Marlie Mount Primary and Infant brings hope to hurricane-hit schools in Elizabeth

Principal Calvin Harris, speaking about the initiative, explained that the effort went beyond the usual post-hurricane relief.

“This was unique. Instead of the regular care packages being issued since the hurricane, the students received early, personalized Christmas gifts. The staff got gifts as well, and parents received packages too,” said Harris.

The outreach took place on Friday of last week and targeted Pedro Plains Primary and Infant School — located near Treasure Beach — and Barbary Hall Primary and Infant School, both on the outskirts of Black River.

While the outreach was initially planned for one school, the overwhelming response from parents and teachers resulted in a surplus of supplies by midweek, making it possible to extend the support to a second school.

Rather than focusing solely on standard care items, the Old Harbour-based primary institution chose to add a Christmas touch. Each child received a personalized gift package housed in a plastic container. These packages were carefully prepared according to age group and gender, ensuring that the contents were appropriate and meaningful.

In total, 147 gift packages were prepared for students at Pedro Plains Primary and Infant, while 87 packages were arranged for students at Barbary Hall Primary.

Each container included books, pencils, stationery, and age-appropriate toys. Younger students in Grades 1-3 received different items from those in Grades 4-6, with boys’ and girls’ packages thoughtfully customized.

Principal Harris emphasized that the success of the initiative was largely due to the extraordinary response from parents and teachers.

Parents donated brand-new clothes, shoes, stationery, toys, and even financial contributions. Teachers went a step further by covering the cost of purchasing plastic containers for every child — an expense estimated at nearly $100,000.

“Parents really put out every stop to ensure that this initiative was extremely successful,” Harris said. “I must say that the support was tremendous. Even parents who initially felt they had nothing to give found ways to contribute.”

The scale of donations was so significant that surplus items allowed organizers to expand the initiative to a second school, its administrators and parents. 

Additional contributions included:

• Over 100 care packages for parents
• Gifts for teachers, caregivers, support staff, watchmen, and principals
• Two large barrels of clothes and shoes
• Bags of rice and cornmeal for each school
• More than 25 cases of bottled water

The principal stated that the estimated value of the overall donations is believed to be close to one million dollars, based on the volume and quality of items received.

While Pedro Plains Primary and Infant remained structurally intact after the hurricane, Barbary Hall Primary was severely impacted, losing its roof entirely and remaining without electricity. Classes there were suspended, and students were dismissed early due to unsafe conditions.

Despite these challenges, arrangements were made to ensure that all gifts and supplies reached the school for distribution by its principal and staff.

The initiative also benefited from critical logistical support. Assistant Commissioner of Police Howard Chambers, through the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Special Operations Branch, assisted with liaison efforts, repairs, and security. His team conducted painting and roof replacement work at Pedro Plains Primary and provided a police escort for the convoy transporting the donations.

Teachers, administrators, parents, students, and volunteers all participated, with many fathers arriving as early as 5:30 a.m. on the day of departure to help load trucks before heading to work.

For Principal Harris, the true reward was not the monetary value of the donations, but the emotional impact.

“I wouldn’t trade a million dollars for seeing the faces of those children, the parents were very excited as some didn’t know how they would provide gifts for their children this year” he tells Old Harbour News.

Due to the influx of last-minute donations, fitting days have been scheduled to ensure these additional items are properly sized, fairly distributed, and fully utilized by students and families. Classes at the organizing school continued remotely on the day of the outreach, with live updates shared so students could witness the impact of their collective efforts.

The initiative stands as a powerful example of what can be achieved when schools, parents, teachers, and community partners unite — not just to respond to disaster, but to restore dignity, joy, and hope to families in need.