ST
JOSEPH’S COLLEGE,
Alafua, Apia, Samoa
Re-equipping the Chemistry Lab at St Joseph’s
St
Joseph’s College is currently on its third (and final) site since its
beginnings in 1950 on the Mulivai Primary school Site. An extract from the story
of the school’s beginnings reads…” The Brothers and the school
boys collected the sand, shingle and stones, and in lorries, brought them to
the building site. Even the primers were often seen gathering pebbles at the
Vasigano River and bringing them in Samoan baskets along Beach Road to the School.
Humble beginnings. This work ethic continued when it came to clearing the ensuing
two subsequent sites for the school.
In 1960, the St Joseph’s College transferred to a newly purchased property at Lotopa. This property was at that stage a vast coconut plantation. Again, the story continues… On opening day 172 students arrived to commence their classes for the year. The second day saw the beginning of the clearing of the grounds. With axes and knives the boys felled many trees. That first week set the pattern for a good part of the year – school work in the mornings, manual work in the afternoons.
The school’s final move in 1990 was to the current Alafua site, which for many years had been a banana plantation, farmed by both Brothers and students.
Currently, the school has a roll of 560 students, with 25 staff. Two of the staff are Marist Brothers. While the school is predominantly an all boys school, the exception is at Year 13, where 30 girls are enrolled. Service Groups in the school include the Champagnat Group, a St Vincent de Paul Society Group, and a Youth for Christ Group. The school is blessed with a very supportive Old Boys Association. Over the years, many former students of the school have held key positions in Parliament, in Government Departments, local banks and commercial firms.
Among a number of projects currently underway at the
school, an urgent need is the 
re-equipping
of the school science laboratories. Currently the school borrows equipment from
neighbouring schools so that Internal Assessment and Curriculum requirements
can be met. This project focuses on the Chemistry Department.
What is NEEDED…
The St Joseph’s Chemistry Department is in need of burettes and titration
volumetric pipettes. These are not available locally at this time. While these
are the main items on the lab’s “shopping list” a host of
other items, including chemicals, all need to be restocked.
What you can DO…
$NZD1,500 (Equivalent to 3,000 Samoan Tala), would substantially kick start
the school’s restocking programme. Alternately, a school may wish to donate
the above named glass items if there are stocks available surplus to requirements.
Either way, the assistance would greatly assist St Joseph’s in being able
to provide adequately for the many students taking the Chemistry option at school.
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