not mean that other projects are not deserving of funding, but we take the impact and other variables into consideration."
Meanwhile, principal of Irwin High, Aldin Bellinfantie, thanked CHASE for considering his school.
Bellinfantie said: "We are planning to position this institution as a school of arts over the next five years and to rival all others, inclu-ding the traditional high schools in Kingston, which place a lot of emphasis on the arts."
Irwin High School first opened its doors to students in September 2004 and has already earned six gold medals in dance, three silver and two bronze in the field of music, among other medals in the annual Jamaica Cultural Development Commission's Festival competitions.
