Janelle Hopkin, President and Managing Director of SIBR, said “When we visited the school in December to provide the children with a Christmas treat, we could not help but notice that school itself needed some urgent repair. In discussions with the School’s Principal, we initially looked at providing some fresh coats of paint for the main building, but as we walked around it became evident that we needed to do much more. I am happy to say that we have since painted the floors and walls of the classrooms, the main school building, and tiled and painted the bathrooms and toilet stalls. We will also be installing soap dispensers and a new sign for the front entrance of the school. It was particularly heart-warming to see our resort staff get excited to pitch-in with the painting and tiling. I know that my father, Sir Royston, would have been pleased that the children have something to look forward to for the upcoming term.”
The Grand Anse RC school has been under the patronage of the Sir Royston Hopkin Scholarship fund since 1992, and the fund has since provided more than 230 full tuition scholarships to students to attend secondary school.
Acting Principal, Henva Simeon was appreciative of the fund’s generosity to the school saying, “We at the Blessed Sacrament R.C. School are sincerely thankful to the Sir Royston Hopkin Scholarship Fund and to the team from the Spice Island Beach Resort for once again reaching out to assist us. We are indeed appreciative of the generous donation of materials and labor to ensure our infant classes have an improved aesthetic appeal for the new school term. The teachers are very grateful, and the students will be pleasantly surprised by the new paint job on their return to school. We understand the importance of the physical learning environment on children’s academic growth and development, and we thank you and we appreciate you for your continued support.”
Hopkin added, “My family and the Resort team through the Scholarship Program are looking to continue to expand our assistance to the school and its students and we hope to offer mentorship opportunities in the future. We are happy to do what we can to make a difference in the lives of these young students and, though I know there are many more who also need help, I can only hope our actions will motivate others to join in protecting our nation’s future at other schools and institutions around the island.”
Spice Island Beach Resort