THE Jamaica Observer last Wednesday lauded teachers from the eastern side of the island for their contribution to the country’s education system at a special luncheon at the newspaper’s headquarters in Kingston.

Danville Walker, managing director of the Observer, congratulated the awardees and thanked the teachers for supporting the newspaper’s TeenAge, Study Centre, Learning Corner and Junior Learning Corner publications.

“…You, the teachers, are the key to these initiatives and we applaud your efforts. Our programmes — Show Us Your School, Meet the School and TeenAge Expression Tours — have been very successful since their inception. The students have enjoyed them and we have also enjoyed putting them on,” Walker said.

Nicole Campbell, public relations executive at Flow, took the opportunity to report on the company’s activities which involve the nation’s schools. Among those highlighted was the ‘Building Leaders Through Technology’ programme, which provides primary and secondary schools with free Internet to enhance the learning environment. She also said Flow was able, for the first time, to stream the TeenAge Expression Tour live for the benefit of teachers and students who could not attend.

Guest speaker Howard Campbell, lecturer and CEO of Howard Campbell and Associates, commended the teachers for their daily contribution to student achievement and success.

“I salute you, not just as award-winning co-ordinators, but as nation builders. Teachers are enablers of student achievement and success,” Campbell said.

“In the case of the TeenAge Observer and the Learning Corner, teachers develop the content which they hand over to copy editors. Page compositors and pressmen get the physical pages ready, and delivery teams make the weekly trek to deliver bundles of goodies to co-ordinators eagerly awaiting their arrival. Teamwork in achieving success as an end product is always a meticulously crafted process, facilitated by people, hence my formula for a success partnership,” he emphasised.

Audrey Francis of Oberlin High in St Andrew was recognised as the High School Teacher of the Year, while Andria Givans of Naggo Head Primary in St Catherine took the primary school award at the luncheon, sponsored by Flow, Seprod and Scotiabank.

Several schools were also presented with awards for maintaining high sales of Observer’s TeenAge and Learning Corner publications.

Oberlin High topped the high school category as islandwide champions with Calabar High as runner-up. The other winners in the high school category were St Mary High, Spaulding High, Port Antonio High, Seaforth High, and Jose Marti High.

The primary schools that were awarded included Oracabessa, May Pen, Jessie Ripoll, Rocky Hall, Port Antonio, and Naggo Head, which was also named islandwide champions for sale of the Learning Corner, with Jessie Ripoll as second runner-up.