For a Better School, for a Brighter Future

Its 8.45 am in the morning. Everyone is running for the assembly.  The assembly is right in front of the Principal’s office in a location covered around neem trees. A routine follows with a prayer, news for the day, a thought for the day ending with our national anthem. Back in class, we start our day with the roll call by our class teacher, followed by teachers coming in to teach different subjects. In between the class lectures, the short break for a quick lunch underneath the huge tamarind tree and the long break for our cricket and football sessions. We are sure most of you would have flown back down memory lane to St. Patrick’s High School and the wonderful years we have been together then.

   PICS of  CONSTRUCTION WORK IN PROGRESS

Well, friends, here is some news for you.

Our Alma mater is now old, the building structure is dilapidated, and the future seems challenging. If you go and visit our school now, the neem trees and the huge tamarind tree are down. The building which housed the principal’s office and the school hall is razed to the ground.  The school faculty is going through stretched work hours and the students are taught in makeshifts rooms and in double shifts. The school is going through painful and trying times.

However, there is a silver lining. All this current pain is transitional. The new Principal, Rev. Father Alex Quadros has rolled out a vision to rebuild the school making it capable to groom and nurture next four generations. 

   PROPOSED NEW BUILDING OF THE SCHOOL

In this rebuilding process, the plan is to construct a three floor building consisting of 30 new class rooms, one huge auditorium with capacity of 1000 students, modern Computer lab, two well equipped science labs’, audio visual rooms, administrative blocks, separate cloak rooms for boys and girls etc.  Funding is flowing from all quarters for this good work.

Some of our batch mates visited the school recently. Talking to father, we realized that coming together for this good cause, collaborating for mobilizing funds, consulting for better planning, was received as a welcome support by the school.

Post discussing with Father, we have decided to contribute in the infrastructure part. This means we would like to contribute towards facilitating the computer lab, the science labs and possibly the library. A taskforce team constituting of Shashank Parab, Shreyansh Hippargi, Ashwin Gaikwad, Shailendra Bhamare and Sanjay Khorate have come up together to help facilitate this process. Based on first few meetings with the Father, following process has been outlined:

1. All ex-students and friends willing to contribute for the cause can contribute by drawing a cheque in favour of “St.Patrick’s School Building Fund”. This cheque can be handed over/sent to any one of the above mentioned team. Please mention your Name, Batch, Phone number on the backside of the cheque.
2. In case you are not in India, you could deposit the money in our accounts and we will make sure that we pass on this contribution in your favour to the school.
3. All contributions would get a Sec 80G certificate (Tax Exemption Certificate). We will ensure that the same reaches you.
4. We will maintain the records of all the contributions, however, would not share individual contributions in public, thereby respecting all contributions equally.
5. The core team’s next meeting with Father is in December to understand the scope of investment. Till then, we would be focusing on mobilizing the contribution. All of us are now capable enough to support this noble cause in some way. We therefore look up to you with confidence and appeal to your generous contribution to help and lift up this project in the best way we can.

Also, all of you who have expertise in aspects related to IT infrastructure/Building Construction/Setting up new facility are welcome to join hands with us in this initiative. We surely need all your guidance and support.

For any help, be it individual contribution as also wanting to provide expert help on this initiative, can respond to us on spesainitiatives@gmail.com.

Thanking you in anticipation.

SPESA taskforce team.