Saint Catherine Academy Closing Off, Preparing for New School Year

Saint Catherine Academy in Belize City has notified its parents that they are closing off the school year on Friday, May twenty-ninth. This will allow for the school to continue with its CSEC preparation for its fourth form students, but also to allow the institution to develop its strategy going into the new school year and to put in place sanitation booths across the campus. Earlier today, News Five spoke with Principal Salome Tillett about the plans to be out in place whenever the new school year reopens.

Salome Tillett

Salome Tillett, Principal, St. Catherine Academy

“We are good law abiding citizens so we will take our cue from the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health. We will work within the parameters and actually there is a meeting soon to discuss with all the stakeholders to discuss how we will do that. But on our part, we know that there are some things we have to do. We have to add more hand washing stations around campus so we will do that. We’ve been thinking about how we will manage food. You know the café is where a lot of the kids meet for food; how we will do the food distribution. Students come to school to socialise, to be with their friends and we are saying, “No, no, no. Yo can’t hug yo friend, yo can’t be in proximity.” So some of it is also looking at the challenges that will come along with that. We are looking at models that are out there, countries that have opened their schools already. And all of it will be incorporated. But whatever happens, I would like to assure the parents that just as their daughters have been resilient during this time of sudden closure, we will build on that. We will make it work; their daughters will not be at a disadvantage. If it is online, we will get to every students; if it is any other formula, we will ensure that our students are where their supposed to be and we will put in the work that’s necessary to do that.”