Leila-May Jumpp - Educator extraordinaire
Published:Saturday | August 4, 2012 | 12:00 AM
Gareth Davis, Gleaner Writer
BUFF BAY, Portland:
LEILA-MAY Jumpp, former principal of Bradford Preparatory School in Buff Bay, Portland, has, for more than 40 years, shaped the lives of children of that institution.
Jumpp, who grew up in the Silver Hill community in Buff Bay, left Jamaica in the 1960s, shortly after the country's Independence, to study in the United States of America, where she majored in the field of education.
"I returned home in 1971, but before that, I attended Avocot Primary in the parish, and by 1960, or there about, I started teaching at Bradford Preparatory, which was located elsewhere. I left Jamaica in 1961, studied overseas, and I would later return in 1971."
Upon her arrival back home, Jumpp was appointed principal of Bradford Preparatory, and with the full backing of family members, friends, and community residents, spent the next 40 years shaping the lives of hundreds of students, some of whom have gone on to become doctors, lawyers, teachers, politicians, and bankers.
Her leadership qualities stood out over the years. Even today, Jumpp remains adamant that phonics should be taught in schools at a tender age so as to help with children's development in identifying letter sounds, syllables, word formation, and reading.
The school was relocated in 1986, adjacent to the old Buff Bay Courthouse, where the success continued, and in 2011, following the conclusion of the Grade Six Achievement Tests, 16 students obtained passes averaging 86 per cent.
Remarkable achievements
But while her remarkable achievements have not gone unnoticed, Jumpp, who was on a mission to ensure that every student at her school would be able to read fluently, suffered a major setback last year when she suffered a stroke, which severely impaired her ability to move around.
And while she was forced into retirement following the stroke in September 2011, the 75-year-old retired principal, who is also a member of the Buff Bay Baptist Church, is saddened at times by the memories of those who played an integral part in her successful career.
The former principal also said: "All my friends, colleagues, and other persons, who assisted greatly with the success that I have had at Bradford Preparatory and even before, have passed on. God has shaped my life, and despite the stroke, I am at peace."