Lodge School In Line For Major Upgrade

Lodge School Old Scholars' Association 2010 scholarship awardees; Charles Cole, Lizza Grazette-Corbin, Ashlee Lowe & Franco Alleyne-Moore.

        

The much-anticipated physical redevelopment of the Lodge School will commence in a matter of days, but an expanded school plant should not lead to an increased school roll.

So says principal of the Lodge School, Trevor Pilgrim, who was speaking the school’s Speech Day and Prize-Giving Ceremony held yesterday at the Massiah Street, St. John compound.

Pilgrim said that the school is currently overcrowded at a roll of 1 067 and implored the authorities not to increase the school’s roll even more when the physical redevelopment is finished.

“We will have more space but that would just defeat the purpose of the improvement of the facility. We need a smaller number of students to function at optimum academic levels,” he explained.

Speaking about the redevelopment plans, he said, “The former principal’s residence will be the first building to be demolished. This will happen within a matter of days and phase one of the construction process will commence. Phase one will include the construction of two new blocks with two floors each, the demolition of the lower wing that ends at the music room and work on the memorial hall and Block G,” said Pilgrim.

“As soon as phase one ends we will occupy the new building. We would therefore no longer need the prefabricated wooden units which have sprung up on the lawn,” he continued.

The principal explained that the entire physical redevelopment would be done in four stages and will end in 2013.

According to him, it will encompass the whole school, but it will be sequenced in such a way that disruption to the school will be minimised.

“We will also receive a new hall, with a capacity of approximately 1 000 and a new and larger pavilion. In 2013 when construction ends, the Lodge School will enter a new era in its long and illustrious existence, spacious, comfortable, well equipped and driven by highly motivated staff and students. It will be better positioned to achieve its mission,” he said.

“No longer will we have to hold assemblies and ceremonies like this one in the open air and rent tents. The new hall will also be a God-send to the St. John community since it will be large enough to accommodate conferences and community events,” he continued.

Pilgrim noted that in the next three years the school body will have to cope with the noise, dust and industrial challenges which will be created by this large construction process.

“I urge our staff, students and parents to be patient and to understand that some measure of discomfort always accompanies change and progress. We will do our best along with Innotech, the contractors, to reduce as much as possible any discomfort or threat to health and safety that arises from the construction process.”

Source: www.barbadosadvocate.com

The Lodge School Celebrates Our Culture And Our Past

THE Lodge School was a sea of blue, yellow and black as students and teachers celebrated the 44th anniversary of Barbados’ Independence yesterday.

The annual event began with a military parade on the playing field and continued with a service of thanksgiving for the school and the nation.

The highlight of the day for the students however, was the cultural presentation which featured the many talents of the students, in song, dance and drama.

Past student John King also attended the event and sang a few of his hits including the popular “All Hands on Deck”.

Images of Barbados of yesteryear were prominently displayed by the second form students in their classrooms.

Organiser of the cultural display, Wynell Yearwood-Scott expressed concern that a number of students were unfamiliar with many of the items that were on display. The comprehensive showcase featured modes of transportation, childhood games and past times, life on the sugar plantation and ‘working hard to make a living.’ (JH)

Source: www.barbadosadvocate.com

The Lodge School Looking To Make Its Mark

The Lodge School is poised to take off and with the refurbishments planned for the St. John educational institution, Principal Trevor Pilgrim is suggesting that in a few short years, it will once again become the school of first choice for many Barbadians.

Pilgrim’s comments came yesterday morning during his address at the service of thanksgiving and opening ceremony for the week of activities for the 265th anniversary celebration, on the grounds of Codrington College, the original site of the school.

According to the principal major construction and refurbishment at the school is set to start in the first quarter of next year and will see several new additions to the compound, to help accommodate the growing student roll, which stands now at 1 067, the largest it has ever been in the history of the school, with over 200 of those students being in the sixth forms.

“There are new subjects on the curriculum and better students are being attracted to the school. School effectiveness continues to improve and there is a wide and increasing spread of good external exam results across the fifth and sixth forms every year. Our prowess in sports is legendary, I consider myself privileged to lead the school at this juncture when we are poised to take off,” he said.

