Story and pictures by
innis_francis@yahoo.com
The Naparima College past pupils alumni remember the needy pupils of the school with a Christmas fundraiser; Naps Men can Parang recently at the Naparima Bowl Courtyard in San Fernando.
Alumni Past Pupils Association president Joel Simmons said it was the first for the school to reach out to the resident players and the wider public who has a special interest in the College.
Simmons said the festivities breed a sense of kindred and share the cheer with those who may not be experiencing a good one.
“We just wanted people to come out and enjoy the season as well as to raise funds for the administration and under privilege students in the school. Because we are a prestige school the mindset is that everybody is of a certain class, and at the end of the day students pass SEA from all different backgrounds and all social standards.
“Our motto is to put students first, so we as alumni try to give back to admin and students and make sure that everybody has an equal playing field so when it is time to excel in exams nobody is left behind or at a disadvantage,” Simmons said.
He said many pupils are private about their needs, and the association together with staff went into each class and determined various needs of each child that is not necessarily financial.
Simmons said: “We try to go into each form and (find) who needs the assistance. And once they reach out to us and once we find those students we would help them out as best as possible. Sometimes people are shy because of peer pressure, they don’t really come out.
“It is not only financial assistance, we try to give physiological help, whatever assistance they need not only in school life but in their home life as well. Throughout the year we give hampers, but most specifically we try to give vouchers because sometimes it might be a bit shameful if you have to pick up a big hamper…it is more discrete, we would give you a dollar value of voucher to visit the grocery, pharmaceuticals also book store of stationary and book store.”
He said the event was successful and depending on the earnings they would distribute according to the needs of each child.
Simmons said the next fundraiser would be the annual Naps Fete for Carnival. He said they changed the narrative of the fete to make it all-inclusive to encourage camaraderie, togetherness, and the nostalgia of the alumni together for a good cause.
Sharing in the evening entertainment were pannist Joshua Regrello, Rome, and La Mansion Parang group.
