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Tahj Simpson is the Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS) Foundation scholarship recipient for St Elizabeth.

Tahj was one of 31 students who were awarded a five-year scholarship and were officially recognised as JN Foundation scholars at a reception held at the JNBS Half-Way Tree branch on September 13. Thirteen of the awardees were children of JN Group employees.

Some 498 GSAT students, including students in the JN School Savers programme and employees’ children, have benefited from the JNBS Scholarship Programme since its inception 32 years ago.

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20151022/corporate-hands-tahj-simpson-cops-jnbs-scholarship-st-bess

ENCOURAGED by the auspicious inaugural staging of the Jamaica National (JN) Building Society Foundation’s Heroes in Action 5K Run/Walk in Falmouth on Sunday, JN’s General Manager Earl Jarrett is hoping to include cruise and stopover visitors in next year’s staging of the event.

“Hopefully next year we can get the tourism sector involved. I would love to have hotels participate… for visitors to come down to the island to participate in it. A great ambition would be to see if we could have a boat in the (Falmouth) port, a ship in the harbour, and people from the vessel participating. So we have some big objectives and we are going to work on it for next year, and we are going to be right back here in Falmouth,” an enthused Jarrett told the Jamaica Observer West during the presentation ceremony of the event held on the Falmouth Shipping Pier.

“It’s our first year and it exceeded our expectation; We had over 500 people registered. It is a good start and we had the partnership with the Usain Bolt Foundation. We are in the beautiful historic town of Falmouth and I don’t think you can replicate the experience of walking pass some of these historic buildings.”

The event was endorsed by Usain Bolt and the Usain Bolt Foundation.

Bolt, who was also pleased with the maiden effort, pledged his continued support for the event.

“I am always willing to participate in anything to uplift my community and I am looking forward to doing it again next year. It is a great event,” said the phenomenal athlete, a native of Sherwood Content in Trelawny.

His manager, Nugent Walker, was also impressed with the overwhelming support for the event.

“We are happy with the turnout. It’s the first staging and the community seems to be vibrant; everybody came out and enjoyed themselves. It’s for a worthy cause, so we are pleased,” a satisfied Walker noted.

Proceeds from the event will go towards the construction of a media library, sewing room and a general studies classroom at the Granville Child Care facility in Trelawny.

Manager at the institution, Kisha Riley, was very appreciative.

“I am so enthused, I am overwhelmed, I am struck with awe, I am in amazement. I feel so good with the JN Foundation and Usain Bolt Foundation coming out to support Granville Child Care facility in such a way, and the CDA (Child Development Agency) in general,” expressed an overjoyed Riley.

Ryon Chambers won the male category of the event with a run of 17 minutes and 58 seconds. Second place went to Lenford Adams in 18:15, while Ronique Williams finished third in 18:19.

In the female category, first place went to Karlene Blagrove of Pacers Running Club in an easy-looking 22:07 minutes. She was followed by Jozanne Harris in 22:57 minutes, while Jordan Waldschmidt ended in third position in a time of 25:04 minutes.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/westernnews/Successful-staging-of-JN-Foundation-s-5K-Run-Walk-in-Falmouth_19234748

A 24-year-old male, who had no chronic illnesses and was gainfully employed, got involved in a fight and was chopped on the chest and arms then rushed to a hospital in a taxi.

There are many such incidents which occur too often in a Jamaican society stained with blood from more than 1,000 murders per year.

However, in this case, the injured man was fighting with his girlfriend – something he did repeatedly.

During the fracas, according to a case study, a relative of the woman intervened and inflicted the chop wounds.

The case study forms part of the JN Foundation and National Health Fund-sponsored research on the cost of violence-related injuries and road-traffic crashes on the health sector.

Dr Jason Toppin, associate lecturer in anaesthesia and intensive care, who presented the case study, told the story of how the man was rushed to the emergency room bleeding profusely, and how medical personnel immediately carried out blood investigation and administered intravenous fluids. The upper limb of the injured man was subsequently X-rayed.

