Eight brand new classrooms are now ready for occupancy at the Orealia Kelly Primary School, the first of the main Anguilla Programme projects to be officially handed over open. The event was on Tuesday, December 8.
Governor Tim Foy, OBE, whose office heads the post-Hurricane Irma Anguilla Programme, funded by the UK Government, in the sum of sixty million pounds, said in part: “These projects have been every day in my life. This is not just the first of the schools because the Island Harbour [Vivien Vanterpool] School was the first to cross the line. But this is the first of the significant new buildings. The school motto, for me, encompasses what I have to say which is, ‘Together we aspire, together we achieve.’”
In giving an account of the progress of the work, involving about 200 to 300 persons, the Governor paid particular tribute to former Minister of Education, Mrs. Cora Richardson-Hodge, for pushing the education projects on the list of the sixty million pounds. He also thanked the contractor, Mr. Vincent Proctor, and “his wonderful team,” among other persons.
“That’s really is not what is important”, he continued. “That is history. What is important is the future, and these buildings are about education and education is the future. I just want to say thanks to everybody who has worked on this project. It is important that our children are the future, and education is the most important thing we can offer them. It is a great pleasure to be involved in this in some small way. You need a village to raise a child and a community to build buildings, but the school is much more than a building. It is about the community that surrounds it.”
Ministerial Assistant, in the Ministry of Education, Mr. Merrick Richardson, spoke on behalf of the Minister, Ms. Dee-Ann Kentish-Rogers. He said gratitude was due mainly to the Almighty God who equipped Himself with a team of persons to undertake the project. “Thanks to the British Government for financing this project,” he went on. “Thank you, Mr. Vincent Proctor, and his team, for carefully laying each block for our children. Thank you to WYG for overseeing the delivery of this project, and the Department of Education for its oversight. Special mention goes to Mrs. Dawn Reid – and to the teachers and parents who tolerated the disruption with the hope that the work will all be worth it.”
Chief Education Officer, Mr. Bren Romney, also thanked a number of past and present Government officials, the Governor’s Office – and others who worked on the project. He recalled having had the pleasure of acting as Permanent Secretary of Education following the passage of Hurricane Irma and, along with other education officials, was distraught about what they saw, although the school was not damaged as badly as the others. He added, however, that it was clear that significant work had to be done for the reopening of the school. He was pleased that the new classrooms were now completed, while work was continuing on the auditorium.
The Principal of the Orealia Kelly Primary School, Ms. Marcia Brooks, spoke on behalf of the schoolchildren and their parents. “I would like to say how grateful we are that we have accomplished this,” she stated. “We are indeed pleased with our new junior block and are eagerly anticipating moving on [to the other planned phases].” She was pleased also with the sizeable classrooms, stressing the importance of the increased classroom spaces especially in these times of social distancing. The Principal was further pleased that, with all the construction work, the students and teachers did not suffer any injury.
Minister of Infrastructure, Mr. Haydn Hughes, called for a round of applause for the staff in his Ministry for doing a tremendous job. He also thanked Governor Foy, saying that without him, the new classrooms would not have been possible. He was of the opinion that, of all the Commissioners and Governors of Anguilla since 1976, Governor Foy had delivered more than all of them combined; and he regretted his departure this month-end. He also offered his thanks to the other Government officials and the contractor, Mr. Proctor.
One of the contractor’s sons spoke on behalf of his father, “owner, manager, CEO, labourer and mason” of Proctor’s Construction. He said his father and his team had worked hard and diligent to complete the project, and were grateful to the Governor, the UK Government, and all the suppliers of the building materials, for their support. He added that the students and teachers at the school had been patiently waiting for the new classroom. “Take care of your school and each other,” he urged them.
Premier Ellis Webster said that despite the current Covid-19 pandemic, it was possible that the project was completed so far. He joined in thanking all those who contributed to the work. He added that the name of the school represented a woman who was steadfast in teaching its students to make them proud and strong. He paid tribute to the Foreign and Commonwealth and Development Office and the Governor’s Office, in particular, for the project.
The ribbon at the entrance to the two-storey classroom building was cut by the Minister of Education, Ms. Dee-Ann Kentish-Rogers, assisted by the Principal of the school, Ms. Marcia Brooks.
The programme was chaired by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Social Development, Dr. Bonnie Richardson-Lake.
