Past students donate school supplies to Guy's Hill Primary

Guy's Hill Primary School in Waterford district, St Catherine, recently hosted its first back-to-school supply donation and fun day. Three hundred and twenty-three backpacks with school supplies were distributed to all students registered for the school year beginning in September 2018.

The donation was made by past students Doreen Coleman and Doreen Nesbeth, and made possible through the generous contributions of friends in the United States.

The backpacks contained erasers, pencils, pens, notebooks, glue sticks, sharpeners, scissors, crayons, rulers, and water bottles. The donation also included 196 reading books for the school library and classroom supplies for all the teachers.

Coleman, addressing the huge gathering of students and parents, said, "This is the school where we got our start, and it has always been on our mind."

She quoted Michelle Obama, "You have to stay in school. You have to. You have to go to college. You have to get a degree. Because that's the one thing people can't take away from you, your education. And it is worth the investment."

Coleman continued "We are investing in you."

At the event, students danced to Jamaican folk songs, recited poems in Jamaican dialect, and sang their favorite musical selections. After the performances, students played games and bounced around in Sports Arena Bounce House before they received lunch. Drinks were provided, courtesy of OJay Koolers Limited, Old Harbour.

The event ended after each child received a backpack containing school supplies, to which a parent, who prefers to remain anonymous, said, "This is a good thing, 'cause some of us just cannot afford it."

Principal Beverley Cytall and vice-principal Thompson Green commended Coleman and Nesbeth on the donation.

Green exclaimed, "We are overwhelmed by this large donation. This is epic! Never before have we seen this in the history of our school. To God be the glory!"