Some 50 students at Chalky Hill Primary and Infant School have been donned Irie Stars Peacemakers following a collaborative initiative led by the Violence Prevention Alliance (VPA) and the Sandals Foundation to mark National Peace Day.
The event, which also marked the official opening of the school’s newly installed IRIE Peace Garden by the Sandals Foundation, sought to reinforce positive values and peaceful behaviors among students, under the national theme, “Rebuild Jamaica Piece by Peace”.
Valued at approximately $200,000, the peace garden has strengthened the school’s efforts to create a positive and nurturing environment for students. Equipped with seating area and a vibrant mural, the space has provided children with a dedicated location to engage in reflection, teamwork, de-escalate conflicts, and engage in environmental stewardship.
On Tuesday, March 3, the school community recognized the 50 students through the “Irie Stars Peacemaker” Awards Ceremony commending pupils who consistently model positive behavior in keeping with the school’s core values. Each awardee received specially designed “Irie Stars Peacemaker” buttons to proudly wear all year.
Patricia Pottinger Bailey, guidance counsellor at the school, says the awards form part of the school’s IRIE initiative, strategically designed from the School-Wide Positive Behaviour Intervention and Support.
“The IRIE Peacemaker Award recognizes students who have exhibited their IRIE behavior,” she said. “IRIE is our core value; it is a behavior change plan that we have put in place to see positive outcomes.”
“What does respect look like in the lunch line? “What does respect look like in the classroom?” she asked. “Their parents are also encouraged to reinforce these values at home. At the Parent- Teachers’ Association meetings, parents are sensitized about our core values for the programme to be effective.”
According to Pottinger Bailey, the Peace Day awards go beyond recognizing conflict resolution but looks at the holistic development of students.
Christine Badal McBean, principal of Chalky Hill Primary and Infant School welcomed the partnership and emphasized the importance of instilling peaceful values from an early age.
“Peace is not something we speak about only on one day; it must be practiced daily in our classrooms, on our playground and in our homes,” the principal said. “Activities like these help our students to understand that their choices matter. When they choose respect, hard work and kindness, they are helping to rebuild Jamaica, piece by piece.”
For Jonelle Llewellyn, research associate at the VPA, the observance forms part of the organization’s ongoing work to cultivate peaceful norms in schools and communities.
“National Peace Day provides an opportunity to intentionally highlight and reward positive behavior,” Llewellyn noted. “When we recognize children for being respectful, mindful and stewards of change, we are helping to shape a culture where peace becomes the standard, not the exception.”
In addition to the awards presentation, students received token bags prepared by the VPA. The bags, which contained crayons and coloring books, were distributed to beneficiaries identified by the school, with some aligned as prizes
Over 100 students at Ciceron RC Combined Schools are set to improve their digital literacy following the upgrade of their Multimedia Lab thanks to the provision of 25 desktop computers a suit of accessories, and operating software from the Sandals Foundation and Loyal Sandals Resorts guests.
Valued at some EC$81,000, the technological upgrade seeks to encourage a more interactive learning experience for students and teachers, building their capacity to comfortably navigate today’s digital world.
“As more of our lives and everyday activities become interwoven with the internet, apps and programmes, today’s school’s curriculum must include access to and mastery of the technology if we are equipping our young ones to not only survive but thrive,” says Jason Darius, Public Relations Manager, Sandals Regency La Toc Resort.
Speaking recently at the handover ceremony of the newly equipped Multimedia Lab, Darius noted that the infrastructure development is a key component of the philanthropic organization’s investment in education, “Schools play a critical role in balancing digital technology access amongst students of various socio-economic backgrounds. We are honored to be able to help the students and staff at Ciceron RC Combined School step boldly into this next phase of their development.”
For Principal, Yasmin Tyson, the upgraded Multimedia lab will optimize the learning experience, “This upgrade has created a more conducive environment to integrate technology into the daily academic experience, enhance teacher instruction and ultimately prepare students for the demands of a technology-driven world.”
And representing the Ministry of Education, District 4 Officer, Marie Gorge Arlain says “Facilities like these, and collaborations such as this partnership with the Sandals Foundation, are essential to ensuring the holistic development of our children. They help equip our students with the tools and skills needed to keep pace in an ever-advancing world, while preparing them to become confident, capable contributors to society.”
