When The Duke of Edinburgh visited the Flankers Primary and Junior High School in Montego Bay on Wednesday, students and staff grabbed the opportunity to show His Royal Highness, and indeed the world, another side of the inner-city community in which the school is located.

“A lot of people have negative opinions about the community,” noted school principal, Hugh Miller. “Many people feel that as a community we can’t behave. But today you have seen another side of the community,” he added.

For Miller, the school population and area residents, “the other side” of Flankers offered a respite from the drudgery of inner-city life. And residents eagerly set aside their differences and worked alongside each other in preparation for the visit.

“For Flankers, this is a great milestone for us. Our reputation both locally and internationally is not very positive, so for him to come, and for us to get the opportunity to highlight some of the good points of the community is really to our benefit,” said Merilyn McIntosh, president of the Flankers Citizens’ Association and Neighbourhood Watch.

“On a whole, I think it (the Duke’s visit) has lifted the community,” agreed Miller. “It is a motivation, not only for the school, but also for all of us here. It has put us in the international light and I am very pleased that the outside world can look at us and see this side of us,” he added.

People’s National Party (PNP) councillor for the area, Erica DaSilva, also described The Duke’s visit as a unifying force for the community. “It is very opportune at this time. It has given the people something to unite towards. They are showing off their talent and just being able to bring out what the community can do is a big plus for the community…,” DaSilva said.

Mark Kerr-Jarrett, president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, held a similar view. “It’s of tremendous importance to Flankers. It’s an honour that The Duke has chosen to visit our school… It’s a tremendous turnout. The school is in great shape. The children and everybody is really excited about it. And the community, teachers and children have really risen to the occasion. The school looks good. We need to maintain it like this…”

Commenting further on the Duke’s visit, Miller noted: “We are very proud to be a part of history. He’s a very nice gentleman, very easy to talk to and the children conversed with him very well.”

On his arrival, The Duke was greeted with loud cheers by students and community members who were armed with an assortment of miniature British and Jamaican flags.

Later, he was given a guided tour of the resource and technology department, as well as the home and financial management department. The Duke’s quiet inquiries about the activities in each department were eagerly answered by the students and teachers.

He also viewed the exhibits displayed by other members of the community and, to the pleasure of those manning exhibits, was rather taken with a number of the items, particularly a leather masks, an art form that originated from Mexico.

And school principal Miller has vowed to continue the improvements at the school which began with The Duke’s visit. “We have had quite a bit of work here, and we are going to keep it, and improve upon it,” he stated.

Flankers Primary and Junior High was officially opened 32 years ago. Since then, it has grown from a one-building facility with 167 students and five teachers to a two-block structure that can now accommodate 13,000 students and 32 teachers. It sits in the heart of the sometimes volatile community that is plagued by the usual problems of unemployment, crime and poverty.