Adventist Leaders Celebrate Government-Sponsored School Expansion in Mount Rose, Grenada

Seventh-day Adventist leaders, government officials, educators, students and church members gathered recently on the campus of Grenada Seventh-day Adventist School on Mount Rose, St. Patrick’s, to celebrate new facilities and upgrades completed weeks before the new school year. The government-sponsored renovation of the Adventist secondary school includes two multi-science labs, a home economics workshop and administrative offices in a new wing. The school was also painted, its electrical work was upgraded, and a new library and washrooms were added.

According to government officials, the funding is part of Grenada’s effort to revamp its educational institutions so that students are prepared to contribute in a technologically advanced, global marketplace. The work on the new facilities and refurbished areas began in 2021 and was completed at the end of June 2023. The project cost $62,000 US dollars, which the source describes as donated.

On June 22, 2023, Minister of Education David Andrew presented the keys to the new wing to Principal Kimlyn De Coteau during a special ceremony. Andrew said, “Government understands education and its importance to the socio-economic development of Grenada and therefore continues to invest in the sector.” Dennis Cornwall, Parliamentary Representative for St. Patrick East, commended the school for its commitment to education. He said the handover “dovetails with the social outreach programs provided by the government and its emphasis on education as a priority in its transformation agenda,” adding, “The real value is in the quality of education output that this results in.”

Pastor Clinton Lewis, president of the Grenada Conference, said the rehabilitation and expansion of the school “has been a dream and a burning desire of ours for many years.” The institution is the only Adventist secondary school on the island. Clara Bhola, education director of the Grenada Conference, said the development represents a turning point in pursuit of educational excellence for the school and the wider community. She said the enhanced facilities would give students access to current resources and “a conducive learning environment.”

The school is a parochial learning center offering secondary courses in humanities, mathematics and science, along with practical electives including home economics, woodworking and industrial art (drafting). It currently prepares students for the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination. The source reports that the school enrolls an average of 280 students each year.

The school’s history began in September 1958, when it opened with 19 students under the name Mount Rose Seventh-day Adventist Secondary School, housed at the Mount Rose Seventh-day Adventist Church. In July 1972, the Grenada government formally donated the land on which the school now stands. Construction, supported by a gift from the British government, was completed by May 1973, and the name was then changed to Grenada Seventh-day Adventist Comprehensive School. The source notes that it is one of three educational entities, including two primary schools, operated by the Adventist Church in Grenada. Passing on what a community has learned to the next generation is a theme that runs through this account (Psalm 78:4).

De Coteau said the school’s holistic approach to Adventist Christian education “continues to positively impact the community” and draws families seeking help for hundreds of children. She said many week of prayer sessions have been held at the school and that “scores of students have made decisions to accept Jesus as their savior.” De Coteau also said the refurbishment is one of several collaborative efforts initiated by the local government in support of Adventist Christian education.

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