Speaking yesterday during the Cost of Care and Data Mapping Forum at the Courtleigh Auditorium in New Kingston, Toppin said shortly after he started receiving attention at a hospital, it became obvious that a large artery in his arm was damaged and, in order to save it, he had to be rushed to the operating theatre.

“As a result, two elective surgeries were postponed – meaning two people who had planned to have their elective surgeries done did not have their surgeries done that day and went back home without their surgery.”

The patient lost three litres of blood and spent a lot of time in the operating room while being transfused with three units of blood and plasma.

TURN FOR THE WORSE

Things took a turn for the worse when the man started having difficulty breathing and had to be transferred by an ambulance to another hospital to be treated in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

There he had to undergo a plethora of CT scans of the brain, cervical spine, his chest and abdomen, and required mechanical ventilation to breathe.

A day later, the patient’s arm became swollen and no pulse was felt. It was believed that his arm was in danger and as such, he was rushed to theatre again for another surgery. However, four days later, it was discovered that his arm was infected and in an attempt to save his life, he was taken back to surgery a third time and his arm amputated.

He spent a total of 34 days in ICU, where he received the highest level of care, including the assignment of a designated nurse, IV fluids administered, a lot of expensive machinery monitoring him and to help him breathe.

While in ICU, the patient developed kidney failure, which was transient and required 12 sessions of dialysis before his kidney functions returned. He also had repeated bouts of serious infections requiring IV antibiotics and many transfusions of red blood cells and plasma.

“We did a number of X-rays, chest studies. Most days, he required physiotherapy – at least one session every day – and there were several days he had physiotherapy twice a day,” Toppin explained.

The man was eventually transferred back to the wards.

“Unfortunately, after seven days on the ward, he had a massive bleed from his intestine and died as a result,” Toppin said.

“We spent a little less than $6 million on him in hospital and that’s the most obvious part of the care – the direct cost.”

With the man being 24 years old, the study projected that if he had lived up to 60 years and retired while earning minimum wage – the income lost to his family, that would go to his house, among other things, would be an estimated $10 million.

Toppin argued that the cost of a single injury could result in a potential loss of $16 million.

He reasoned that on the many occasions when the man’s girlfriend got injured by him before the fatal altercation, there would have been an opportunity for intervention.

Professor Trevor McCartney, medical chief of staff at the University Hospital of the West Indies, who was one of the lead investigators in the project, said the findings of the study would be a point of reference for stakeholders to establish preventive programmes geared to reducing violence- and motor vehicle-related injuries, as well as to eliminate the constraints faced by hospital services as a result of these incidents.

http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/article/lead-stories/20151016/violence-and-exorbitant-cost-taxpayers-study-serve-reference

WHEN runners and walkers gather at the Falmouth Pier in Trelawny on Sunday morning to participate in the Jamaica National Building Society (JN) Foundation’s Heroes in Action 5K, they will be supporting an effort to give the girls at the Granville Place of Safety, located at Carrick Foyle in the parish, a fighting chance to receive a balanced educational experience.

The money will be used to assist with the construction of a building which will house a classroom, media library, and sewing room at the place of safety.

Rosalee Gage-Grey, chief executive officer of the Child Development Agency (CDA) says her agency places great emphasis on education for all children who are in State care.

“We recognise that education is the key to the success of our children and, on that basis, annually we make budgetary allocations to provide quality education for them,” she stated.

She also pointed out that presently at Granville there is a two storey building, which houses the dormitory upstairs and other facilities downstairs; therefore, the proposed new building will be a welcome change.

“Once the new facility is built we will be able to use both floors of the current block as dorm space to provide more individualised spaces for the children. Therefore, we will move from an open dormitory style residence to small rooms, which would house four children; and provide some level of independence and privacy,” Gage-Grey said.

