Playground will enhance discipline, social skills, says acting principal
Published:Tuesday | November 22, 2022 | 12:06 AMAlbert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
CARLENE AUSTIN-Williams, acting principal at the Petersfield Primary and Infant School in Westmoreland, says the gift of a playground will help the approximately 700 students to be more disciplined and develop critical skills for sharing and socialising.
The playground, which forms part of an investment of approximately $4.6 million, or US$30,000, was donated by the Joseph and Vera Douglas Family Foundation (JVDFF) that is based in the United States. The foundation serves at-risk communities in Jamaica by providing educational support and healthcare workshops, including advocating and providing entrepreneurship training for women.
“This is something that we wanted for a very long time because we know students learn well through play. But we could not do it on our own, so Rachel Barrett-Dolcine, a past student who is the founder of the JVDFF, has seen our need and lobbied other groups to make that dream come through,” Austin-Williams said.
She noted that the entire school and community are enraptured by this foundation for gifting the playground, arguing that while students were locked in at home during the heights of the COVID-19 pandemic, it built up anger that can only be released through the process of play.
“We realise that when they play and interact with each other it brings out some positive changes in them. Therefore, with this playground I know it is going to enhance discipline; it is going to teach them how to share as well,” a beaming Austin-Williams explained.
“We acknowledged that one of the problems our children have is that they don’t know how to share – so giving somebody else a chance to use the playground while playing is an added skill they will develop in learning how to share, giving other people chances, and so today I am grateful,” she added.
Barrett-Dolcine, in an interview with The Gleaner, said her foundation’s investment in a playground is part of her family’s legacy in helping persons who are at risk, affording them the opportunity to achieve their desired goals.
“It was alarming to know that my grandmother, my mother and myself attended this school and to now know that the school was not equipped with a playground,” she said. “Therefore, it was significant for me, as a legacy project, to create a space for the kids to play.
“I am really passionate about children and their learning environment, so one of the projects we talked about very early on was a play space to help them develop their motor skills, and to further support their parents in how their children socialise with each other,” the Joseph and Vera Douglas Family Foundation founder stated.
Paul Irving, programme manager at Lasco Chin Foundation, said enhancing the work of the JVDFF was a no-brainer, as they understand their mission and goals.
“We sponsored aspects of this event, it is not our first ‘running’(partnership) with JVD Foundation. Last Christmas, we assisted them with gift packages as a form of relief coming out of the pandemic. And learning about this playground venture, we took the opportunity to come and do our little part,” Irving explained.
Richardo Monroe, president of the school’s parent-teacher association, described the installation of the playground as a momentous occasion, noting that it is an opportunity that can only redound to be benefit of all students.
“This is an opportunity, right at our fingertips, in which the students can not only have this at their disposal today, but for the next 10 or 15 years, students will continue to benefit from this investment,” Monroe said.