The Peter Massias Foundation
The Peter Massias Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) education charity organization, started in 2021 by former students of Camperdown High School in Kingston, Jamaica, who graduated in 1978.
We named the foundation in memory of our classmate and friend Peter Massias, who died in 1976 from complications caused by sickle-cell anemia.
Our Mission
To be a conduit of Hope that supports Camperdown High School students in realizing their full potential, one child at a time
Our Values
To be synonymous with scholarships that empower students to succeed through educational excellence. In so doing we will endeavour to demonstrate our A.C.T.S.
This group of friends started at Camperdown High School together in 1973. After graduation, some remained in Jamaica, while others migrated to different parts of the world pursuing their life’s dream. In spite of varying life experiences they managed to stay in touch through the years. This group of classmates eventually coalesced using one of the popular social media platforms. This was consolidated when they would meet every Friday night while listening to the Steve Talbot show aired between 10pm and 2am (Eastern Time) on the Canadian radio station, Riddim WSM Radio.
At first, they used the forum as a means of reminiscing over the ‘old days’ at school and staying in touch daily. The reflection upon the past and shared experiences in high school drove them to form the Peter Massias Foundation Inc to honour a classmate who succumbed to Sickle Cell Anaemia while they were still attending school. The Peter Massias Foundation Scholarship Fund provides scholarships to financially challenged students attending Camperdown High School.
The Peter Massias Foundation will award scholarships annually to needy students at Camperdown High School and is headed by Devon Rowe, President; Kevin Purrier, Vice President; Colin Betty, Treasurer; and Eron Smith, Secretary. Andrea Brown chairs the Scholarship Panel and liaises with past students, the principal, and staff of Camperdown High, throughout the selection process and administers scholarship funds throughout the school year. Candidates for the scholarship must write an essay stating why they should be chosen for the scholarship. The Scholarship Panel then selects the winning candidates based on their essay, academics, need and performance.
The Peter Massias Foundation members strive to carry on the legacy of Camperdown High School’s founder, Mrs. Ivy Grant, who started the institution in 1930 as a private preparatory school with six students, to become “like a small oasis in a veritable desert of educational opportunities, especially at a post primary level…Camperdown has expanded into a giant oasis capable of accommodating over fifteen hundred students!”. –E.A. Nugent, 1981.
Camperdown High School’s Principal, Mr. Valentine Bailey, Vice Principal, Dennis Webster, and members of the Peter Massias Foundation Scholarship Panel will be on hand each year to present the cheques to the scholarship recipients.
The Peter Massias Foundation Scholarship Fund asks all past students and others who chose to support this cause, to make regular contributions to the fund to ensure the continued success of the scholarship program. Contributions can be made via PayPal or by scanning the QR code below on your phone:
The organization is a designated charity in the United States, and all contributions are tax deductible. We received a Silver Transparency award from Candid in 2022.
The fund’s leadership is encouraging Camperdown graduates worldwide to get involved, donate, and hold fundraising activities to increase the foundation’s reach and impact on today’s students at Camperdown High School.