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May 23, 2007 Governor tours the campus of ACJHS with PTA Officials
At the invitation of the Parent Teacher Association, Gov. John deJongh Tuesday toured the campus of the Addelita Cancryn Junior High School to see some of the problems areas that have plagued the school for years. DeJongh first met with PTA President Roy Benjamin, Vice-President Rochelle Todman, Treasurer Barbara Issac, Public Relations Officer Christina Jackson and ACJHS Principal Yvonne Pilgrim before touring the campus to get a first-hand look at the problems which range from crowded classrooms to a lack of adequate lighting to the need for equipment and supplies. "I got an opportunity to see the challenges that teachers and students go through everyday. The school must be prioritized for significant work over the summer months, we saw the crumbling pathways, a way undersized cafeteria, in short, a campus not given the attention it deserves," deJongh said Tuesday as he exited the meeting. DeJongh promised school administrators that he will have a serious discussion about the long-term goals for the schools but promised that a short term plan will be developed to create a more conducive learning environment. Cancryn PTA officials outlined a long list of trouble spots that include broken walkways, a crumbling manhole just near the school’s entrance, the lack of a pedestrian exit from the campus, non working light fixtures around the school which stymie night time activities on the campus, the need for additional tables and chairs in the school’s cafeteria and during a discussion on campus safety asked for two school crossing guards to guide the more than 800 students who attend Cancryn across the busy roadways that intersect just outside the campus. Other concerns centered on the need for Physical Education facilities which fall way short of adequate. The school’s tennis court is under-sized, there are no track and field facilities and no baseball playing area despite the presence of a huge open space to the west of the school’s campus. PTA officials asked deJongh to look into bringing Cancryn into some state of modernization as it serves as the school which receives hundreds of students from many elementary schools in the district. The subject of relocating the school’s campus out of an expanding industrial zone was discussed with both the PTA and the governor agreeing that wherever a new school is to be constructed it must include an expanded campus complete with academic buildings, a cafeteria, an auditorium and sports facilities. “Until this relocation becomes a reality, we will ensure that the campus environment for the students, teachers and administrators is improved and becomes a much more enjoyable place to be for so many hours,” deJongh said. DeJongh was accompanied on the campus tour by Government House Chief of Staff Louis Penn, Sr., Policy Advisor Luis Sylvester and members of the Governor’s Communications staff. |
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