New classrooms inaugurated in Crooked Tree
If viewers are a bit confused about all the international military activity going on in Belize, don’t worry, sometimes so are we. While Tradewinds 2007 winds down, another type of exercise, this one a humanitarian effort involving the B.D.F. and U.S. military, is also putting on some finishing touches. News Five’s Kendra Griffith has the update on New Horizons.
Kendra Griffith, Reporting
This morning the staff and students of Crooked Tree Government School were officially handed a new school building, a cafeteria and a basketball court.
Verla Jex is the school’s principal.
Verla Jex, Principal, Crooked Tree Govt. School
“The school’s motto reads, striving for success. Being the recipient of this new school building will surely helps us to make strides in that direction and the addition of our new basketball will contribute to the physical and social growth of our students. We will now be able to strive for success not only in education, but in upcoming basketball competitions.”
The facilities are courtesy of the New Horizons project. Since March, U.S. and Belizean soldiers have been conducting medical and dental clinics across the country and also built classrooms in Carmelita, Hattieville, and Trial Farm.
Brigadier General Jose Mayorga, Deputy Commander, U.S. Army South
“In the last three months, we have not only constructed four two-room schools, but also provided much needed medical assistance. As of today, more than four thousand patients and fourteen hundred domestic and farm animals have been cared for.”
Brigadier General Jose Mayorga is the Deputy Commander for Support of U.S. Army South, which spearheads the annual initiative.
Brigadier General Jose Mayorga
“This school cost almost a hundred thousand dollars, but the smile on the principal, the smile on the teachers, and the smile on the most valuable asset, the children that are going to be attending the school, that’s priceless, you can’t put a price on that.”
And the smiles were evident on the faces of the students as they made use of their new court.
Nicole Wade, Std. 4 Student
“I feel great!”
Tremett Swasey, Std. 5 Student
“I feel good because now we can play basketball and we got a place to go when we are hungry.”
But construction and clinics are not the main focus of New Horizons. According to Brigadier General Mayorga, collaboration is key.
Brigadier General Jose Mayorga
“What we try to do through these various exercises is too build partnerships and cooperation to keep the region stable because it is one of the most stable regions in the world and we want to maintain it that way. So that’s why we try to do these things in cooperative effort and develop their citizens and provide schools for them, build clinics for them so they can educate themselves and maintain themselves healthy because we know that an educated and healthy population only serves not only your country but the whole region as a whole.”
Brigadier General Lloyd Gillett, Commander, Belize Defence Force
“This school building will give these children an opportunity to be productive citizens of Belize and the world. We are looking forward for them to become the future leaders, the future scientists and the future teachers of Belize.”
Verla Jex
“We are going to take the building, we are going to make much use of it, we are going to take care of it.”
The classrooms will house preschoolers and infant one students. Kendra Griffith reporting for News Five.
PACT and the Ministry of Education provided funds for the cafeteria, while the soldiers contributed the labour. For their efforts, this afternoon the faculty treated the military men to lunch.
