Gaylois Glennie (left) helps her classmate at the School of Hope in Drapers Portland, Shawn Davis, tie his shoelace. The school was broken into over the weekend and administrators have launched an appeal to the thieves to return the VCR and lap top computer that were stolen. (Photo: Everard Owen)

DRAPERS, Portland -- Administrators of the School of Hope in Portland, which caters to the mentally retarded, have launched an appeal to thieves, who broke into the facility at the weekend, to return the stolen items.

The robbers broke the lock to the building and sawed off the grills for the computer room and sick bay before stealing a VCR and a lap top computer with important files relating to the school's participation in the Special Olympics.

Two students from the School of Hope, Gerald Richie and Randal Rajah, went to the Special Olympics last week to participate in a football competition. The stolen lap top belongs to peace corps volunteer, Erin Wood, who works with the Special Olympics programme.

"Return it to the school or the police, as it has all the information about the Special Olympics programme at the school and for the area," he appealed.

As a result of regular break-ins, the school was grilled and last weekend's incident was the first robbery there in the last five years. Seven staff members cater to the 30 enrolled students culled from the Jamaica Association for the Deaf and the Jamaica Association for Persons with Mental Retardation.

The theft of the valuable items has left administrators wringing their hands in frustration.

"We went inside and found out that the grill to the computer room was broken; they used something and saw the grill off there," said a saddened Enid Stewart, who is in charge of the school.

"When we went in there the VCR and the lap top in a black case was missing. When we went round to the back of the building we saw that the door to the sick bay was also opened; they used something and saw the grill from there," Stewart said.

She added: "We were so despondent, we could not get anybody to do anything for us at the time... We are sending a message to the people of Clear Spring and Drapers. Please, we are begging them, we are asking them to leave the school (alone). It is the school for mental retardation, persons who are trying to survive in society and we are really disgruntled about what happened and we are really hoping that they will not come back because it is beneficial to all the students at the school and the community at large."

The San San and Port Antonio CIB are carrying out investigations into the break-in.

Mothers can't father

Trousers in Denim

Cream of the 'Crop'