She said other things were also being done to make the Granville Place of Safety a state-of-the-art childcare facility in western Jamaica, and that the support from the Heroes in Action 5K will assist with this endeavour.

Saffrey Brown, general manager of the JN Foundation, says the run/walk, which is endorsed by Usain Bolt and the Usain Bolt Foundation, will provide an opportunity for pople to support a beneficial project while experiencing the charm of the historic town of Falmouth.

“The race route traverses the town, including a section by the sea coast, which will give runners and walkers a chance to appreciate the beauty of Falmouth,” she noted.

The run is being organised with technical support from the team at Running Events Limited and will take runners on a five-kilometre path that will include adequate water stops and distance markers.

“We have sought to ensure the comfort and security of all participants in this special event and there will be an ambulance and medical attendants on standby to provide support, if necessary,” she added.

The foundation said that for people who will not be able to run, but would like to make a donation to the project, an account has been established at Jamaica National to facilitate them.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/JN-Foundation-runs-for-Granville-Place-of-Safety_19232865

Two high schools, which are among five additional institutions selected to participate in year two of the JN Foundation’s iLead programme, have set high expectations for what they anticipate to gain from their involvement in the education leadership initiative, being implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.

The high schools, St Thomas Technical in St Thomas and Happy Grove in Portland, anticipate that high quality training provided by the programme will help to build the capacity of the senior teachers and heads of departments.

“We are looking forward to the training,” says Monique Grant Facey, principal of Happy Grove High. “It will mean more work, but we welcome it,” the veteran school leader, who joined the institution as principal less than a year ago, after spending 18 years at Titchfield High, added.

A frank-talking educator, Grant Facey acknowledges that the school has many challenges; however, she is confident they can be addressed with the right support.

“There is room to improve teaching and learning,” she said noting that while teachers are qualified and know the content, their approach can be refined by skills to help them to apply differentiated strategies that cater to students’ various learning styles.

“Our students are performing below the national average in many areas; and, especially in the core subjects, maths and English,” she said, noting that a contributing factor to the problem is the fact that the approaches being used by teachers don’t always meet students’ needs.

“Our senior management, therefore, welcomes the approach of the iLead programme and look forward to moving the school ahead,” she affirmed.

The iLead programme tackles performance in rural schools by working with the leadership to improve standards and systems. It focuses on raising expectations by setting high standards for students and teachers; assisting schools to strengthen academic and administrative management with checks and balances; and, emphasising the use of data to improve accountability. At the same time, emphasis is also placed on improving teaching and learning in maths and English.

The three-year programme, launched in 2014, currently works with ten schools in the parishes of Portland, St Mary and St Thomas, which are considered by the Ministry of Education as in need of immediate support. It began initially with five schools: Robert Lightbourne High in St Thomas; Buff Bay Primary in Portland and Islington High, Brimmer Vale High and Port Maria Primary in St Mary.

And, at the end of the school year Martin Primary, Retreat Primary and Junior High in St Mary; Windsor Castle Primary and Happy Grove in Portland; and, St Thomas Technical, were added.

“The idea of operating an institution driven by data is what we hope to improve on,” said Betty Bryan Webber, principal of St Thomas Technical.

Bryan Webber, who joined the institution in September, indicates that while the school made an impact on some leadership challenges, there are issues which continue to stymie students’ performance. A main challenge is punctuality, given the long distances some students have to travel; in addition, to poor road conditions and unreliable transportation.

“We have students coming from as far away as Penlyne Castle, in the Blue Mountains close to the border of St Andrew. Therefore, that’s a challenge,” she said.

Although the school has made gains, especially in English Language since 2013, its students are performing at just about the national average in maths and English. Of the 240 students in the grade 11 cohort last year, only 125 sat mathematics and 65, or about 52 per cent, passed. One hundred and ninety-five sat English and 119 or 61 per cent passed.