Across the Caribbean, the Sandals Foundation has equipped more than 100 computer labs and distributed an additional 7000 digital tablets within primary and high schools to help students develop their digital literacy.
As teachers and students in the west continue to make the most out of adjusted learning environments post Hurricane Melissa, the Sandals Foundation has made a major stride in strengthening the climate resilience of three schools, adding solar energy technology to meet immediate and the long-term demands of the future.
Valued at some JMD $4,000,000, solar systems have been installed at the Cove Primary School in Hanover, as well as Kings Primary and Infant and Culloden Infant in Westmoreland – the first phase of a strategic effort to strengthen the energy resilience of the island’s learning institutions.
“One of the factors driving our restoration efforts in schools is ensuring the implementation of durable and sustainable methods and technologies that provides a great level of flexibility,” says Heidi Clarke, Executive Director at the Sandals Foundation.
While sections of the schools remain partially covered with tarpaulin - for temporary roofing - the current renewable energy infrastructure stands as the beginning of a larger investment to come.
“We’re taking things on a phased basis. The current installation has allowed schools to immediately meet some key operation and administrative needs. As we rebuild more permanent structures, our goal is to expand the solar energy system - allowing more operations of the school to be powered by the sun,” says Clarke.
For Kings Primary and Infant School Principal Marcia Tatham-Miller, “The installation of solar panels at our schools has been transformative. They allow us to maintain lighting, operate essential equipment and continue instruction even during power outages. It makes us feel hopeful and empowered.”
The Whitehouse community has been without electricity some 3 and a half months since the category 5 storm. At Culloden Infant, Principal Michelle Whittingham says the solar system has enabled administrators to meet a lot of student needs.
“The solar has been a tremendous help. The school cook can now purchase meat and store for school lunches. The children missed and can now enjoy their ice cream treats because we are able to operate our refrigerator. Textbooks that were damaged in the storm are now supplemented with photocopy services. Teachers have been able to use their computers to aid in learning instructions, recharge their devices, and the air conditioning system that came with our new modular classrooms (also provided by the Sandals Foundation), will be powered during warm days.”
In Hanover, roof damage destroyed solar panels previously installed by the philanthropic organization. Now, beaming from their much-needed replacement, Principal at Cove Primary, Patrice Campbell says solar-powered systems should be an essential investment in any school infrastructure.
“Because hurricanes and severe weather events are becoming more frequent, schools must be built to withstand the future, not the past. Renewable energy reduces operational costs and allow more funds to go towards learning resources and student development. In addition, climate-smart technology ensures learning continues in emergencies. Sustainable school rebuild empowers schools to be safe protecting both students and staff.”
Over 3000 residents have been served in the first staging of the Sandals Foundation-powered Great Shape! Inc.‘s 1000 Smiles clinic in Antigua.
In just two weeks, the volunteer mission which was coordinated in collaboration with the Ministry of Health served 3,575 residents with free oral care and dental education. Led by a team of 121 dental volunteers from the United States and Canada, over 1,500 patients received some 8,000 individual dental services including cleanings, extractions, fillings, restorative, urgent treatments and more.
―Everywhere we go, the need is great, but these two weeks in Antigua were especially powerful, said Joseph ‗Papa Joe‘ Wright, Founder of Great Shape! Inc. ―The response from communities across the island reminded us why this work matters — relieving pain, restoring dignity, and giving people reason to smile again.
The scale of the clinic has been described as transformational. On an island of 100,000 residents, the outreach, Wright explained, moved beyond individual sites to have an island-wide effort, ―It was as if every resident here either received a service or knew someone who did‖.
Preventative care was a central focus for the school outreach component of the programme. Close to 3,000 children across ten schools received oral health education with more than 7,000 toothbrushes, tubes of toothpaste, and floss distributed to reinforce healthy habits long after the clinics closed.
For Heidi Clarke, Executive Director at Sandals Foundation, ―This Antigua staging showed what is possible when trusted partners come together in service of community health. ―We are incredibly grateful to the Ministry of Health, the team at Sandal Grande Antigua and the army of Great Shape! volunteers who together brought a critical and essential service to families across the island.
All administrative costs, logistics, and volunteer support for the clinics are covered by the Sandals Foundation, with accommodations provided by Sandals Resorts, allowing dental professionals to focus fully on patient care.
Antigua now joins Jamaica, Turks and Caicos, Grenada, The Bahamas and Saint Lucia that also benefit from the dental mission.
