Nari Williams-Singh Backs Manchester School Auditorium With $500,000 Gift

Aviation veteran Nari Williams-Singh celebrated 42 years in the sector with a $500,000 contribution to New Forest High School’s Eva May-Wright Auditorium project. The presentation was made at the third Spring Soirée for Education, hosted on May 14 at the board chairman’s Kingston residence.

Williams-Singh said linking the gift to his professional anniversary was his way of helping to pass on the benefits that schooling opened up for him. He attended Vaz Preparatory and Calabar High School before starting his aviation career in Canada in 1984, eventually moving into senior civil aviation administration posts overseas.

“Aviation has provided me with opportunities through education, mentorship and discipline, and I have always believed that such opportunities should be available to all young people everywhere, and even more so in rural communities,” he said, adding, “Education changes lives.”

School officials said the latest donation pushes total contributions for the auditorium to about $7.2 million. This year’s staging of the fundraiser accounted for $3 million of that amount.

The money will go towards a multi-use building for New Forest High, a Manchester institution that is 10 years old, as well as six nearby farming communities that are expected to benefit from the space.

“For all my life, I have been surrounded by a culture of giving back,” Williams-Singh said. “I see the impact that these events and fundraisers have on the school and the wider surrounding community. I believe that others recognise this as well, as we see more people coming on board each successive year, and it gets better and better.”

He also said that within the next 20 years he would like to see “some of the next generation of aviation professionals coming out of New Forest High School”.

His wife, Board Chairman Trisha Williams-Singh, said his support for education and service reflects the person she knows at home.

“As a wife, it feels very good and makes me extra happy, as these were the qualities I saw in him and why I fell in love with him,” she told GoodHeart. “I wanted an intellect as a husband, but one who cares and is willing to give back. I got that and more. He is also super humble, which makes me extra proud to be his wife.”

Trisha Williams-Singh said the Spring Soirée for Education has also grown in meaning for supporters and patrons.

“It has become a calendar item that persons look forward to both supporting and attending,” she said, adding, “The need for an auditorium, I believe, is the real motivator to patrons returning year after year [as well as] the performances of the children.”

The function included produce from the school farm, while Chef Orren Bartley of Alligator Pond, Manchester, prepared the meals.

Principal Arnaldo Allen said the fundraiser’s development mirrors New Forest High’s progress since it was upgraded to high school status in 2015. He said the proposed auditorium is expected to make a major difference for the school and neighbouring communities.

The planned facility is also expected to accommodate indoor sports such as netball, basketball, tennis and badminton, giving students more options for extra-curricular activities.

Past student Radcliffe Kirlew also maintained his backing for the project, giving $750,000 this year after donating $500,000 last year.

“Donating to my alma mater derives from a strong desire to help others have even greater opportunities than I had,” Kirlew said. “My high school Spanish teacher, Mrs Lyle, sparked my first interest in Spanish and helped me to hone my talent in this language, which I am currently fluent [in].”

Kirlew encouraged other past students to assist the school, saying, “Support is not just about money but investing in opportunities and experiences that helped to shape us. Every contribution, no matter the amount, can make a very meaningful difference.”

Williams-Singh said he wants the auditorium drive to encourage students to “dream big” and, later in life, support others in turn.

“Schools like New Forest are filled with talented young people. We need to ensure they are supported, have the necessary resources, and are given opportunities to thrive,” he said. “I would say to all not to look at supporting schools simply as charity, but rather as an investment in Jamaica’s future.”