Morant Bay Primary gets facelift from university group
Published:Thursday | April 21, 2022 | 12:05 AMShanna Monteith/Gleaner Writer
The Morant Bay Primary School in St Thomas is among the most recent beneficiaries of the collaborative generosity of The University of the West Indies’ (UWI) Elsa Leo-Rhynie ‘Towers’ Hall and the institution’s OneLife Outreach Programme.
As part of its ninth annual celebration, members of the student dwelling located at the Mona campus commenced Hall Week activities in April with an outreach project aimed at giving back to the community.
Bertram Anderson, manager of student services and development, disclosed that the school was selected following consultation with its administration, which revealed a number of needs.
“We usually choose a school that is in need of the support, but we also select schools where our students can be fully engaged in giving back to the community,” said Anderson in a Gleaner interview.
“Through UWI OneLife and the Elsa Leo-Rhynie Hall’s outreach initiatives, the students are exposed to working to make a difference in the civic life of one’s community and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values and motivation to make that difference,” he said, adding that student volunteerism was part of The UWI’s thrust for community engagement.
Anderson said that the assessment revealed that several areas of the school were in need of refurbishment, including the resource room, classrooms, and the Peace Garden.
Among other resources, he shared that students also required some level of mentorship.
The team visited Morant Bay Primary earlier this month for a beautification and landscaping project. Those works included the painting of classrooms and other areas, as well as the planting of palms, and fruit and ornamental trees.
In addition, the ELR Towers Hall and UWI OneLife had an essay competition for grades four to six.
“All students who participated wrote great essays and the team was able to award the top three essays with electronic tablets through sponsors. It is expected that these tablets will assist the students with their assignments and allow them to improve their grades,” Anderson said.
Sponsors JPS Foundation, Kendel Foods, Zeus Tech Solutions, the Forestry Department, Diamond Paint, and the ELR Towers Hall Committee financed the donation of school bags and food.
ACTS OF KINDNESS
“We are extremely appreciative of the contribution made to our school. Their generosity has contributed tremendously to our beautification initiative. Also, our parents and students expressed sincere gratitude for the tablets, food packages and other gifts received. These acts of kindness will certainly help to enhance the learning environment of the school,” said principal Faye Lindsay.
With Jamaica resuming full-scale face-to-face classes after the midterm break, the student services and development manager noted that the ELR Hall will also be extending its Cinderella Project, which provides shoes to children in need, to Morant Bay Primary.
The Elsa Leo-Rhynie Hall and UWI OneLife Outreach Programme have reportedly pledged to continue serving the community.