Saturday 10 March 2012

Circular No 540






Newsletter for alumni of The Abbey School, Mt. St. Benedict, Trinidad and Tobago, W.I.
Caracas,10 of March 2012 No.540
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Dear Friends,
Here are some emails on the idea of resurrecting and reviving The Abbey School and at the same time fund partially the Monastery.
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Subject: IF THE ABBEY SCHOOL EXISTED TODAY.....
Sunday, March 4, 2012 6:41 PM
My dear friends,
I believe it can become a reality if we get serious and do before some foot work and investigation into the need of more international schools.
We need to develop the idea further, is it going to be only a day school?
Would we offer room and board for students from other geographical areas?
Only primary and high school?
Why not also a trade school?
They have the facilities for that.
We can sell shares for the students which can be redeem once they finish to a new applicant thru the association of course with an increase in price, they will get back only the initial investment.
Think about it, if we can generate sufficient interest count me in I am interested.
Saludos to all the Knights of Mount Tabor
Oscar Cantore
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From: Glen Mckoy <mckoy43glen@hotmail.com>
Date: Sun, 4 Mar 2012 16:55:59 +0000
My dear Shaun,
(Attn: Andres Freytez, would like some feedback after reading this).
Excellent feedback with real facts, this is the first time I have ever seen some real figures, very good proposal.
A lease may be the only way in, I like that, we have a few really great business men in our group, who I know can make this idea a reality.
However many are already rich and enjoying their investment.
I like the idea that the entire alumni can buy into to it, well you are the investment manage, I think the right people should be talking to each other, it still sounds like private venture with invitations only ?
George, this is what you started ha! ha!
Dreaming with your eyes open, welcome to the Club,
Glen McKoy.
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Date: Sun, 4 Mar 2012 12:03:04 -0400
Here is my 2 cents...
RE-OPEN Abbey School as a business venture.
It could EXIST again.
What?
The priests can't do it.
They don't have:
1. Time
2. The current expertise
3. The Cash Flow
4. The man power
BUT...
They could lease it out to a new Abbey alumni business venture.
Back drop:
Over the past ten years we have seen quite a few new privately owned schools emerge because of the dire need for quality elementary/secondary education.
1. International School of Port of Spain (ISPS) - American Curriculum $20,000-$25,000/term
2. Maple Leaf in Diego Martin - Canadian Curriculum - $13,500 + per term
3. The British Academy - UK Curriculum - Age 10 and up - $10,000 - $13,500/term
4. Arbour (Girls) and Trimont (Boys) - Opus Dei - Kindergarden to Secondary $6,500 - $9,000/term
5. Trillium International School, Chaguanas - Canadian Curriculum - $7,000-$10,000/term
The need is still there for more schools like these.
Abbey School building already has the infrastructure to be a great International School again.
It was the first in Trinidad.
But monks are not business people.
And at the time of its demise, was the beginning of a post boom recession.
Failure would have been for several reasons.
Staffing issues, aging monks, cash flow etc.
But now may very well be the right time again.
The school building is probably in a sorry state, and may require at least $500,000 to bring it up to a usable standard.
Maybe more ($1M ?).
The Playing field and swimming pool and tennis courts may need another $500,000 or more. plus a proper School bus system to collection points in P.O.S., Chaguanas etc to make accessibility a non-issue to parents.
Plus all the internal infrastructure needs.
New labs, new desks, air conditioning, wi-fi, computer servers... the works
Then you would have to attract quality teachers with appropriate standards.
My two older boys attended an International School in Perth.
The curriculum is way different than Trinidad.
But NO CHILD is left behind.
Mind you, their school has 1500 students from Kindergarden to year 12 and is on 15 acres of land.
With a full complement of 200 students at Abbey, could generate over $4.2 million per year in tuition fees plus an initial capital building fee of $10,000 per child another $2M and another $300,000 per year with new students per year thereafter.
A minimum of 12 teachers @ $120,000 salary (min) plus clerical staff and maintenance staff/labourers salaries should account for a little over $2 Million per year.
