We Are Knox...

Unity through friendship and knowledge. This is the motto of the Belair School
Alumni Association (BSAA), a philanthropic organization serving the Belair
School, a co-educational, independent school in Mandeville, Jamaica, and its alumni around the world. 

It is also a motto that describes Patrick Lyn '84 and Judi-Ann Shaw-Rice '85 -- Knox alumni living in Houston and founding members of BSAA. 

Lyn, a portfolio manager, and Shaw-Rice, a physician, along with fellow Knox alumnus Stanley 'Buck' Johnson '84, were among six former Belair graduates who joined forces to create the organization in 1997. Lyn served as treasurer of the association until 2004. Shaw-Rice served as secretary until 2002 and is currently the organizations president and fundraising committee chairperson.

Until the founding of BSAA, the Belair School never had an organized alumni association or fundraising committee. As a privately funded school, it relied solely upon tuition and funds from the local community to provide its educational resources. As a result, basic needs such as computer lab upgrades or structural updates had been put off due to a lack of funding. Thanks to the dedication and hard work of Lyn, Shaw-Rice and their fellow alumni, BSAA has provided the Belair School with computers for student labs and new signage.

Lyn and Shaw-Rice came to the United States as international students by way of the Belair School. After graduating from Knox and pursuing their professional careers, they were inspired to help their high school.

"Jamaica had been hit with financial woes, which have negatively impacted the school and its ability to uphold its educational standards," says Shaw-Rice. "Being in the States for all these years, having reaped the benefits of an exemplary primary and secondary education, it was only natural that we would want to help."

Lyn credits his experiences at Knox, where he was a member of the International Club and Honor Board, as well as a writer for The Knox Student, with inspiring him to become involved with BSAA and other service organizations.

"Knox is a community that fosters the feeling of wanting to become involved and help out others," says Lyn.

Their similar educational backgrounds united Lyn and Shaw-Rice in their desire to found the BSAA, but it was their friendship that ultimately helped get the association off the ground.

"We were very close at Knox," says Shaw-Rice. "Working together, we knew what each of us was capable of doing and that we could bring a possibly insurmountable task like the alumni association to fruition."

Unity through friendship and knowledge, indeed.