Trench Town primary gets a facelift

• Children, staff all smiles following donations, help from Canadian gov't, JDF

THE BEAMING faces of the children of Trench Town Primary School was all the proof one needed that they were more than happy for their newly refurbished and fully equipped resource room and playground.

Thanks to the Canadian High Commission, supported by the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), they had the official opening of the resource room with eight new computers and two laptops with Internet access, along with a multimedia projector. Three whiteboards were placed in classrooms, and by the playground, the children were given a climbing dome, jungle gym, four-seater swing, four-seater see-saw, two slides, two-seater see-saw and a two-seater swing. Everything totalled just over $1 million.

Last year, the already struggling Trench Town Primary School suffered a major setback when thieves broke into the resource room and stole computer equipment, software, learning programmes, lesson plans - everything that they had struggled to put together over the years.

With all the challenges they were already facing, this only served to daunt their spirits.

In January, Canada's high commissioner to Jamaica Stephen Hallihan and his wife, Cathy, visited the school to dedicate a new water fountain.

"What Cathy and I found when we got here was a small school with a big heart. I was so impressed and energised by the principal and staff who were working so hard with limited resources," said Hallihan. "We saw the need and decided we wanted to do more."

Principal Merline Sewell-Sullivan, the staff and children adopted the high commissioner, his wife and staff of the Canadian High Commission as part of the family. With the assistance of Lieutenant Colonel David Cummings and the staff of the JDF, the school's resource room was refurbished and fortified with added security features and the playground cleaned up and equipped.

Minister of Education, Andrew Holness, said because of the competitive nature of education, many viewed play as a waste of time, however, recreational activity was key to learning.

Member of Parliament Omar Davies reflected on the once vibrant school that in its glory days enjoyed the largest enrolment in the Caribbean, with a student population of over 2,500. Today, because of crime and violence that wracked the community for decades and led to the fleeing of several residents, the school now has a mere population of 156.

anastasia.cunningham@gleanerjm.com