On the brilliant, sunny Friday morning of November 5th, the new wing of the Valley Primary School was dedicated, with a ceremony taking place under the shade of a spacious tent on the school grounds.
Funding for the new facility, in the amount of US$3.1 million, was part of the Anguilla Programme initiative, a package of financial aid provided by the United Kingdom following the devastation of certain public buildings by Hurricane Irma in 2017. The construction work was undertaken by Bomba’s Construction Company.
Government dignitaries, education officials, civic minded personalities, and a good representation of The Valley community attended the landmark event to thank God for His favour during the building process, to ask for His protection, and to commit the school into His care. This official dedication ceremony marked the first among three other newly constructed primary schools, namely the Morris Vanterpool Primary School, the Orealia Kelly Primary and the Adrian T. Hazel Primary, all of which were reconstructed under the same Anguilla Progamme aid initiative.
Friday’s ceremony, moderated by Deputy Principal Estelle Carter, got underway as she summoned music teacher, Gordon Hazel, and representatives of the school’s choir to render the National Anthem, the National Song and the School Song. Mr. Hulia “Ponto” Carty then offered the opening prayer, and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Dr. Bonnie Richardson-Lake, extended a warm welcome to all in attendance.
The Valley Primary School is patriotically known as the “Home of the Golden Horses”. A most spectacular feature of the ceremony was a song entitled, “Create Your Legacy”, vibrantly rendered by young Aaliyah Webster, who bravely delivered a special message to her fellow Golden Horses schoolmates. Aaliyah had placed 2nd
Runner-up in the 2021 Inter-Primary School Calypso Competition. She is the daughter of Anguilla’s renowned Calypso great, the ever-popular Queen B. And like her mother, she made unreserved use of the “stage” to get her message across to her peers.
Her Excellency the Governor, Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam, in delivering her congratulatory address spoke in glaring tones of the courage and tenacity of the students since the school had been affected by the ravages of Hurricane Irma: “Education is what remains with you when you have forgotten everything you have learned at school,” she said. “The school motto here is ‘Aim for Excellence’, and certainly the teachers, the parents and the children have been doing just that in spite of the circumstances…
“Over the past four years since Hurricane Irma, the staff and pupils have shown incredible resilience, working in classrooms designed for 20 students, doubling up to 40. In recent years, this has been a school divided over three sites, but now all are united as one on this one site.
The Governor thanked all the many people involved in taking the project forward. She closed her comments by saying: “I do hope all the students and staff will be inspired and enjoy their new educational environment, building the future of Anguilla within these very walls.”
Premier Ellis L. Webster also made appreciable remarks: “Research shows that one of the best investments we can make in a child’s life is high quality early education,” he said. “Today we are making another investment in our children’s future and the success of the people of Anguilla.”
“In order to prepare our children for a more competitive world, we must provide access to good education and this requires good teachers — which we already have — and modern schools and equipment. Buildings like this will improve the morale of teachers and students and lead to better classroom performance.
“Although born out of the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, this partnership between the United Kingdom Government and the Government of Anguilla, called the Anguilla Programme, has earned dividends. And so, I would like to thank Her Excellency the Governor, representing the United Kingdom Government; former Governor Tim Foy; the Staff at the Governor’s Office; the former Administration; the Ministry and Department of Education; the Ministry of Infrastructure; and Bumba’s
Construction Company for this magnificent building…”
Premier Webster thanked and commended the teachers and students of the unaffected classrooms for their patience and ability to teach and learn in spite of the noise and disruptions that would have disturbed their concentration during the construction of the new building.
“Go Golden Horses!” he exclaimed in closing. “May God bless you, and may God bless Anguilla.”
Also making her address was the Minister of Education, the Honorable Dee-Ann Kentish-Rogers. She stated: “There is a very famous phrase in Caribbean and African folklore which says: ‘It takes a village to raise a child’. In this case, it has taken a village to raise children, and it takes this same village to continue those children’s education.
“For many of us here, this is a momentous occasion, knowing that the Valley Primary School had been spread over three locations since the passage of Hurricane Irma. This newly constructed block now stands as a symbol of unity, unifying the many classes that would have spent a number of years apart.
“I want to say ‘Thank You’ to our Father Almighty in Heaven,” she stressed, “for bringing us to this stage today, for without Him none of this would have been possible. I take this opportunity to also thank the Education Sector and the Redevelopment Committee. They have put in countless hours endeavouring to get this building to its fruition.
“I also thank Bumba’s Construction. The stately nature of this building is a testament to Bumba’s commitment, not only as a contractor, but as one associated with the Golden Horses, and a man of the community. To the staff of the school which has remained committed in ensuring that this building was ready for occupation, I must say thank you.”
The Minister noted that, so far, the students only had the benefit of spending two weeks in the classrooms before they were suddenly removed to be engaged again in online classes due to the rise in Covid cases. She continued: “It would be therefore remiss of me if I did not ask, at this moment, for our community members, our partners, and the citizens in this community to play their part so that we can take our children back into their physical classrooms.”
“As the Minister of Education,” she said, “it is a very proud moment for me to see this beautiful building being dedicated to our students, to our teachers and all education stakeholders. And thank you must go to the United Kingdom Government for the funding to construct and complete this building so that our children can have a place of learning in carving out a legacy for themselves.”
Other speakers included: the Chief Education Officer, Bren Romney; the school’s Principal, Trisha Richardson; the PTSA President, Joseph Pradel; and a representative of Bumba’s Construction. The Vote of thanks was delivered by Education Planner, Dawn Reid, and the prayer of dedication and blessing of the building was done by Pastor Rondy Isles.
Following this, the cutting of the ribbon for entrance to the building, was done by Her Excellency the Governor, Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam.
