TWENTY-FOUR deserving students from Kingston College and Calabar High School (12 from each school) were presented with funds, totalling $3.6 million, under the David “Wagga” Hunt scholarship programme recently.

The bursary was established by the David Hunt Scholarship Foundation in 2009 to honour the memory of the veteran football coach whose passing in October 2007 shocked the local sporting community.

Hunt, a Kingston College old boy, was mainly responsible for reviving football at Calabar, leading them to their first Manning Cup title in 28 years in 2005, after just two years in charge. That year the school also won its their first Olivier Shield title.

His decision to coach Calabar was unprecedented as the Red Hills Road school and Kingston College are arch sporting rivals. However, Hunt made the move in an attempt to bridge the unfriendly rivalry between both schools, with the mantra, “We can be rivals, but not enemies”.

The scholarship recipients are chosen from nominees submitted by both schools with the criteria being that they are Grade 7 students who are going into Grade 8, display commendable academic performance and attitude, are involved in sports and/or other extracurricular activities, and are in need of financial assistance.

The scholarship continues until the students have completed their studies in either Grade 11 or sixth form. However, they must maintain strong academic performance and continued participation in extracurricular activities.

Explaining that the scholarship covers tuition, books, lunch and other school-related expenses, the foundation said it has already awarded 50 scholarships valued at $26 million.

The foundation also said that since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has made a commitment to provide all scholarship recipients with Chromebooks and laptops to help with new modalities in learning.

Some Chromebooks and laptops have been donated by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Additionally, in 2022 the schools were awarded a grant of $1 million each for technology development of their campuses to ensure connectivity for all students.

“We have continued since then to support the schools of our recipients with grants of various sums to assist the development of the students as they see fit. This would constitute a total disbursement of $35 million, taking all aspects into consideration,” the foundation said in a news release.

“Of note, many of the recipients over the years have done well both academically and in sports, holding substantive positions as deputy head boy and team captains, while representing their schools at Schools’ Challenge Quiz, cricket, basketball, swimming, football, and [athletics],” the foundation said, pointing out that a number of the awardees won individual medals at the annual ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Championships and were members of record-breaking relay teams.

“In addition, some have gone on to represent the country at the youth level in swimming and athletics,” the foundation added.

“We have had the pleasure of having graduated 26 boys collectively from both schools who have gone on to tertiary level education at various institutions both locally and overseas, some of whom have now graduated and are gainfully employed,” the foundation said.

“David’s work remains an inspiration to many and his legacy lives on. The initiative is spearheaded by his Washington, DC-based brother Christopher Hunt as co-chairman and head of the Diaspora committee, in conjunction with a number of David’s close friends on the Jamaica-based organising committee headed by co-chairman Arnold “Dullo” McDonald,” the foundation stated, adding that Jamaica College Principal Wayne Robinson also serves on the committee.

Fund-raising events are held in Jamaica and throughout the Diaspora, with the main one being the Red Carpet Gala each January in Washington, DC, which enjoys significant support from the Jamaican community in the diaspora.

Major corporate sponsorship support over the years has come from Victoria Mutual Group, Proven Wealth Management, Grace Foods USA, Gibson McCook Relays Committee and a number of other major corporate entities and individuals.

In support of the scholarship fund, the annual “Wagga Classic” football extravaganza is staged in early August featuring three matches.

Over the years the foundation has also honoured outstanding Jamaicans, among them Professor Renford Wilks, Richard Pandohie, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Dr Henry Lowe.