The Parent-Teacher Associa-tion (PTA) and staff of the Pine Street Nursery in Linden recently demonstrated their appreciation to a number of residents and businesses throughout the town for supporting the school in various forms.
In excess of 50 awards of framed certificates of appreciation were presented by the school and its PTA at a special dinner ceremony held at Jac’s Diner.
Among those awarded were the Linden Fund USA (LFU), Mayfield Greene Variety, Jac’s Hotel and Restaurant, Denise and Jevon’s Variety, Snooks Variety, Judy Gravesande-Noel, Mayfield Trim, NCN Linden, Tandika Miller of Republic Bank, Linden Branch, Fern Chapman-Jones, and a teacher of more than twenty years, Eric Baird.
According to head teacher of the nursery school, Fayann Tappin-Benn, residents and the businesses throughout the town have been supporting the school in various form and they thought that it would be a good gesture to have those persons awarded for their continuous generosity and good citizenship.
“We know that that they were never thanked in this form and thought it would be a good motivator to them and others. My PTA is always coming up with some new idea and this was one of them,” said Tappin-Benn.
She noted also that the PTA organized several fundraising activities to self-sponsor the event.
According to the head teacher, the appreciation award event was held to motivate donors to continue their good deeds to the school and encourage others to get on board.
The award recipients spoke highly of the difference the school has been making with its strategies in delivering nursery education and keeping the PTA fully involved.
Head of the Regional PTA of Region 10, Selwyn Sills, said that the event is believed to be the first of its kind in Linden to have been spearheaded by a school. And he challenged the teachers and the PTA to continue to be an inspiration to others.
According to Sills, the Pine Street Nursery is a trailblazer and instead of complaining it seeks to conquer through initiatives geared towards a solution.
The PTA school is known in the mining town for its activities. It has been successful in executing such activities as a parents’ weekend literacy camp, a village day, a fathers’ conference, titled ‘CHAMP for Life,’ and an Every Child, One Voice concert. The “How Well I Know My Child’ TV programme was another of the PTA’s initiatives while it also got much praise for hosting other events such as bake, salt fish and bush tea competitions and a parents’ phonemic workshop.
A highlight among the PTA’s various activities was the Red Carpet Luncheon, where teachers and parents trained children for a week or two in all the disciplines that are required at a red carpet event.
Children had opportunities to dress like celebrities and acquire the know-how of dining etiquette.
“It was really touching to see those little children comfortably eat a three course meal using only the knife and fork without spilling,” said Senior Assistance Mistress Roslyn Marcelle Henry. Henry was the Teacher-of-the-Year 2009-2010, for which she received a national award.
Pine Street Nursery is now located in Industrial Area, after the student population outgrew the accommodation where they were housed in a church building on Pine Street. The name of the school was never changed. The school now serves children from Industrial area, the Constabulary Compound, Redwood Crescent, Bulletwood Street, Greenheart Street and the Washer Pond Road/Five Corner, which are all communities at Mackenzie.
