A CONTINGENT of students from the Restoration Christian School, Trench Town, was treated Friday to a day of fun and frolic on the north coast, opening up a new world of experience for the inner-city children.
The group, comprising 13 students and four teachers from Rema, were feted at the Beaches Boscobel Resort and Golf Club in St. Mary.
Principal, Lorna Stanley, said she was delighted to watch her students experience another side of life, if even for a short time.
"I take this for granted but it means so much to them," she said, of the time spent at the resort.
The children, escaping for the day from the harsh realities of living in the inner city, spent their time playing water sports and touring the resort. One student, Nicole Benton, told The Gleaner that she felt "important" as a result of the attention she received from the hotel staff and other guests.
The Air Jamaica-sponsored trip was the result of an invitation made a week ago, by Gordon 'Butch' Stewart, the chairman of Air Jamaica and Sandals Resorts International, while a 15-member youth group from the United Kingdom was visiting the Restoration School. The Beaches brand of hotels are part of the Sandals chain.
The youth group, from the Grace Community Church in England, was on the island as part of a programme to help foster better relations between British and local youths.
Mr. Stewart invited the Restoration School students, in front of a gathering at the school on February 28, to spend the day at one of the hotels in the Sandals chain, as an extension of the programme. He said that, apart from having the foreign youths come to the school, he also wanted to have the local youths see a part of Jamaica they were not likely to observe on their own.
He explained that he felt it was necessary for children, especially the economically disadvantaged, to gain experiences external to their daily lives.
"It is the single best way to dig ourselves out of the hole of poverty that Jamaica is in," he said, adding, "It shows youngsters what is possible."
Air Jamaica and Sandals vice-president in charge of public affairs, Oliver Foot, told The Gleaner he is hoping to see more disadvantaged students benefit from trips to north coast hotels in the future. He said the practice would help "build bridges" between the inner-city children and members of external societies, as they would be afforded the chance to interact with visitors from foreign nations.
"A couple of the guests said to me that this is fantastic," Mr. Foot said when asked his impression of the response of the foreigners to the local
children.
Asked about the possibility of reaching out to other inner-city schools, Mr. Foot said that for the moment the focus would remain on Restoration Christian School. "We are trying to build a relationship with the Trench Town kids," he said, pointing out that the school was one of the more needy.
Mrs. Stanley told The Gleaner that, of the over 80 students at the school, the 13 who travelled to St. Mary were easily picked through the school's incentive point scheme. The scheme, as implemented at the school, offers a minimum of 50 points for attendance, punctuality, and other forms of good behaviour. Students who receive over 10,000 points during the school year receive books, clothes and other school items as reward.
The students with the most points were picked for the trip along with a few of the problem students. According to Mrs. Stanley, it was felt that it would be unfair to not include some of those students who need the most guidance.
