Seaview Gardens Primary Celebrates Career Day

Smartly dressed in uniforms depicting their future professions, students of the Seaview Gardens Primary School were filled with excitement as they participated in the institution’s ‘Career Day’ on May 28.

They came as soldiers, nurses, policemen, chefs, pilots, doctors and attorneys to the event that was being held under the theme: ‘Dream, Reach and Succeed’.

Minister of Youth and Culture, Hon. Lisa Hanna, who was guest speaker, told the students that despite their background, they can achieve success if they work hard.

She cited the example of Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller, who “started (out) as a very humble girl in the hills of St. Catherine… but she dreamt, she reached for the stars and she worked hard.”

“I want you all to dream, reach, work for success so that Seaview Gardens Primary can actually have a Prime Minister coming from this school,” she said.

Commenting on the traditional career uniforms of the students, the Minister reminded them that there are many more career options available. She pointed out that they can also pursue careers in the fields of technology, medicine and agriculture.

The Youth and Culture Minister congratulated the teachers and principal for staging the event and for giving the students an understanding of what they have to do to achieve their future careers.

In the meantime, Principal, Elaine Jones, told JIS NEWs, that she is encouraged by the level of involvement of the parents, many of whom are not working but “go all out to help these students.”

Mrs. Jones informed that some 300 to 400 parents usually turn up at the Parent Teachers Association (PTA) meetings, which shows the level of interest that they have in the success of their children.

At the helm of the school since its inception in May, 1994, the Principal said the institution “has grown from strength to strength.” She however, expressed a desire to see more scholarships granted to students of the institution, given that it is located in a low income area.

“We have been getting scholarships from different companies like J Wray and Nephew and Goodyear and different places, but we would love (to have) some more scholarships and we want these students to excel more so that we can not only pinpoint to say ‘I see two or three (good performing) students’, but (see more success stories) coming from the community and the school,” she said.

She further informed that while the school receives help from the Government in terms of subventions, and in the feeding and text book programmes, it has to play its part in sustaining itself.

“We cannot leave everything on the Government. We have to play our part. The parents have to play their part. (As a matter of fact) parents, the community, the PTA body all pool together to help the school,” she said.

Contact: Alecia Smith-Edwards