By Barbara Ellington,
Staff Reporter
Anders Jones - Contributed
ANDERS JONES is not your average 14-year-old eighth-grade student. His father, Mark Jones, is a consultant currently on assignment with Union Bank of Jamaica and his job takes him away from their home in Boston, Massachusetts in the United States. Mr. Jones' long stay away from his wife and four sons means that Anders sometimes visits him in far away places.
In March, Anders spent a part of his Spring Break vacation in Kingston with Mr. Jones. On a trip around Kingston, the Dexter Elementary School student got to talking with his taxi-driver, whose children attend Mountain View Primary School in Kingston.
As the conversation progressed, Anders, who loves computers, learnt that there were only two computers for the entire school population at Mountain View Primary School.
"I thought that was unfair," Anders later told The Gleaner in an interview. "Like the Mountain View Primary School, my school also has approximately 840 students on roll, and we have over 150 computers in a lab where we can do research, write reports and other things, and the children at Mountain View only had two."
Immediately Anders decided to help. He said he didn't know why, except that in 10 years, or less, all the jobs that are offered will require the use of a computer. "I asked my dad to help me get at least 10 computers for the school," he said, adding that his school has one of the leading technology programmes in the New England area of the United States. There was, however, a snag. The Mountain View Primary School had no room that could be used as a lab for the computers.
With the help of his father, Anders decided that if funds were raised locally to build a computer lab, they would match it dollar for dollar. On his return to Boston, Anders consulted with his technical education co-ordinator Robert Phinney about the types of software and computers that would be suitable for Mountain View Primary. He was told that it would take more than simply supplying computers to the school, so Mr. Phinney has made arrangements for two of the teachers from the school to go to Boston for training during the upcoming summer holidays. This will enable them to instruct the students properly in the use of the gifts when they are installed.
Anders returned to Jamaica last week to hand over one of the computers and 20 pieces of software from his classmates and friends, as well as to attend a fund-raising concert at Stephanie Hall in Kingston. The proceeds from the concert will go towards building the computer room at the school.
Anders, who has also spent time with his father during an assignment in Mexico, insists that he doesn't know what inspired his gesture. "I just think that everyone should get an equal opportunity to excel. Who knows, the next Bill Gates could be at Mountain View Primary," he said.