Catering could be outsourced.
What could we lease the facility for?
Perhaps $1 Million per year?
That may be attractive to the Abbey Monks?
There is room for growth and profit.
This may be the investment we could all participate in and be proud to be part of.
How much money do you think the rehab centre is generating for the Monks?
Think about it...
Shaun Gianetti
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Date: Sun, 4 Mar 2012 17:24:36 -0700
Gentlemen,
The idea of rejuvenating the Abbey School is an excellent one, and I would certainly support it, insofar as I could.
HOWEVER, before anything else can be done, it is imperative that a business plan be properly drawn up and approved.
This is NOT difficult.
The various school fees already presented by Shaun Gianetti offer a decent starting point from which to develop a plan.
Based on his numbers, and since the proposed Abbey School II (call it whatever you will) can also offer boarding facilities,
I would assume that the expected school fees could be substantially above those already being asked by other Trinidadian schools,
The most expensive of which seems to be the $25-30K demanded by the International School of Port of Spain.
Perhaps, school fees, including boarding, laundry, meals, etc. could be in the region of $50 - 60K per term., if we assume a student intake of say, 200 boys, then the revenue generated could be in the region of $200 x 50,000 x 3 = $30 Million to $200 x 60,000 x 3 = $36 Million per year.
I do not live in TT, and have not done so since 1986, therefore I have little idea what salaries school teachers can today demand.
However, at the outset, the following real costs would need to be anticipated:
Repairs to the School Building Immediately required
Repairs to the Dormitories Immediately required
Supply of beds
Immediately required
Repairs to the Swimming Pool (Can be deferred until, say, year 2)
Repairs to the "grounds" Immediately required
Supply of / repairs to desks Immediately required
Supply of library books Immediately required
Contracts re catering Immediately required
Teacher's salaries
Details of required staff to be obtained
Teaching equipment
Details to be obtained (Black / white boards, chemistry equipment, biology equipment, etc. etc.)
And so on and so on -----------
Now, none of this can proceed without the approval of the Abbot and his fellow monks, so that an exploratory meeting should be planned between those interested and Fr. Abbot himself.
He may like the idea, or he may squash it out of hand.
The best anyone can do, I guess, is to ask for a meeting with him to open up a discussion.
I'd be very interested in helping to develop a business plan, once the Abbot has no objection in general, to the idea.
Last but not lease, I was very happy to get Salah's email address from your email, since every message I've sent to him during the past 2-3 years has bounced back.
Regards, guys.
Nigel
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On 2012-03-04, at 2:55 PM, Glen Mckoy wrote:
Dear Salah,
Thank you for the input my brother, it’s always good to hear from you,
I know of the excellent job you have been doing in Montreal with the schools, for so many years, and your mother also worked up at the mount for so long.
I know you are very dedicated to the education of the pan, cheers to you and the support you already offered to Fr. Cuthbert.
I will certainly pass this on to our brothers who are brave enough to even talk about a mission that has always seemed impossible.
Wishing you all the best and will certainly keep you in the loop of what may or may not transpire.
Best regards, Glen McKoy / Duncan's Cove/ Nova Scotia/ Canada.
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Date: Sun, 4 Mar 2012 14:00:49 -0400
Glen,
Excellent idea and hope that the other alumni brothers would see the possibilities like I do.
In 1983/84 . I had returned to Trinidad and customarily I would visit the Mount since my home was in the village ( St. John Village).
I knew of the school continuing demise and had an idea and went to Father Cuthbert and inquired of him about the possibilities of starting a Steelpan program.
I was just willing to give my services without cost.
After all this was my school with irreplaceable memories.
Father Cuthbert agreed and I actually started a Steelpan program that would prepare some scouts to eventually go to Edmonton Canada on a trip.
I did not do the trip because I was involved in other activities in Trinidad at that time.
However the trip was successful but the program could not continue because the school was about to close its doors.
I would be quite willing to contribute to such an incentive as Shaun suggested.
