Kingstown Anglican School opens mid-week but is prepared for new school year

ON WEDNESDAY, September 4, the Kingstown Anglican School reopened its gates to scores of new and returning students after the long Summer vacation. The re-opening was two days later than the given date for the first batch of schools to start the new term under a phased reopening to cater for schools affected by Hurricane Beryl or unprepared for the initial Monday, September 2 start date.

“Professional Development week is the second to last week of the holiday, so we were here, and then the following week, teachers came in to organise the class. Persons were even here the Saturday before school opened, so we didn’t have many hiccups,” Janice Ross-Lee, Grade 6 teacher and a member of Senior Management, explained.

Head Teacher, Keslon Wilson, said their first day of the new school year was a success despite a busy start, and most students were eager to return to the classrooms.

“Our teachers were able to get the children settled so quickly, and that tells me that the children themselves settled very easily. “Yesterday was a very successful day, barring all the different things you’re hearing about school reopening.We are very pleased,” Wilson told SEARCHLIGHT.

He acknowledged that the Ministry of Education (MOE), has had its hands full since the passing of Hurricane Beryl, relocating students from the southern Grenadines to the mainland.

“The ministry is the one that decides when we open, operating in the best interest of the children, the teachers and the country as a whole.”

Wilson noted that, unlike other schools, the Kingstown Anglican had to undergo minor repairs, and it took one to one and a half weeks to prepare the school for the new school year.

He also commended the Roads Buildings and General Services Authority (BRAGSA), and the Kingstown Town Board for helping to get the school ready for this week, noting that he is aware of the number of schools that sustained damage.Wilson explained that these two entities “… worked tirelessly to get the school ready”.

To combat the spread of dengue fever, the Ministry of Health partnered with the Ministry of Education agreeing on guidelines to minimise the spread of the viral disease among students.

The Head Teacher said that the MOE advised the schools to allow the students to wear long pants and long-sleeve light shirts. “The girls can choose to wear their uniform and long tights, but it is also based on the school.”

He mentioned that some schools have given specific guidelines for what the students could wear.

The students at the Kingstown Anglican School are allowed to wear either what the MOE recommends, or their uniform, as long as they have an insect repellent that they can use. Wilson said this was decided after complaints from parents who had already purchased school uniforms, and some could not afford to purchase another set of clothes.

Wilson added that it is not easy to determine if a school has a mosquito problem as some are almost invisible; however he noted that, “…it is the country that has a mosquito problem, so if the country has a mosquito problem, then it stands to reason that the school would have a problem.”

He said “To date, there is no record of any child having dengue, and we haven’t had any complaints about anyone catching dengue”.

The Kingstown Preparatory School and the CW Prescod Primary School, both in the capital, also started the new school year on Wednesday.