After struggling for months in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, students and staff of the Mayfield Primary and Infant School in the sleepy farming community of Southfield in St Elizabeth ended the school term in high spirits courtesy of Access Financial Services (AFS).
Led by the company’s Junction Branch, the microfinance company feted the school community with a well-received holiday treat on December 17.
The school, which has just over 300 students enrolled, had a less than seamless start to the academic year in September after Hurricane Beryl did extensive roof damage and tore down the entire perimeter fencing on July 3. Though repairs were prioritised by the Ministry of Education and Youth, school administrators had to make adjustments to ensure there was no delay in the start of the school year.
School principal Loren Newbold-Gayle admits that it was challenging.
“We migrated to one section of the property while the roof was being repaired, so school started on time. Once the work was completed in October, the students moved to their respective classes,” said Newbold-Gayle.
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“We just got the fence back up, but internet access is still down. Even now our landlines are still not working. It has indeed been a challenging first term of the year. So, when Access reached out and said they wanted to come and do something for the children, I was glad.”
The school’s football field was transformed into a fun-filled playground, featuring the always-appreciated bouncy house, rock climbing wall and other engaging activities for the students. The Christmas treat also included fun-day staples such as popcorn, cotton candy, hot dogs and snow cones.
Noting that the school has benefited from two outreach projects executed by the company since 2022, Newbold-Gayle says she’s grateful for the ongoing interest in the school.
“Access did painting and a full spruce up as a Labour Day project two years ago, then followed up last year by granting our request for some concrete benches, which is where the students now wait for pick-up in the afternoons,” Newbold-Gayle shared.
“We have another project, a dedicated reading space, that we want to tackle in the coming year. While the Access team is here, we’re using the opportunity to discuss how we can work together to make it happen.”
The principal praised the AFS team, led by regional sales manager Nordia Dennie, who is also an active parent at the school.
“Miss Dennie has been very instrumental in helping to mobilise parents to get involved in school projects. We are so grateful to her and the full Access team for the support they have been giving to our school. We have seen the value of that support, and we hope that once we can get this new reading space off the ground, we will see even greater gains where literacy is concerned,” she asserted.
With a strong customer base in St Elizabeth, AFS marketing and communications manager Nicholas Mundell says the microfinance entity is always looking for opportunities to give back in the parish.
“We recognise the importance of being in the community, and making a contribution, especially in those areas where the people support our business as strongly as they do in this region. We believe in supporting our own, and we’re happy to do our part to help the principal and teachers at Mayfield Primary in whatever way that we can,” said Mundell.
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