The groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of two classrooms and IT Unit facilities for the Vivien Vanterpool Primary School in Island Harbour took place on Thursday afternoon, February 16th, 2023.
The new units are part of efforts to upgrade the school and address the need for a more diverse education.
In his prayer of thanksgiving Pastor Howard Simon of the Seventh-day Adventist Church thanked God for new beginnings and for making the means possible for the school’s upgrade. He also prayed that God would take control of the entire project, “from commencement, to continuation, to completion.”
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Social Development and Education, Dr. Bonnie Richardson-Lake, in her welcoming remarks noted that some of the classrooms are too close to the beach.
Minister Dee-Ann Kentish-Rogers, Principal Mavis Fleming-Webster with Student
and Dr. Timara Hodge-Fleming
“Today, I welcome each and every one of you to this groundbreaking ceremony for the upgrade of the Vivien Vanterpool Primary School. As you are aware, the current computer lab and classroom block sustained significant damage by the passage of Hurricane Irma. These classrooms, as you can see, are very close to the sea, which [compounds] the problem.”
She thanked Mr. Timothy Reynolds, Owner of Àni Private Resorts, who willingly came forward as a donor and offered to reconstruct the computer lab. She noted the instrumentality of Mr. Ira Bloom who saw the need for rebuilding, and who was influential in initiating the contribution.
“We are pleased to enter into the public-private partnership with Àni Private Resorts,” Dr. Richardson-Lake noted, “as we look to improve access to technology and infusing it into teaching and learning.”
The young Student Council President, Miss Dynesha White, in her remarks said, “It is my honour to give brief remarks on behalf of the student body….It has been too many years since our parents and grandparents attended this same small school with its small classrooms in the old buildings which we are still housed in today”.
“It is time that we get a new and modern campus. As the President of the Student Council, along with the Student Council’s Executive Board, representing the student body, we want you to know that we are very grateful to the PTA Boards, past and present, parents, the Project Hands Group, supporters, and the community at large for working and rallying over the many years”, she said.
“Today we are indeed thankful to the owner of Àni Private Resorts, Mr. Tim Reynolds, through his building manager, Mr. Ira Bloom. Mr. Bloom is a proud past parent of a student of this school and a lover of the Island Harbour community. We thank him for taking the initiative towards building a retrofitted computer lab here. We are also grateful to the Government of Anguilla for allowing this building project and allocating funding for the two additional classrooms to be built together with the computer lab”, Miss White said.
“Today, we see our dream becoming reality,” she said excitedly. “I am praying that this project would come through before my graduation in 2024, God spare my life. “I also pray,” she enthusiastically continued, “that sometime soon we would be having the opening ceremony for our new, efficient and modern school building.”
PTA President, Dr. Timara Hodge-Fleming said “Together, we bring…..excitement to these grounds, which we hope to sustain until we break grounds for the renewal of the entire school…This present PTA continues to work to advocate for upgraded school facilities, even as previous PTAs have done. The Island Harbour community has always stood in the gap for this school. We thank the community for all that it has done and for what it continues to do.”
“While we are grateful for this new block of classrooms,” she said, “our ultimate goal is to have a new school with all the modern amenities…our students deserve the best”.
“I would like to say thank you to Àni Private Resorts for selecting our school as the recipient of such a tangible donation. We are extremely grateful, and we look forward to working with you. Thanks also to the Department of Education and Ministers of this Government for realizing that there really is a need for rebuilding. We have great plans for this school, and once we are finished implementing them, we will no longer be considered a small school”, she said.
The school’s Principal, Mrs. Mavis Fleming-Webster thanked the Government of Anguilla for contributing to the school’s upgrade.
“Thank you for listening to us. Thank you for getting involved. Thank you for providing the funds to support the work of this project. I would also like to say thank to our community who remains ready to do whatever it can to assist wherever it can…..We are proud to be a part of this celebration this afternoon. For those Principals who have served before me, and who have begged for support for this school, I say thanks. I say thanks also to the many parents who have been so zealous in contributing to our operations throughout the years”, Mrs. Fleming-Webster said.
“Of course, most of all I would like to thank Mr. Tim Reynolds and his Manager, Mr. Ira Bloom for the tangible contribution of our new lab. Mr. Bloom started the process, and I would like to thank him and his family for the part they have played in bringing our wishes to fruition”, the Headteacher noted.
Manager of Àni Private Resorts, Mr. Ira Bloom is a dedicated parent whose child attended the school, and he has the work of the school at heart.
“It is amazing to see the efforts of this wonderful community…..We were getting ready to build the computer lab”, he noted, “but then the community expressed their desire to see classrooms built together with the lab. So I appreciate the Government stepping forward to have the classrooms constructed together with the lab”.
The Owner of Àni Private Resorts, Mr. Timothy Reynolds said he was pleased that the Premier and the Minister of Education have both decided to make this a bigger project than he was able to afford.
“My work is virtually done,” he continued. “The actual construction is yet to begin. But I have committed some additional funds of US$300,000 which I spoke to the Premier about. Perhaps this would go towards furnishing another computer lab elsewhere.”
The Honourable Minister of Social Development and Education Ms. Dee-Ann Kentish-Rogers quoted Benjamin Franklin, who once said, ‘an investment in knowledge pays the best interest.’
“We are here to celebrate an investment in the development of the Àni Private Resorts-funded IT lab for the Vivien Vanterpool Primary School”, the Minister said.
“This is a momentous occasion for us as a Government, as it represents our commitment to addressing and fixing longstanding issues in education, ensuring students’ school environments are safe, and promoting technological development within our schools” Minister Kentish-Rogers opined.
She pointed out that the aging infrastructure of the Vivien Vanterpool Primary School has been challenged by the test of time along with the onslaught of Hurricane Irma in 2017 and the constant erosive effects of sea blasts.
The Education Minister said the development of the new IT lab and classroom block is a significant step for Government in achieving its goals of promoting the well-being and safety of students within Anguilla’s education system.
“Today, as we celebrate this ground breaking, it stands for more than the simple breaking of the soil,” the Minister noted. “It stands for the ground breaking synergy between the Department of Infrastructure, Lands and Education who worked assiduously to overcome the challenges that were presented when we decided to start this work. It stands for the ground breaking generosity of our benefactor, Mr. Timothy Reynolds and the hard work of Mr. Ira Bloom, whose passion for education-related projects was clearly demonstrated when we met in 2020…”
“For those who have made this project a reality, I want to say thank you,” Minister Kentish-Rogers said. “This project is a testament to the power of collaboration between the private sector, government and the community.”
The Honourable Premier, Dr. Ellis Lorenzo Webster, is the Elected Representative for District One where the school is located He was a former student of the then Island Harbour Primary School now the Vivien Vanterpool Primary School.
He told the audience at the ground breaking ceremony that when he was nine years old and about to leave the Island Harbour Primary School to enter into the Valley Secondary School, the top step of one of the classrooms was higher than he was tall.
However, Premier Webster claimed that his spirits are quite high, and he is very excited about the prospect of the school’s upgrade.
“We had teachers who made a difference. They were teachers who cared and sacrificed. They knew that whatever it took, they wanted to see us develop into the highest of our potentials. And so today, we continue the vision, of the late Father of the Nation, James Ronald Webster, who donated this land upon which this school is built”, the Premier opined.
He thanked Mr. Reynolds and Mr. Bloom for contributing the schools IT lab and reiterated his Government’s commitment to providing funding for the classroom block.
The Premier, who also holds the portfolio of Finance Minister said such funding is largely due to monies garnered from GST revenues.
