Educators highlight awardees in Clarendon Heroes Day Salute
Published:Tuesday | October 17, 2023 | 9:14 AMOlivia Brown/Gleaner Writer
Twenty-eight-year-old justice of the peace and former youth parliamentarian Marcellé Jackson was the youngest among 12 Clarendonians awarded at the parish’s Heroes Day Salute, Parade, and Awards Ceremony on Monday.
Jackson was recognised for her contributions to community service and volunteerism.
The event was a collaboration between the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) and the Clarendon Municipal Corporation. This year’s JCDC heritage events are being hosted under the theme ‘Celebrating a proud heritage ... resilient and strong’.
Jackson, a May Pen Primary schoolteacher, is the founder of the MJ Foundation, which is a charitable organisation that focuses on enhancing the educational opportunities for students in rural areas. With philanthropy atop her priority list, she spearheads annual back-to-school ventures and other projects across North Central Clarendon.
Speaking of the award, Jackson said: “I feel elated and appreciated. This is just an inspiration to keep going and to motivate other young persons that they, too, can get involved in their communities.”
She told The Gleaner that her quest to become a community activist was founded upon her zeal to become a catalyst for change.
“I love helping, and growing up, I didn’t see a lot of young persons doing it, so I wanted to become that change in my community,” Jackson shared.
Seventy-eight-year-old retired educator Beverley May Campbell Meikle was awarded for her stellar contribution to the field of education. The septuagenarian taught at the Raymonds Basic School in Hayes for 54 years.
Meikle said that after five decades of being in the classroom, one of the most rewarding experiences was seeing her once three-, four-, and five-year-old students morph into nurses, doctors, and honing their skills in other professions.
“When I see them on the road, and they’re calling, ‘Teacher! Teacher!’, and they’re in high positions, you feel so proud knowing their first educational journey began at your school,” added Meikle.
“I’m so happy, elated, and proud that they acknowledge my work over all these years working through unbearable situations, “ said Meikle, asserting that the education sector is often plagued with hurdles, including limited access to resources.
LOVE FOR CHILDREN
Meikle, who hails from Savannah in Hayes, told The Gleaner that her passion for teaching was founded upon her love for children.
Fellow awardee, principal of Wanstead Primary School in Thompson Town, Dr Carlene Miller Thompson, shared similar sentiments.
“My passion is for children - to get them to read and to become persons of society who are [not menaces, but worthy],” said Thompson, who has been an educator for 27 years.
Thompson shared that she was particularly pleased by the recognition, having “gone to the borders and squares of communities” to educate children.
Hassett Stone, former Clarendon College teacher, was the sole male among the awardees. Now retired from the classroom, Stone still gives his service to the sector and currently serves on several school boards.
His mantra is centred around equipping students with the skills, knowledge, values, and attitudes that will empower them to make a positive contribution to their communities.