Bittersweet: Clarendon College gets new bus following death of drivers

IT WAS a bittersweet moment at Clarendon College in Chapelton on Tuesday, as the key to a new Toyota Hiace bus was handed over to the school – a project by the institution’s graduating class of 1983.

A sombre mood clouded the honorary moment, as the gesture was a reminder of the fatal crash in May that claimed the lives of two drivers, including that of Keith Dunkley – the school’s driver of more than a decade. The institution’s Coaster bus was totalled during the crash.

Sunday night’s fatal shooting of the school’s groundsman, Roydel Senior, on the compound also dampened the celebratory spirit.

“The untimely death of our driver, Mr Dunkley, has been overshadowed this morning by the cruel hand of man in the murder of a member of our ancillary staff, Mr Roydel Senior,” said Radley Reid, vice-chairman of the school board. Reid, who cited the donation as a timely gift, lauded the class of 1983, adding that the school had long planned on replacing their Coaster bus before the accident.

The group said they reunited in March this year with a common goal to give back and show gratitude to the 79-year-old institution.

GIVING BACK

“The first thing that we discussed was giving back to our beloved Clarendon College – the school where we started the journey of what Rex Nettleford described as our ‘smaddiness’. We were shocked by the school bus accident in May, which sparked memories of the days when the school’s bus rescued us on the road to school,” said Patricia Perry.

The group managed to raise US$35,000 via crowdfunding platform – GoFundMe, US$10,000 through a dinner event staged in Florida and J$1.5 million from a lyming event held in Clarendon. The group expressed gratitude to members of the public who donated to the cause, amid no affiliation with the school.

“Our class is no ordinary class, and this project was no ordinary project because Clarendon College is no ordinary high school. It is the school that prepared us to become who we are now individually and collectively, [and] by the grace of God, Lester Davy’s candle burneth yet brighter,” Perry added, referencing the school’s founder Lester Davy, who posited: “I shall light a candle in Chapelton whose flame shall never go out.”

Barrington Richardson, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information’s regional director for Region 7, said the group’s gift was especially commendable given the many financial woes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“A lot of persons gave up their own comfort to meet a worthy cause and for that, as a ministry, we are very, very grateful,” said Richardson.

The school is also set to receive a new Coaster bus later this week.