Parents and Teachers Give Half-Way – Tree Primary New Look

Parents and Teachers of the Half-Way-Tree Primary School in Kingston turned out in their numbers yesterday (May 23), to participate in the Labour Day clean-up activities at the institution.
Catherine Malcolm, Principal of the school, told JIS News that she was “quite happy to be getting some of the work done. Today we have quite a few projects going on at different areas, and I am quite happy that the work is being done.”
She informed that one of the major projects being undertaken was the refurbishing of the playing field at the school.
“For sometime we have not been able to use the field, so our athletics programme has suffered. Today we are working on the field to spread some top soil, so we can get the grass planted, and we can get our field back on track, so the children can start doing their physical education and practising for other sports,” said Miss Malcolm.
Other activities undertaken included the painting of the school building, painting of the stairs and beautification of the garden area.
Minister of National Security and Member of Parliament for the area, Dr. Peter Phillips, who participated in the clean-up activities, said Half-Way-Tree Primary School was one of the “more important aspects of the heritage of Jamaica and of this constituency (St. Andrew East Central).” “I think we all understand that if we are going to protect the heritage for the future, then our children are essentially the heritage and anything that we can do to make life better and easier to facilitate the quality of the educational experience, is something worthwhile doing,” said Dr. Phillips.
Tamara Brown, a participant in the Labour Day activities at the school said she was pleased to be associated with the cleaning-up of the school’s environment.
“I am supporting my son who is in grade two and I want to support the school in any way that I can. They have a project here and it is only fair that I come and do my part,” Miss Brown told JIS News.National Labour Day is being held under the theme: ‘Honouring Our Ancestors… Strengthening Communities’.