“We are not comfortable with this, as our aim is to have the entire grade 11 cohort write the examination in Math and English,” Bryan Webber said.

Dr Renee Rattray, director of Education Programmes at JN Foundation noted that numeracy and literacy are the core academic focus of the programme, and are deliverables which are supported by the ministry through the deployment of full-time coaches to the schools.

“The implementation involves intensive coaching and support for the principals, middle managers and education officers to improve the quality of teaching and learning, while offering organisational leadership support for school boards,” Dr Rattray disclosed.

She emphasised that the programme offers mainly on-the- job support, which is the most effective approach to professional development.

“Under-performing schools need game-changing leaders who are equipped with the skills, strategies and energy to break the cycle of under-performance and dramatically improve results,” she said. “And, the iLead programme is structured to provide those critical skills.”

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/regional/iLead-programme-continues-to-deliver-in-St-Thomas–Portland-_19227780

IN A celebratory event held at its corporate offices, the Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS) Foundation yesterday awarded 31 scholarships to students who received excellent passes in the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT).

Saffrey Brown, general manager of the JNBS Foundation, said that this year, the foundation took over the administration of the JN scholarship programme, which was previously managed by the corporate communications team at the JNBS.

The scholarships were awarded in three categories – GSAT Parish Scholarships, JN School Savers Scholarship, and the JN Employees’ Children Scholarships.

The 31 scholarships bring the total number of awards being given by the building society to 135.

Guest speaker at the awards ceremony, Mariame McIntosh Robinson, founder of Targeting Educational Achievement in Caribbean High Schools (Teach) Caribbean, congratulated JN for continuing to provide access to education for many Jamaican children.

Sharing her personal experiences, McIntosh Robinson explained that she started Teach Caribbean because of a dream to see every Jamaican child having equal access to quality education. Teach Caribbean is an educational non-governmental organisation which engages Rhodes scholars from all over the world to run summer boot camps in English and mathematics for students across Jamaica.

“The ride has just begun and it will only get better … as long as you continue to apply yourself and prioritise your education, you are off to a wonderful start …,” McIntosh Robinson told the scholarship recipients.

She implored the awardees to make the most of their high-school experience and called for more persons and entities to contribute to education.

“While I believe education is a public good, it is imperative for the private sector and us as citizens to do our part in ensuring that we eliminate the under-education of our Jamaican children … and I want to pause and give thanks for the work that JN has been doing in this space. I know this requires both vision and commitment from senior management and then an excellent team to top it off,” she said.

Tajh Simpson, a first-form student who was awarded a place a Munro College, was overjoyed on learning he was awarded a JN scholarship.

“Getting a scholarship means a lot to me because I really worked hard for it and I know that it will encourage me to maintain my grades,” he said.

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/lead-stories/20150914/jamaica-national-foundation-awards-31-scholarships

General Manager of the JN Foundation, Saffrey Brown offers words of encouragement to scholarship recipient Aulanni Kidd during yesterday’s staging of the JN Foundation 2015 Scholarship Awards at JNBS, Half-Way-Tree. Kidd, who attends Campion College in St Andrew, was one of 31 scholarship winners from all 14 parishes. The scholarship lasts for five years and recipients must maintain an annual school average of 70 per cent

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/JN-SCHOLAR_19228667

As Jamaicans, our team spirit is second to none. We know how to rally when the time comes. If you have had the pleasure of being in the National Stadium to watch a qualifying match with the Reggae Boyz, you know what I am talking about. It is electrifying. We get on bad in the stands. We even tell the coach how to organise the players. Everybody becomes experts.

I want to challenge us as Team Jamaica to harness that energy and passion to treat with education, as we do other areas that are important to us. Many of us need to get out of the stands and participate!

Education evens the score and levels the playing field. It separates productive nations from those that are unproductive. And, every child is entitled to a good education. It is his or her basic right – and it is our duty to get it right!

