Edward Seaga Primary wins JSIF’s Best Kept School contest

Principal Shernet Clarke Tomlinson is very aware of the many negative stereotypes people have of the West Kingston inner city in which the Edward Seaga Primary School is located.

However, she told The Gleaner that those negative perceptions are not allowed to seep into the environment of the school she has headed for the last two years.

One such way that she goes about doing this is through fostering a culture of cleanliness at the institution.

“We take pride in our grounds … . We ensure that our students utilise bins. We ensure that we instil in them … everything that encompasses a clean and friendly and conducive environment, not just for learning but for playing,” she said.

Her efforts were recognised as on Friday, the school was adjudged the Best Kept School in the Integrated Community Development Project (ICDP II) Best Kept School competition. Hosted by Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), the competition was introduced to identify and reward environmental best practices in schools targeted for the project in St James, Westmoreland, Kingston and St Andrew, and Clarendon.

Additionally, 10 spaces in ICDP II served communities were judged for the competition.

Edward Seaga Primary School also placed first in the Safety Management category and third for Best Recycling Project and Overall Environmental Stewardship.

Its groundsman, Donovan Moulton, was also awarded second place in the Best Groundsman category.

Sharing that the school’s pursuit to maintain a clean environment has the support of staff, parents and students, Clarke Tomlinson said she is also hopeful that the values taught will also spill over into students’ homes.

“It is a process, like we have to be pulling teeth at times, but … we still doing it. For us to achieve this, it is amazing,” she said.

Meanwhile, Denis Reid of St Andrew Primary School, who was awarded Best Groundsman, told The Gleaner that he takes pride in his job as he understands the value of a clean environment to the overall well-being of students.

“I get a commendation from the little kids, dem come and tell me, ‘Rasta, di place look good!’,” he said. “I don’t like half-hand something or shorthand something. I like dealing with the nine yards.”

The Trench Town native said he has been the groundsman at St Andrew Primary School for less than a year and the award gives him much-needed validation.

“I was a bit down and I did a lot of things and it seemed like I wasn’t getting anywhere. I was very moved by this JSIF programme, recognising the unsung heroes like me,” he said.

Stating that this is a welcome initiative, Education Minister Fayval Williams highlighted its value in teaching students to take a personal interest in the cleanliness, appearance, and order of their schools.

“Our schools are the socialising environment for all of our children. They come from different families, different communities, different values, and we bring them together in that environment to teach them the national values of Jamaica so that they grow up to be the citizens that we want them to be,” she said.

Seventeen schools participated in the competition, which was also designed to incentivise participants and beneficiaries of the ICDP II project who have maintained a high level of performance standards to ensure the sustainability of interventions that JSIF executed in their communities.

The Treadlight community in Clarendon was awarded for Best Kept Community Greenspace, while Salt Spring in St James was awarded for Best Kept Community Entrance Sign.

Other awardees included Anchovy Primary in St James, which was awarded first place for Best Kept Grounds, Best Recycling Project, and Overall Environmental Stewardship. Treadlight Primary in Clarendon received the award for Best Kept School Greenhouse and Best Traditional School Garden, and the award for Best Kept School Greenspace went to St Andrew Primary School.

sashana.small@gleanerjm.com