The singing of the National Anthem, by past student Samara Gordon, and the rendering of the Anguilla National song, by a group of current students, ushered in the beginning of the dedication ceremony of the Morris Vanterpool Primary School, in East End, on the morning of Friday, December 10th.
Prayer was offered by Pastor David Christmas. He expressed gratitude to God, who is worthy of thanksgiving and praise, and in particular he reflected upon the damage to the school by passage of Hurricane Irma which virtually destroyed the old structure. He thanked God that out of the chaos of those ravages He had provided the possibilities for the village of East End to have, what he called “a brand new modern state-of-the-art facility”.
Following the prayer, selected students sang the School Song, in line with the school motto, “Never Say Fail”. Teacher Ayisha Bellot then recognised Her Excellency Governor Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam, the Honourable Premier Ellis L. Webster, other Government and educational officers, Mr. Leonard Bennett of Bennett’s Construction, which built the structure, as well as descendents of the late Principal, St. Claire Morris Vanterpool.
Teacher Ayisha then introduced the Chairperson, Teacher Lennox Vanterpool, son of the said late Principal, St. Clair Morris Vanterpool. Upon approaching the stadium, Teacher Lennox, who speaks in highly dramatic tones, made a profound statement that is worth capturing: “In a sense, everyday is judgement day,” he said. “And we by our words, our actions and our thoughts, are writing in the book of life. Light has come into the world, and everyone must choose whether they would walk in the darkness of destructive selfishness or in the light of altruistic creativity. This is the judgement.”
A formal welcome to the ceremony was given by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Dr. Bonnie Richardson- Lake. After cordially welcoming the gathering, she commented: “No school was impacted by Hurricane Irma as profoundly as the Morris Vanterpool Primary School.
“Unlike the other primary schools, the entire school had to be relocated. The devastation at the original site was beyond repair, and complete reconstruction had to be undertaken. This would not have been easy for the teachers and students and administrators. But I know that they are more than ready to occupy their new space, and I am happy to be sharing this moment with them today, just two weeks from Christmas. Who could have asked for a better present?”
Her Excellency the Governor commended the staff and pupils for enduring the difficulties of the past two years, during the school’s reconstruction. She stated: “Over the past four years since the passage of Hurricane Irma, the staff and pupils of the Morris Vanterpool Primary School have remained true to their motto, ‘Never Say Fail’.
“They have demonstrated an incredible school spirit, determination and creativity in continuing to prosper and develop as a student body. The efforts of each teacher in sustaining a stimulating online learning environment in recent times deserve particular praise.”
The Honourable Premier then spoke: “To me, this is hallowed ground,” he said. “This is where once stood the old East End School where stalwarts like Teacher Eddy, Teacher Daisy, Teacher Doreen, Teacher Arthwin, and Teacher St. Claire taught. This is where three of the six Chief Ministers and Premiers of this little island started their formal education. I started here at four-and-a-half years old. This is a landmark structure that has always stood as a place of education. This building represents the community — the people — bold, resilient and proud.”
The Premier continued: “I wish to thank the United Kingdom Government and the generous UK tax payers; the Governor’s Office; the Governor, both past and present; the former administration, including the former Minister of Education and Representative for District 2, the Honourable Cora Richardson-Hodge; the current Honourable Minister of Education, Dee-Ann Kentish-Rogers; the Permanent Secretaries; the Department of Education; Bennett’s Construction; and the principals and teachers. I want to also thank this community because we have rebuilt and built back better — a legacy.”
The honourable Minister of Education Dee-Ann Kentish-Rogers then addressed the gathering. She said in part: “It is my pleasure to be here this morning to dedicate this vessel so that the staff and students can use it to their better benefit.
“There is a lot of thanks to be given today. But I fall in line with the Premier in thanking the Governor’s Office, and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, for providing us with the funds to erect this building. I also want to thank the ‘man of the hour’ – Mr. Bennett of Bennett’s Construction, who had the tasks of completing two of our school structures. Mr. Bennett, you have been able to successfully deliver these buildings, and we are eternally grateful.”
The 2021 graduates of the school, led by music teacher Gordon Hazel, rendered a magnificent song entitled “Gratitude”, followed by an address by the chief Education Officer Bren Romney. He gave thanks to the teachers and students for enduring the restricted space of the temporary facility, over the last four years, after Hurricane Irma, and by the same token he thanked Mr. James Lewis Hodge, owner of the rented facility, and his wife, for willingly renting their newly constructed buildings to the Department of Education for an entire four years.
Mrs. Hodge was presented with a beautiful token of appreciation, and she spoke on behalf of her husband: “It was our pleasure to assist the Government of Anguilla, and the Department of Education. But especially it was our pleasure to assist the children of the community. We did it mainly for them. It was our pleasure to rent the buildings, and we are grateful for this token. We trust that the children of Morris Vanterpool Primary will continue to make us proud.”
Mr. Romney then went on to described the particular features of the new school facility: “The new school embodies all the characteristics of a modern education facility,” he declared. “There are increased classroom sizes that allow for a student-centred approach in teaching and learning.
“In addition, there is an ICT infrastructure that supports the full integration of technology; dedicated spaces for ICT, Art and Music; special education needs spaces; spaces for all the other education support services, such as library services, an auditorium with an adjacent kitchen, and dedicated administration and teachers’ spaces. It is indeed a modern facility that is fit for purpose.”
Principal, Ms. Shauna Connor also spoke at the ceremony and issued presentations to community legends who had contributed to the school and influenced the lives of its teachers and students. These individuals were recognised in the unveiling of a Wall of Legends following the ceremony. Names on the Wall of Legends included Osbourne Fleming, Venetta Rey and Teacher Ursula Harrigan.
Also speaking at the ceremony was the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Assembly and Representative for the East End area, Mrs. Cora Richardson Hodge. She is the former Minister of Education, and had gone forward to receive a plaque on behalf of former Honourable District Representative, Mr. Osbourn Fleming, who had been very instrumental in contributing to the school over the years.
Mrs. Richardson-Hodge stated: “Over the past forty years, Mr. Fleming has been assisting the school in one way or another. He has indicated that he would like to thank the British Government, the UK tax payers and the Governor’s Office, as well as all other individuals who have assisted in the development of the school.
“As former Minister of Education and the Sandy Hill Representative, I would personally like to express my sincere thanks and gratitude for this new structure. It is not just the construction of the state-of-the-art facility,” she said, “but what is more important is what happens inside it, and that is the teaching and educating of our future leaders.”
The Vote of Thanks was delivered by Education Planner Mrs. Dawn Reid, and the Prayer of Dedication was offered by Cannon Reid Simon. This was followed by the cutting of the ribbon by Her Excellency the Governor and student Carl Smith, Vice President of the student council.
This dedication ceremony marked the third in a series of school dedications that has been taking place lately. First to be dedicated was the Valley Primary School, in the Valley Central, on November 4th; and the Adrian T. Hazell Primary School, in South Hill, on December 6th.
Following this third dedication, there is still a fourth school to be dedicated, namely the Orealia Kelly Primary School in Stoney Ground. All four schools have been reconstructed through UK funding as part of the Anguilla Programme, to which Britain allotted an amount of 60 million pounds, the equivalent of 200 million East Caribbean dollars.
