In a series of three online video events, the KCOBA has raised a total of US$101,600 for Kingston College’s Covid-19 relief.
New York chapter President R. Perry Bloomfield hosted these events. They provided a behind the scenes look at the challenges KC faces with the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic.
The final installment streamed live on August 27, 2020. The Chairman of the Board of Governors, Michael Vaccianna and principal Dave Myrie provided updates on the schools handling of the pandemic and discussed plans for the 2020/2021 reopening which the Ministry of Education has postponed until October.
The event also featured two prominent KC Old Boys, the legendary West Indies cricketer and commentator Michael Holding; and popular academic-and-politician-turned-entrepreneur, Damion Crawford.
Behind the scenes, Royland Gordon was the technical moderator for the event. The audience also enjoyed a performance by the Kingston College Chapel Choir. Rev. Canon Calvin McIntyre, OD and the school’s chaplain, Rev. Fr. Michael Brown, offered prayers.
The target for the Covid-19 relief effort is US$120,000. Despite the outstanding success of these primetime events, the need is still great. We are approximately US$19,000 short of the target.
As Principal Myrie explained during his presentation, Covid-19 has changed the teaching and learning environment.
KCOBA Primetime Event Finale Principal Dave Myrie Report
Consider the following costs:
The school’s operating budget for 2020-2021 is J$120M. The Ministry of Education provides J$33M of this total with parental contribution expected at J$40M therefore we have a shortfall of J$47M.
So even without the pandemic, the school already faced a shortfall of J$47 Million. When you add in the pandemic costs in the table below you can see we have a bigger problem.
| COVID-19 and other financial impacts for 2020-2021 |
| | |
| Preparing campus – Deep cleaning and sanitizing, installing 4 additional hand washing stations; putting in new equipment, cleaning chemicals, sanitizing chemicals. | J$5 Million |
| Increased Security Personnel | J$4 Million |
| Web Cameras and Tripods for zoom classes | J$2.5 Million |
| Increase Bandwidth for internet connectivity for zoom classes | J$500,000 per month = J$6 Million per year |
| Upgrade Network and access points and camera system | J$8 Million |
| 6 Additional ancillary workers 4 cleaners 2 Grounds Men | J$2.7 Million |
| Furniture replacement/repair | J$3 Million |
In addition, this does not even address extracurricular activities the budget for which is as follows:
| ACTIVITY | BUDGET |
| Football | J$15 M |
| Track and Field | J$25M |
| Hockey | J$2M |
| Rugby | J$2.5M |
| Table Tennis | J$1.6M |
| Basketball | J$5M |
| Cricket | J$3.5M |
| Lacrosse | J$2.5M |
| School Challenge Quiz | J$1.8M |
As you can see, the need is great. Make your best effort and contribute. Help us reach our goal. We only need $18,400 more to support Kingston College in this extra challenging school year.
Donate using any of the following methods below that works best for you:
1. Zelle to treasurer@kcobausa.org
2. Deposit or transfer to Bank of America Checking A/C: 483050499013
3. Mail Check payable to KCOBA USA; PO BOX 3917, New York, NY 10185
4. Online: http://kcobausa.org/covid19relief/
Donate here at The KC Times: https://kctimes.org/donation.aspx