Oct 29,2018
The Boscobel Infant and Primary School in St. Mary’s, Jamaica wasn’t always the picture of institutional health it is now. For a long time, it struggled to cover costs and retain teachers. The strong and stalwart group of women who continue to run the school today have said that for many years it was only “by the grace of God” that the school continued to operate. Now, however, the school is not only a fine place for primary students in Grade 1, but for younger kids as well.
After receiving donations from Edgehill Homes and Food for the Poor Canada, the Boscobel Primary School was able to build a second building to allow for the education of infant-class students, many of whom have already greatly benefited. Before the second building’s construction, the school consisted of one room in which two classes had to be taught at once. Teachers would have to yell over each other to teach their lessons, much of which was lost amid the raucous din of (understandably) distracted school children.
In addition to this challenge, the school also struggled to maintain comprehensive cleaning services. Naturally, in a relatively remote area such as this, it was difficult to attract the right kind of help. Now, however, the Boscobel Infant and Primary School can afford to employ a full-time janitor who is proud to report that all of the important school facilities are always kept in good, clean, and efficient working order.
Now that the Boscobel Infant and Primary School has received the funds it needed to allow their students to shine, the results have spoken for themselves. The teachers and staff are reporting a substantial improvement in both literacy, numeracy, and knowledge retention among all their students. While the funding went a long way, especially in providing a second school-room, it is most certainly the continued efforts of the hardworking and intelligent women who run the school to which we can attribute its success.
Edgehill Homes, Food for the Poor, and Morrison Financial would like to specifically mention and thank Principal Mrs. Trail-Johnson, Caregiver Mrs. Mackenzie-Reid, Facilities Manager Ms. Smellie, and Teachers Ms. Menzie and Ms. Martin. Your never-ceasing commitment to childhood education and the community of Boscobel is definitely worth a huge degree of respect. Without you, the Boscobel Infant and Primary School wouldn’t be what it is today.
