The Ashenheim family has donated a synthetic, eight-lane track to Jamaica College (JC). The track is currently under construction at JC’s Old Hope Road location. Wayne Robinson, the principal of the school, thanked the family at the groundbreaking ceremony on March 5, 2018, saying he is “delighted” that Jamaica College will have its own synthetic track for its athletes’ training programs. Robinson went on to say that words could not express the school’s gratitude to the Ashenheims, noting how special it was that a single family, through funding the complex, has left its mark on the history of Jamaica College. Three generations of the family attended Jamaica College, with Richard Ashenheim a national sports icon. Michael Ashenheim made the donation on behalf of the family at the groundbreaking ceremony. He said he hoped that the new track would help with the development of future Jamaican athletes, noting that his family has been involved with track and field for a long time. When Michael Ashenheim attended JC, he ran on grass, and he remembered how sometimes his foot would slip because that is not the right surface. JC would never be able to really compete in the sport today at Boys’ Champs if they have to train on a grass track, he said. When completed, the track will be named the JC-Ashenheim Sport Complex in honor of the family. Attending the groundbreaking were Fayval Williams, the area’s Member of Parliament, and Senator Ruel Reid, Minister of Education and former principal. Pavecon, a Jamaican firm, and BSW, a German company, are building the track, which is slated for completion in August 2018.

Source: Jamaica College Facebook Page