Belmopan Comprehensive School develops library
The story of overcrowded schools is nothing new, but one major secondary institution in Belmopan has decided that, even while waiting for construction of new classrooms, there are still ways to improve the existing situation. News 5’s Janelle Chanona reports from her alma mater.
Barrette Belisle, Principal, Bmp. Comprehensive School
“It wasn’t conducive to studying and we very seldom had students coming in to do any type of research work, homework et cetera.”
Janelle Chanona
It was that attitude that motivated Barrette Belisle, Principal of the Belmopan Comprehensive School, to renovate the institution’s library. Through the Janus foundation, the school acquired over eleven thousand dollars for video equipment, desks, bookshelves and a full-time librarian.
Barrette Belisle
“Students come in voluntarily to do research work, to do homework, to talk to the librarian. Or when the counsellor used to be in here, this is where we’d have our counselling sessions. So it is being used quite a lot.”
“We’ve opened up a book drive because we did get some bookshelves as well, so we have opened up a book drive for magazines, publications, just literature books et cetera from the public and we’re hoping to get some to fill our shelves.”
Selwyn King, Janus Foundation
“It’s a good project whereby we would like to see the development of our young people. Janus sincerely and strongly adheres to the conviction that building a young nation starts with the building of young minds.”
According to Janus representative Selwyn King, every year the foundation helps four community projects in Belize find the money they need.
Selwyn King
“We receive a lot of requests from people in terms of donation. We are not a funding agency where we can just give money hands out, so basically what we do is encourage them to submit projects with community development articulation and we would then forward and support those projects to the German embassy in Jamaica.”
But back in Belmopan, as is the case in many schools countrywide, overcrowding has taken its toll on the library.
Janelle Chanona
“Why is this [library] being used as a classroom?”
Barrette Belisle
“Because we don’t have enough classrooms for the student population.”
Janelle Chanona
“How many students you have now?”
Barrette Belisle
“We have total, between the two campuses, about nine hundred and seventy students. So it has grown since your days.”
Eight new classrooms are under construction, but already, officials calculate that they will need an additional eight to accommodate the growing student body. Reporting for News 5, I am Janelle Chanona.
To offset the overcrowding, the students of Belmopan Comprehensive School also use the facilities on their second campus located off Price Centre Road.
