‘It’s something that we can boast about’

Come September, only about four students are expected to be enrolled at Claverty Cottage Primary School – a small institution perched near the peak of the Blue Mountains in Portland. The already-dwindling student body will shrink even further as two students prepare to move on to high school after successfully completing the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examinations.

The two students, 11-year-old Sanita Stewart, and 12-year-old Rashane Seymour, will be attending the Marymount High School in St Mary and Buff Bay High School in Portland, respectively.

“For them to be progressing now as how they are progressing, is something that we can boast and feel proud about,” provisional principal Julane King-Walker told The Gleaner yesterday.

Last school year, five students were enrolled in the school, which has a capacity to accommodate up to 70 students.

Four boys and one girl – one student each in grades one, two, and three, and two in grade six – occupied a single building on the school’s compound, with whiteboards separating the classes.

The school has a staff of three teachers – one of whom is their provisional principal – as well as three watchmen, a cook, and a cleaner.

King-Walker said she is anticipating one other student for September, and is already making preparations to accommodate him. She explained that the child is five years old, and like the remaining students at the school, did not attend any basic school, as there are none in the remote community.

She said she is awaiting the go-ahead from the Ministry of Education to have him registered.

Although she acknowledged that the school’s small population does come with challenges, it ultimately proved beneficial in the students’ preparation for the PEP exams.

King-Walker shared that Seymour transferred to Claverty Cottage Primary in grade four from Trinity Primary in St Mary, arriving at a beginner literacy level. However, with tailored reading interventions, he showed significant improvement.

CAREFUL BALANCING

Teaching both students simultaneously, she explained, required careful balancing to ensure neither felt neglected.

“Because of where the girl was, you still had to ensure that you weren’t letting her become frustrated, in terms of the time that would have been spent to ensure that the boy was not left out, either,” she said.

Seymour attained developmental level in all four subjects, while Stewart achieved proficiency in all subjects except mathematics.

Trecia Reid, a coffee farmer from the community, said she was amazed by the progress her son Seymour had made.

“I am feeling very proud of him, I am very grateful for what the teacher has done for him,” she said. “The principal, she said she will work with him, and she did work with him.”

The 32-year-old mother of one said she is anticipating that he will continue to make her proud.

“I just hope he will continue to do his best,” she said.

Stewart’s first choice of school was Titchfield High School in Portland. But her grandmother, Janette Willis, who was preparing for Wendesday’s graduation ceremony when she spoke with The Gleaner, said Stewart was still happy with her placement.

“Sanita seh she satisfied with the school she passed for, and mi nuffi give myself any problem (to seek a transfer). Mek she go a di school weh she pass fa ... . Since she neva get it inna di passing, mi nuffi worry myself about it,” she stated.

She said Stewart will be living in St Mary with a relative while attending high school, as the treacherous road that leads to the community would make it difficult for her to commute from Claverty Cottage daily.

“She ask mi how mi a go manage when she gone. Mi seh mi wi go tru, man,” the 62-year-old coffee farmer said.

sashana.small@gleamerjm.com