On Friday 18th March, 2022, the principal, staff and students of the Adrian T. Hazell Primary School officially launched the opening of the school’s Library. The president of the Student Council, Ms. Phaedra Romney, greeted the students, teachers and guests to the Library.
In October, 2021, the Adrian T. Hazell Primary School participated in the Anguilla Tourist Board’s Community Outreach contest. The school was one of the two successful participants. As a result, it was awarded a monetary prize of US $1,000.00 in December, 2021. This money was a welcomed and pleasant surprise. This source of funding was used to facilitate the purchase of furniture and to beautify the walls of the Library.
Mr. Jameel Rochester and Ms. Simonia William, of the Anguilla Tourist Board, not only graced us with their presence, but they also participated in the ceremony by reading two stories for some of our students.
This was followed by the P.R.O. of the Student Council, Ms. J’Szae Hughes Gumbs, who closed the event with a thank you to all who played an integral role in bringing the vision of the Library to fruition. As such, she expressed gratitude to the Anguilla Tourist Board, members of staff, the Student Council, students and Ms Malesia Carty for their artistic talent that brought the Library to life.
The Library was a work in progress for Terms 1 and 2 of the academic year 2021-2022. One of the school’s key priorities was to increase the number of books in the Library. The Student Council decided to take on that task. They organised a book drive that subsequently brought in an influx of reading books for varying ages and reading levels.
The success of that venture inspired and increased the staff’s morale. We persevered to provide students with a space in which they could learn, enhance and foster their interest in reading, relax and always want to visit.
Depicted on the walls are three murals. They highlight the infamous Cat in the Hat displaying many popular children’s books by Dr Seus, a scene which showcases Anguilla’s national sport and popular boats from the South Hill, Blowing Point and North Hill area – and at the forefront of the room is the largest scene which is captioned “ Discover the Magic of Reading”.
The habit and love of reading is nurtured when students are exposed to a wide array of books and reading material. Some examples are picture books, flash cards, fiction and non-fiction texts. Students tend to emulate what they see and hear. If they see and hear us read, then they will want to do these things as well.
Help us to supply our students with reading material that is interesting, age appropriate and correlates with their reading age. If you are interested in donating books for children between the ages of 5 and 12 please send an email to athps@doe.edu.ai.
– Contributed