If such a school would come into being I would certainly want to contribute my 2 cents of introducing a complete Steelpan program into the School's curriculum ( after all Steelpan is now officially in the public schools of Trinidad and Tobago) and I have been doing Steelpan programs in the public schools of Montreal since I introduced it in 1991 and it continues to grow.
Regards
Salah Wilson
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On Mar 4, 2012, at 11:07 AM, Glen Mckoy wrote:
My Dear George,
What if ?
Yes if the school had continued, if a few of the Knights, who are millionaires, one or two may be billionaires ha! ha!, if these Knights had invested in the school it could have reached this height.
However due to some small thinking people, any attempt to do something with the school many years ago was chopped down, by selfish people who never built anything of meaning.
The next thing is location; Trinidad was a gem when we all attended the mount, now Trinidad has one of the highest crime rate in the world for its size.
Schools like what you imagined do exist, but only in very stable countries.
Now about Ladislao getting new material, I do think Ladislao has reached a stage where doing everything by himself is exhausting, and I suggest a fund to help this humble man continue to do what he does, and many may not know, this man has a family.
I am willing to give now US$100, to this cause, just set up an account to send the money, and then I think he can then get some part-time help to better organize.
Do you know how many emails Ladislao has to read every day?
It all takes time, and it’s his family time I am talking about, ask his wife.
Anyhow sorry for jumping on your email George maybe I needed an excuse to express something that has been on my mind for some time now.
Anyhow very good idea, in the right place, with the right investors, thank you for this very interesting email.
Have a good day my brother, I know you mean the best,
Thank you, best regards to all my brothers.
I remain yours faithfully,
Glen George McKoy. / Nova Scotia / Canada.
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Date: Sun, 4 Mar 2012 08:08:23 -0600
Hi Guys......
Let’s get the juices rolling and start some new subject matter and participation in the newsletter.
Looks to me that Ladislao needs help in getting material.
Let’s bring some fun into the process to increase coverage and participation!
Please add your thoughts and pass on this idea to your MSB related networks,
George
Some thoughts to reflect on and imagine if the Abbey School was functioning today:
* Would our children or grandchildren be there?
* All of the classes would be video based
* It would be co-ed with resulting pregnancies, STDs and all that other stuff
* Would it still be a Catholic School?
* Would there be a dressing, tattoo, body wear code?
* Challenges for the monks and nuns: guns, knives, marijuana, cocaine, crystal meth, heroine, and all that other fun stuff that kids bring to school today
* Kids being shot and overdosing
* 1 computer for each kid; would porn sites be blocked?
* No library as everyone would have one of the very many different electronic reading devices
* Would parents forward to their kids the porn related videos and PowerPoints that the “knights” share with one another today?
* Video game rooms
* Every kid over 16 would have a car
* 60 in plus HD-TV, with cable, DVD players and Playboy Channel
* What would be the rating of the movies shown on Saturdays?
* Would beer be served to the kids of North European origin, Rum to Venezuelans and wine to those from the European “Latin” country origins?
* What kind of dancing would we see at the fetes?
* Would there be scandals related to the teachers and students?
* 90% of the students would be obese
* Would any sports be played? If yes, which?
* Tuition would be fabulously high allowing only millionaires and billionaires to send their kids to the GLOBALLY RENOWNED ABBEY SCHOOL, MSB
* A small airport would exist on top of one of the adjoining hills to allow the private jets to land when mothers, fathers, significant others, mistresses/misters, etc. from China, India, Europe, USA, Canada, Latin America, etc. visited their kids.
* There would no longer be any knights...there would only be rich, spoiled punks.
Let your imagination run wild and add yours......................
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Ladislao Kertesz at kertesz11@yahoo.com,
Photos:
Mount Inside MARCH 1966 page 11
55UN0001CLASS1961, Father Augustine´s first class, he keeps the photo for all that come to visit.
60UN0001LKEMENU, Xmas menu for graduating class 1960
04FF0002FFR, Fr. Francis at a clergy retirement house in Holland



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