I am often accused of being impatient; and that I don’t understand that things take time to change. But, the more I visit schools in Jamaica, the more impatient I become, because I am convinced that students don’t have time! All they have is now.

They can’t wait for more resources to be provided or for Parliament to review, amend or pass the next act, policy or regulation; they can’t wait for the next visit by the education officer or for teachers to get higher wages. They can’t wait for a poorly performing principal or teacher to retire in two years. They don’t have time!

Our annual statistics show us we are nowhere near where we ought to be as a country in the development of our students, who are struggling to simply attain passes in maths and English. Fewer than half, or only 49 per cent, of our students passed maths in the 2014 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate examinations, and more than 40 per cent failed English. Many more did not even have the chance to sit examinations in these basic subjects, but graduated from high school unprepared to transition into the world of work.

In some schools, five out of a cohort of 200 pass maths after five years in high school! And too often the heads of the Maths Department in some schools have never passed the subject themselves. It is as if we are at half-time in a

football game and we now have to make some critical and tactical decisions if we want to get some goals in the back of that net. Only goals win games!

Therefore, we need to redefine and build a clear rationale to educate the people we serve. We need to ask ourselves, “Who are we serving and what are we preparing them for? Sadly, when I go into classrooms, I, too, often see students seated in neat rows being fed the same diet in class after class.

We need an injection of disruptive innovation in our system; and, this requires a Team Jamaica effort, because education is a team sport. There are some great things happening in schools and classrooms across this country, but in too many places, there is a one-size-fits-all approach. How then do we expect to achieve creativity and innovation?

Our education sector faces resource challenges, as there is simply not enough, especially in our rural schools, but I have seen leaders who inspire creativity, manage strategically and, as we say in Jamaica, ‘tun dem han mek fashion’, to support success in the most underserved schools.

Research the world over tells us that the two biggest contributors to the success of schools are the quality of leadership and the quality of teaching and learning.

According to the National Education Inspectorate, after inspecting 85 per cent of schools, leadership is satisfactory in only about 46 per cent of our schools, which really means leadership is merely meeting the minimum standards; while in 40 per cent of our schools, leadership is unsatisfactory, and THREE per cent are in need of critical support.

This is why my organisation, Jamaica National, has partnered with the Ministry of Education to support their efforts to improve the leadership in schools. We did this under the five-year Centres of Excellence Programme, which was created and funded jointly by JNBS and VMBS in six rural high schools across Jamaica, and we continue to do so under the iLead programme, being implemented by the JN Foundation and the Ministry of Education, in schools in the parishes of Portland, St Thomas and St Mary.

The JN Foundation supports the leadership, school boards, education officers, principals, middle leaders and student leaders in these schools to shore up their systems of management and accountability; clearly define their visions and goals; set targets, and, most important, we provide coaching, mentorship and collaboration at all levels.

This is a mere drop in the bucket, but already there are ripples. So far, we have touched the lives of approximately 10,000 students, 700 teachers, and 100 leaders. A school like Green Pond High School, which is in a very volatile community here in Montego Bay, is not the same place today, having gone through our programme. School leaders there have opted to do things differently and are challenging their students and themselves to achieve better results … and THEY HAVE!

We have to remove the labels and eliminate that dangerous single story that says schools which are called ‘non-traditional’ cannot succeed. ALL SCHOOLS MUST BE GOOD SCHOOLS and be staffed with the school leaders who can manage various learning capacities and student challenges, and who can create the environment where value can be added despite the level at which the school receives the student. Now, more than ever in our history, we need a soundly educated workforce to take us in the direction we wish to go as a country.

Our classrooms are like football fields in many ways. There is plenty of talent waiting to be unearthed, and our school leaders are the captains, coaches and technical directors who must tap into students’ potential. Schools must become the centres of innovation in our country if we want an innovative workforce.

We need school leaders who:

*Challenge the status quo.

*Use data to inform what they do; and not simply rely on ‘feelings’.

