BUFF BAY, Portland — Buff Bay High School’s efforts to boost the performance of students who are lagging behind got a shot in the arm recently when Food For the Poor (FFP) provided three classrooms and a bathroom at the institution.

These will be used for the Alternate Pathway of Secondary Education (APSE) programme.

“These are the students who have come here way below their grade level. They will be in a more comfortable environment where they can learn to read. The good thing at Buff Bay High is that we take them all the way to passing 10 and nine CXCs,” said Principal Sandra Buchanan during a July 1 ceremony to hand over the newly created space.

Grateful, she spoke of the support the school has received from FFP over the years in the form of chairs, desks and mattresses. The appeal for the charity group’s help to add more space was made in 2018.

“Our school was not built to hold so many students. We have more than 800 students in a school built to hold 500,” said Buchanan who added that letters were sent to FFP.

The response was encouraging. FFP was prepared to build a block with five classrooms. They settled for three.

“We didn’t have enough space to hold the other two so we had to let them go. We are grateful we were able to hold three classrooms,” said the principal.

“We are very happy to say that when September comes these students will be in an environment where they are going to be learning. So in the next five years we will have students who will be passing their CXCs because of your generosity. It is not just another classroom but is something that our future depends on. We are very happy to know that these students and their teachers and the coaches will be in an environment where they can be by themselves to catch up,” added Buchanan.

The school’s principal already has plans to make the most of the help received.

“We are going to put some seats at the front to make them sit and have their lunch and outside classes. We will also be putting in some plants to make the place more comfortable and enjoyable as we transform the area,” she added.

In the meantime, FFP representative Aurian Beason acknowledged the role others played in the project and the importance of working together towards a shared goal.

“Thanks to our generous donors, overcrowded classrooms and insufficient bathroom facilities will no longer be a major challenge for the teachers and students here at Buff Bay High School. The expansion project will not only address the issues of overpopulation but also help to increase the school building capacity to improve students’ engagement and facilitate community outreach through skills training programme,” said Beason.

“In officially handing over this expansion project we express sincere gratitude to the Carson Myre Charitable Foundation whose generosity and compassion has resulted in more classroom space for students and teachers thus providing a more conducive teaching and learning environment for both,” added Beason.