Pilgrim said that at the end of the refurbishment, which is expected to take some three to four years to complete, they will have what “amounts” to a new school. He explained that this physical redevelopment, scheduled to start around March 2011, will correct years of deterioration of the physical plant and result in them being the recipients of a new hall, with the capacity to seat at least 1 000, a new pavilion, new classroom blocks and existing blocks, he explained will either be extended and or refurbished.

“We are also developing a strategic plan for the next five years [so] when we return to Codrington five years from now, there will be a new and modern Lodge School. Other entities even including this venerable College will be able to use our upgraded facilities for conferences, sports and community activities,” he stated. (JRT)

Source: www.barbadosadvocate.com

Lodge More Than Ready For Facelift

Years of inadequate and derelict facilities and high maintenance bills are about to come to an end for teachers and staff of The Lodge School.

If things go according to plan, construction of two new blocks, a hall, pavilion, new bathrooms, additional exits and other refurbishments to the facility will get underway at the St John compound in April as part of a $25 million project.

Principal Trevor Pilgrim told the SATURDAY SUN it was a long time in coming, and highly anticipated.

"We're extremely happy that we're finally going to have some improvement in the physical plant of the school.

"We have been operating for many years with severe challenges.

"The school has done well despite the challenges, but of course we anticipate that with better plant, better facilities, better equipment, we would be in a position to do even better... One of the main areas of relief would be the absence of overcrowding," Pilgrim disclosed.

He said there were a number of health and safety concerns at the school, which celebrates its 264th anniversary this year. He said windows sometimes fell out, several of the buildings were mouldy and "compromised" the health of occupants, and there were several cracks and vegetation in the buildings.

Pilgrim said the current population had outgrown the physical plant, which was not built to accommodate a roll of 1 004.

The school is in the process of acquiring additional land from Codrington Trust for the construction of the new hall.

"The assembly hall is totally inadequate, it cannot accommodate the school roll, so we have our assemblies in the open.

"If it rains we have to cancel assembly or postpone it, and if it's too hot the students also have problems. If there is any function we have, we have to rent tents and so on," Pilgrim stated, adding that classrooms and staff accommodations were inadequate as well.

The Memorial Hall will be kept for historical purposes. Pilgrim noted that it was constructed in the memory of former students who died in the two world wars.

He said a lot of money had been spent on maintenance over the years. Last year alone the figure for building maintenance was $200 000.

Block I, which houses the music room, bathrooms and other facilities will be demolished and replaced by a two storey block.

The "cramped" Block J for sixth formers will be demolished as well, making room for another two-storey structure.

Construction will be done in phases, and Pilgrim said he expected minimal dislocation during the process.

Prefabricated buildings will be erected to move students from the areas being worked on.

Adjustment of the school hours, and a traffic diversion from the road leading to the compound, are among considerations for when the project gets underway. (YB)

Source: www.nationnews.com

25 Million Dollar Upgrade For The Lodge School

The Lodge School is in for an upgrade that is likely to cost $25 million.

The project, set to start in the new financial year, was announced on Friday by Minister of Education and Human Resource Development, Ronald Jones.

The Lodge School, which has fallen into substantial disrepair, is one of the schools on which work will commence in the new financial year...," Jones said in the House of Assembly.

"That facility could possibly end up costing in the region of $25 million. It is absolutely mind-boggling when one looks at the kind of expenditure (required)."

According to Jones, the plan includes protecting buildings of historical importance at the St John school.

Over the years Government has spent millions of dollars building and upgrading primary and secondary schools under an Education Sector Enhancement Programme, partly funded by the Inter-American Development Bank and the Caribbean Development Bank.

Jones made the comments when the House debated the education component of a resolution to put the sum of $55 million from the Consolidated Fund at the disposal of Government to supplement the 2008-09 Estimates of Expenditure.

For the full details of this story, please read tomorrow's SATURDAY SUN.

Source: www.nationnews.com