Grateful alumni come good for Ulster Spring Primary and Infant School

Western Bureau:

When a group of former Ulster Spring Primary and Infant School students met up at the funeral of their former schoolmate, Dr Paul Robinson, at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Montego Bay, St James, it turned out to be more than a renewal of acquaintances. It also gave birth to the formation of an alumni group.

Now, nine months later, the alumni of the Ulster Spring Primary and Infant School, which is situated in a community of the same name in southern Trelawny, has grown from an ambitious initiative into an extra arm of support for the school, which was reflected in the presentation of a large donation of school supplies, inclusive of reading books, notebooks, stationery, a state-of-the-art printer, among other things, on September 26.

The school’s acting principal, Stephoney Carter, was very pleased with the gifts and, in a show of extreme gratitude, expressed her sincere appreciation to Dr Dawn Lemonius, retired Assistant Commissioner of Police Denver Frater, and retired educator Rhona Campbell, who made the presentation on behalf of the alumni group.

“On behalf of the Ulster Spring Primary and Infant School, it is a pleasure to have you back at school… . It is good to see that persons remember where they are coming from, they remember their journey, and it is good when they can give back, give back to the less fortunate, give back to the community at large,” said Carter. “All these gifts will go a far way. They are all needed, and it will impact many, many lives.”

REWARD SUPPORT WITH EXCELLENCE

In recognition of the fact that the alumni have given a commitment to provide continued support to the school, Carter promised that the school will reward the support with excellence.

“I know you are going to be with us, you have been with us, and you will continue to be with us, so we thank you so very, very much. Dr Dawn (Lemonius) will be a part of us, she will be with us in our festival journey, she has shared her poem, she has shared her book, and your contribution will be seen nationally when we go to Festival competitions.”

In driving to get other past students to buy into the idea of supporting their old school, Lemonius created a group on social media, where meetings were held and strategies mapped out to develop ideas on ways to support the institution.

“I contacted many persons and encouraged them to reach out to their contacts from Ulster Spring. We had our first meeting in March (this year), and it was fun as we tried to recognise each other,” said Lemonius, who had not seen some of the old schoolmates for over 50 years.

“As we reflected on our teachers and our schoolmates, the suggestion was made to make a contribution to the school.”

Thereafter, contact was made with the school’s acting principal, which gave birth to the presentation of the gifts, nine months after the idea of forming the group was conceived at Robinson’s funeral.

“The teachers of Ulster Spring Primary shaped our young minds with care, discipline and encouragement. They believed in our potential even when we could not see it ourselves,” said Lemonius. “Because of their dedication, many of us have gone on to serve in various professions – educators, business owner, healthcare workers, community leaders, security, defence, and beyond.”

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