Ardenne’s Optima 5K to help fund wellness centre, hurricane recovery

The third staging of the Ardenne Alumni Foundation Optima 5K Run, to be staged on Sunday, will be the most important and most significant to date, as proceeds from the event will have a double impact, not just on the school, but also on Jamaica.

The launch of the event took place on the school grounds recently, where it was announced that funds raised from the run/walk will be used to build a wellness centre, as well as support Ardenne's sister school, Westwood High School, after buildings on that school campus were devastated by Hurricane Melissa last October.

Flo Darby, chair of the Ardenne Alumni Foundation, explained the timeline for completion of the wellness centre, which will benefit not only the student population, but students who don't attend the institution.

"We hope to start building maybe in the first three months of this year. We hope that we will start something, not necessarily putting down the building, the foundation, but at least start it," Darby said.

There is a push to complete the building by 2027 to commemorate a very important milestone in the school's history.

"Ardenne will celebrate 100 years next year, so this will be a great celebration. We hope to complete the building for our centenary or at least at the end of our centenary year, which is next year. We need everybody on board to make this a reality," she explained.

Acting principal at Ardenne High Jacqueline Pinto is hopeful that the financial target can be met.

"My expectation for this year's 5K Run/Walk is that we can indeed meet the $64-million target that we need to commence and conclude the construction of a wellness centre. This is really needed in our education system, so that we can help our students to develop and become well-responsible citizens in Jamaica, so that they can contribute effectively to national productivity and development.

"Part of the proceeds from our run/walk is to go to our sister school, Westwood High. They were severely damaged by Hurricane Melissa, where their boarding facilities were also negatively impacted. So, we hope that we will raise enough funds to assist our sister school," Pinto continued.

"We have been assisting them from about 2000, as their students would join us in grades 12 and 13, before they were able to have their sixth form. We also hosted some of them here during the first term because of Hurricane Melissa."

Ardenne's athletics alumnus Brandon Simpson was on hand to lend his support at the launch and spoke of the importance of the mental well-being of student-athletes.

"Initiatives like this are really powerful, because I do believe that we don't have a lot of support for students or athletes," Simpson said.

"I think there's a lot of pressure in the school system, especially for student-athletes. I think it's really important to find a solution for that. This is going to be an awesome solution for the pressure that athletes face, and students face as well," he pointed out.

Calabar old boy and current Jamaica athlete Christopher Taylor is also in full support of the 5K.

"When I attended this launch today, I heard that they are building a wellness centre at Ardenne, in a high school. I am really big on wellness and mental health, so I am fully in support of this, and I am really looking forward to it."

The race will begin, and end, at the school on Ardenne Road. It will take the participants from the school's entrance on to Trafalgar Road and then in an eastward loop back to the school. Organisers are hoping to have at least 1,000 participants this year, after coming close to that number in 2025.