Effortville Primary Stages Jamaica Day

Effortville Primary School, in Clarendon, hosted its Jamaica Day celebration on May 27, with the objective of teaching students the ideals of citizenship and the history of the country.
“Jamaica Day to us, is creating a sense of citizenship, having the children know something of their past, of their history, because on display we have many heritage items from way back and also we have projects that the students did. It’s a day of enlightening the students,” Principal of the school, Deloris Smith, told JIS News.
Community member, Donovan Wright, said Jamaica Day was significant as the students could learn about Jamaica’s rich cultural heritage and develop an appreciation for it.
He pointed out that the celebration helped to create linkages in the Effortville community, as it serves as a platform for the exchange and acquisition of knowledge.
“Jamaica Day links the community members, the students and corporate society to come together and share knowledge. It is very important for the young persons to visit the booths to see things that are indigenous to early Jamaicans, so they can see where we are coming from to where we are now,” Mr. Wright said.
Meanwhile, Public Relations Officer for the school, Mary Ann Williams, said the school is a relatively ‘young’ institution, but has been holding its own in the community, through the successful hosting of its second Jamaica Day celebration as well as through its academic achievements.
“Effortville Primary is a very young school, we are only 39 years old. We are at 69 per cent literacy, and we are aiming for 100 per cent. We have some very hard working teachers and parents in the community who are working hard with the students to achieve this, and hopefully next year or the year after we will be at 100 per cent literacy,” she said.
The school has 390 students on roll, and a 15-member academic staff.