It has been 32 years since a philanthropic initiative first brought digital learning to Belize’s Anglican Cathedral College (ACC), and this month, the same donor network launched a new era of technology education at the institution with the official opening of a fully renovated, state-of-the-art information technology lab.
The transformation was made possible by a $95,000 grant from the Waterloo Group Charitable Trust, an organization founded by philanthropist Lord Michael Ashcroft, who previously funded ACC’s very first computer lab back in 1994. That initial investment marked a groundbreaking shift for secondary education in Belize, introducing a generation of students to computing at a time when school computer labs were a radical innovation. Many of the students who learned on those first machines have gone on to become teachers, business leaders, and parents in the country — and some of their children are now current ACC students benefiting from this latest upgrade.
Lord Ashcroft joined school administrators, faculty, and students on October 22, 2026 for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the lab’s official opening. Over four months of renovations, the project completely reimagined the learning space to meet 21st-century educational demands. Patrick Faber, a former ACC teacher who led the refurbishment project, outlined the extensive changes that began with structural and layout updates.
“The old arrangement of built-in furniture along the surrounding walls served its purpose for many years, but it severely limited collaboration and flexible use of the space by both teachers and students,” Faber explained. Crews removed the outdated wall fixtures, replaced old floor tiles, and repaired long-standing roof leaks that had threatened the integrity of the facility for years. Once the structural work was complete, the team outfitted the space with entirely new technology that far exceeded initial project expectations.
Instead of the planned 8 gigabytes of RAM per machine, the project acquired 32 new computer systems with between 12 and 32 gigabytes of RAM each — a massive upgrade from the 2-gigabyte laptops they replaced. Every new system also includes 256 gigabytes of local storage. The compact mini-CPU design saves valuable desk space, while high-resolution flat-screen monitors create a comfortable viewing experience for long work sessions. New modular desks arranged in collaborative clusters replace the rigid old layout, and the lab is now also equipped with laser printers and a 3D printer to support hands-on creative projects.
ACC student Alyssa Aguilar shared firsthand what the upgrade means for the student body. Having used the lab both before and after the renovation, Aguilar noted that the old space created consistent barriers to learning. “Completing assignments used to require so much patience,” she said. “We shared slow old laptops that would freeze unexpectedly, often couldn’t run the specialized programs we needed for class, and we were always worried about losing unsaved work. The room felt cramped and crowded, with almost no space to move around.” Today, she says, the lab offers ample room, comfortable seating, and fast, reliable desktops that remove those old frustrations and let students focus on their work.
For Lord Ashcroft, the new lab is far more than just a room full of new technology. It is a dedicated space where students can build critical digital skills, explore creative interests, conduct original research, and discover their future career paths. “What we are opening this afternoon is not really a room full of equipment,” he said. “It is a place where you can learn to code, to design, to research, to write, to create, and more importantly to explore. It is a place where some of you will discover what you want to do with the rest of your lives.”
The Waterloo Group Charitable Trust says its core vision for this project aligns with its long-standing commitment to ACC: to remove barriers to opportunity and give every ACC student the chance to pursue their dreams, regardless of their background. This report was compiled by Paul Lopez of News Five.