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| Pupils and teachers of the Gingerland Primary School during the Tuesday morning presentation. Standing behind the table from right are Mrs Lornette Manners, Mrs Marion Lescott, Mrs Sandra Thoms, Ms Jamella Hanley, Ms Dawnny Lanns and to the right, squatting is Mr Bill Thoms. Photo Provided |
Charlestown Nevis (March 16, 2004) -- An American kindergarten teacher who five years ago visited the kindergarten unit of the Gingerland Primary School and learnt a skill that she transferred to her own school, has returned to Nevis with gift items from her pupils to those in Gingerland.
At a function held Tuesday morning during school assembly at the Gingerland Primary School, Mrs Sandra Thoms who is a kindergarten teacher at the Glen Urquhart School in Beverly Farms, Massachusetts, USA, presented an assortment of school supplies to the school through the acting Principal Education Officer, Mrs Lornette Manners.
Talking of her earlier visit to Gingerland, Mrs Thoms said: “I always enjoy visiting other schools because I always gain ideas for my own classroom, and what I particularly noticed the last time I visited, was the excellent, excellent handwriting that your kindergarteners have and I thought, with such excellent printing, I should be able to do that with my students as well.”
She explained that when she went back to her school in the USA she worked hard on handwriting with her kindergarteners and with good results. Whereas last time she had come without notice, this time she contacted the school principal, Mrs Marion Lescott, who was very gracious and allowed her to come.
The supplies brought in by Mrs Thoms, who was accompanied by her husband, Mr Bill Thoms, included story books, scissors for use by the young pupils, crayons, special paper for making kites (on mention of that item, the pupils cheered) and blank computer diskettes.
Mrs Lescott explained to her students how the money to buy those items was raised: “In the USA the children are not allowed to bring toys to school, but in their kindergarten they organise one day when all the children are allowed to bring a special toy and they give a donation of one US dollar. That dollar contributed to these supplies.”
Accepting the items, Mrs Lornette Manners said: “On behalf of the Department of Education we say a hearty thank you to you (Mrs Thoms) for your thoughtfulness and your generosity. We always like to have people come and observe what we do here, with the hope that you can learn from us.
“It is not always that we have to learn from others, but we really enjoy when people come and learn from us. I am sure that the school will take very good care of the supplies, and I know that there will be no wastage and we are thrilled.”
Mrs Thoms who said that this time she came to exchange information with the pupils here, said that this winter has been very bitter in Massachusetts and in talking to her pupils she said there are places in the world where it isn’t cold, icy and snowy and they almost didn’t believe her and she thought it would be a good exchange of information with Gingerland Primary School pupils. She posed for a group picture with kindergarten pupils who were clad in their sports outfit.
