St Richard’s Primary teachers crowned on their special day

Teacher’s Day at St Richard’s Primary School took on a regal tone yesterday, with educators adorned in crowns, tiaras and sashes as the St Andrew-based school celebrated its heroes and heroines.

The festivities were arranged by the school’s parent-teacher association (PTA), and teachers’ representative on the body, Leona Jones, described the day as a “wonderful experience.”

“The theme speaks to us as educators because without teachers, as you may well know, teachers are the foundation for everything. And the theme ‘King and Queen in Education’ and the plan that went into today's activity, it was thoughtful. Some of the things that they put together, the kings in their crown, the queens in their tiaras and their sashes, so it was an awesome day and you can see that they appreciate us.”

But it was not just symbolism that was used to celebrate the teachers, who paraded to cheers from the student body.

“The things that were done from the interview coming straight in, presenting us with gift certificates and the children were there to celebrate us as well. So, it was a thoughtful day, the PTA really put their plans into action and you can see that they had the teachers in mind when this was being done. And it was one of those kissy days,” she said with a laugh as she spoke with The Gleaner.

Jones, who has been teaching for 31 years, the last seven at St Richard’s, operates in a space that has seen scores of teachers leaving for proverbial greener pastures.

“For you to be in teaching, all right, for me, you have to have a passion for what you're doing. And what I always say, what you want for your child, want it for someone else's child as well. So these children, the children that are placed in my care, it's one of my own. And wanting your child to learn and excel in whatever they do, just think of your child in front of you each day. So you really have to have a passion. Sometimes it's not the money figure that really keeps most teachers in, you know. It's a love for what you do and a love for nation-building,” Jones said.

Despite those lofty ideals, however, Jones lamented the obstacles in the educational system.

“We have many challenges as you know in our education sector, but I think across the board, especially in the public schools, our class sizes are too big and we need a lot more resources, because we're open to different types of children. Children from different backgrounds with different needs and so on. And when we're talking about resources, we're not only talking about human resources. We're talking about materials to help find every need and all of those things. So if we're to meet every need of each child, the needs of each child, we have to have the resources to help them, both material and human. Because imagine yourself in that big class, a big class of 30, and you're the only person in that room for the day and you have different backgrounds, children at different levels, and you're trying to reach everyone,” the grade-one teacher told The Gleaner.

Meanwhile, PTA President Althea Barrett, who has served in the role since 2022, told The Gleaner that the body plans the event a year in advance to ensure teachers know they are valued.

“I believe that each and every teacher that comes into St Richard’s Primary School plays a valid role. And I believe sometimes parents can be harsh at them, so they have a big role to play. I mean, they've been dealing with lots of backlash and all of that, but at the end of the day, each child that goes into these teachers' classroom, they are loved, they are the second parent for the children. And hence, when I see all of this and the love pouring in and all of this, I said they need to be acknowledged. I really appreciated doing this for them to prove to them that you do have parents that care about them, want to put them on the highest level that we can.”

The PTA also donated $1 million to the school on Wednesday and Barrett, who has a child in grade five after her eldest graduated last year, explained the importance of the gift.

“When we took over, we realised that there was a lot of things that needed to be improved. And I remember I was in class 104 with my son and I realised the roof was leaking like, wow. And I said, ‘Nobody attends to this?’ and they said they don't know, they reported it and all of that. So I said, ‘Okay.’ So what we did last year, we had a superhero-themed lapathon and we didn't make as much as we should because our aim was $2.5 million and we got $1.9 million. And we said, ‘All right, let's wait until this year now’.”

That wait proved vital as the PTA was able to fulfil its ambition after another fundraiser this year.

“And we waited and we did our target $2.5 million, we did $2.9 milion and we're still counting because parents (are) still bringing in money. So what we did was take $500,000 from last year's annual lapathon and $500,000 from this year’s lapathon and donated to the school for the roof,” Barrett told The Gleaner.

karen.madden@gleanerjm.com

Captions:

Ian Allen/Photographer 

1. Guidance counsellor Yashenne Jamieson and physical education teacher Byron McLeod, both of St Richards Primary School in the Corporate Area, had the support of their students after they were crowned education King and Queen for 2026 during the St. Richard’s Primary School Parent-Teacher Association Teacher’s Day 2026 ‘Royalty in Education’.

2. Althea Barrett (left), president of the St Richard’s Primary School Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), presents a certificate of appreciation to Davito Vernon (right), teacher at the school, during a Teacher's Day celebration held by the PTA at the school yesterday. 

(C) Members of the St Richard’s Primary School Parent-Teacher Association present a cheque for $1 million to the school to help with repairs to the institutions roof after a section was damaged during the passage of Hurricane Melissa on October 28, 2025.