BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE work of veteran educators Clarice Cotton and Annette Johnson-Thomas will live on in the area of special education after Monday’s (May 31) renaming of the Special Education Unit, now called the Cotton-Thomas Comprehensive School.
Though the facility, constructed in 1998, holds a short history of special education in the nation, the service of Cotton and Johnson-Thomas stretches almost three decades back to the early development of special education.
Clarice Cotton is a name synonymous to special education and by extension Special Olympics. She is backed by over 20 years in special education and is certified in Educational Psychology. She began her teaching career in 1972 and worked at almost every level in the education system. She became the first head of the Special Education Unit in 1989 and served until 2005 when she was appointed as Education Officer with responsibility for Special Education.
Johnson-Thomas, deceased, had a similarly remarkable life of service, particularly in the area of special education. She began her teaching career at the Lodge Primary School in 1979 before teaching at Saddlers and Tabernacle Primary Schools. She then joined the staff of the Special Education Unit in 1984 and worked there until she passed in 2006. She made an indelible mark on the development of special education in the Federation and was trained in the areas of addiction studies, special education and family life education.
The brief renaming ceremony was attended by education officials, staff and students of the school, as well as relatives and friends of the two awardees. Minister of Education Hon. Nigel Carty described the event as a new chapter in special education in the Federation, noting that the name change is twofold in purpose in that it honours two education stalwarts and positions the institution in line with the government’s education development plan.
“Today’s renaming ceremony is an indication of how seriously we take the name of institutions such as this one and how keenly interested we are in honouring those who have blazed the trail and who have made significant contributions to the development of education,” Carty said.
The Minister outlined plans to offer academic support not only to students with physical disabilities, but also to those with basic literacy and numeracy challenges or behavioural issues. It is the government’s intention to rehabilitate such students in preparation of being reintegrated into the mainstream when possible.
“We want to name it a comprehensive school because that is the nature of the challenge we face. We must bring children of all backgrounds, with all kinds of disabilities into an institution where they can upgrade their skills, get the fundamentals and reintegrate them if possible. And for those who may need to exist for a long time in education here...we want them to have a place where they can feel proud,” Carty added.
The name change was suggested to the ministry in 2006 by a member of the community and by 2008, the recommendation had the full support of the parents, staff and students of the institution.
The process of renaming has evolved much over the years according to Permanent Secretary Osmond Petty, and it is hoped that more renaming of buildings and institutions will be done in honour of awardees that are still alive.
