Retired principal honoured

Barrington Flemming, Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

Former principal of the Farm Primary and Junior High School in Montego Bay, Ida Rhoden, was last Thursday honoured for giving 39 years of service to education at an appreciation ceremony held at the Calvary Baptist Church.

Rhoden, hailed as a stalwart, who advanced numeracy and literacy among the nation's children, received numerous awards and tributes for her work.

"You built a solid foundation in education, where you worked tirelessly in advancing the cause of numeracy and literacy. A woman of indomitable spirit, strength of character and a dogged determination to succeed, Mrs Rhoden, today, we celebrate your worth and work and heap encomiums on your head," said former principal of the school, Samuel Reid, in his tribute.

Vice-principal of the Farm Primary and Junior High School, Pauline Reid, read the citation and presented it to Rhoden.

Unwavering commitment to learn

The citation chronicled aspects of her career as an educator, her active involvement in her community and church and spoke of her unwavering commitment to ensure that children learn.

Jamaica Teachers' Association's Western Regional Officer Evelyn Tugwell also paid tribute to Rhoden on behalf of her association.

"You are a stalwart of the profession, giving service with commitment and love, and now your name has been indelibly etched into the annals of the Farm Primary and Junior High school as one who dedicated nearly four decades to educating the nation's children," Tugwell said.

Keynote speaker and pastor of the Calvary Baptist Church Reverend Everton Jackson, while, praising Rhoden for her yeoman service, says Jamaica today is a country that is lamenting a crisis of values and attitudes.

"I am sure that you, today, are recalling the institutions which have redounded to your own nurturing. So, today, while we embrace this nostalgic look at the past, we are lamenting the creation of a new generation that seeks to have 'I, me, and myself' at the forefront," Jackson said. "It is a generation that seems to thrive on crudeness, vulgarity, and violence, and the question is 'when did we change?' It did not happen overnight."

Reverend Jackson said, as a boy, there was an emphasis on values and attitudes, where social responsibility was a hallmark of community life and people cared for each other.

"It was a time of good manners, a sense of community where people genuinely cared about each other and shared. There was importance on church attendance and Sunday School attendance. Children had to attend church and Sunday School, and we saw where conduct was civil," said Jackson.