*Collaborate and work closely with all stakeholders and form meaningful partnerships.

*Take responsibility for every student’s performance.

*Create a culture of success by setting high expectations for all students.

*Develop the environment in which children learn by discovery, and appreciate that mistakes are part of the process of knowledge building.

It’s urgent that we no longer see ourselves as spectators. We have a part to play in creating futures with positive outcomes that will, in the final analysis, benefit all of us.

– Dr Renee Rattray is director, education programmes, JN Foundation. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/focus/20150621/education-team-sport

THERE is a buzz at Papine High School in St Andrew: the school is increasing the number of subjects offered at Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), and it is participating in a range of arts, music and sporting events — all with a view to making the institution a school of choice in the Corporate Area.

Earlier this month, a cohort of 14 students sat CSEC physics, a first for the school. The accomplishment was the culmination of an informal three-year mentorship programme spearheaded by two staff members of the Physics Department at the University of Technology, Jamaica.

One of them, George Ferriera, explained that he was inspired to take on the project when he learned that the school did not offer physics.

“It has been challenging at times for me and my colleague, Hector Simpson,” he said. “However, the students were very interested, and the principal most supportive; therefore, we tried to stick with it.”

Formerly a secondary school, Papine High has been steadily forging its way into uncharted waters and has been including traditional subjects in the school’s curriculum.

“We have always performed well in vocational subjects, and now we are also doing better in other subjects, such as biology and mathematics,” explained Principal Leighton Christie.

The school recorded a 39 per cent increase in its CSEC maths results in 2014.

Educators and students also hope to celebrate another first next month, when the school’s drama club will compete against 14 other high schools across the country in the inaugural JN Shakespeare Schools’ Championship.

The cast of 15 students has been faithfully rehearsing excerpts from Shakespeare’s acclaimed play Hamlet, from which they will present a 30-minute drama adapted to the Jamaican context.

Sponsor Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS) will provide funds for an all-expense paid two-week visit to the United Kingdom for the winning school to participate in the Shakespeare Festival, in Stratford-upon-Avon.

The competition, the brainchild of Jamaican UK resident Dr Tony Sewell, is supported by a team of drama mentors, led by Dr Brian Heap of the Phillip Sherlock Centre, at The University of the West Indies.

Dr Sewell noted: “Most of our students read plays, but never have the opportunity to see them performed; and, in the case of Shakespeare, his plays were meant to be performed to fully appreciate the nuances of the dramatic action.”

“To be the first winner of the competition would be great,” said Melissa Gibson, head of the drama club, who is preparing the Papine High School students for the competition.

“My students are a bit nervous, but they are enthusiastic, and we will show that they have talent, which can emerge to represent Jamaica,” she added.

Principal Christie has also been celebrating his students’ successes in other areas. “We placed first in the School’s Gospel Choir competition this year; and our students have been called on to participate in teams representing Jamaica in cricket, hockey, and squash, as well as track and field,” he outlined with pride.

He is confident that Papine High will continue to excel in many areas, as the teachers are committed to ensuring that students perform well.

“My staff members display keen interest in student welfare and development, and are prepared to go the extra mile. They even provide free extra classes on the weekends and during mid-term,” he explained.

Plans are on-stream to venture into new territories, such as a breakfast programme to start in September, which will be partially funded by proceeds from a recycling project, in which students assist in redeeming plastic bottles for cash.

The project will augment the existing school-feeding programme, which relies heavily on the chicken-rearing and vegetable farming undertaken by students who study agricultural science.

These, according to Christie, are critical elements since some students sometimes arrive at school without having had a meal.

“Like other educational institutions, we do not have enough resources, therefore, we need to be creative and use what we have well,” he maintained, noting further: “My objective is to send increasing numbers of students on to pursue tertiary education and make Papine High one of the schools of choice in the Corporate Area.”

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/magazines/career/Papine-High-School-celebrates–firsts-_19152773