AFTER being shot, a female student at Christel House Jamaica managed to complete her homework from her hospital bed, which was a tear-jerking yet inspiring experience for the school’s staff.

The school’s principal, Jason Scott, shared the touching story during an interview with the Jamaica Observer last Thursday as the institution celebrated career week under the theme, ‘Start Your Engines: Up, Up and Away’.

Scott explained that the child’s family was involved in a shooting incident last year in which the student’s mother was shot dead.

“The touching stories are many. In most recent times, unfortunately, one of our students had to leave us because her family was involved in a shooting. Unfortunately, her mother died in the process as she was involved in the incident. The child was hurt too,” said Scott.

“I remember when the child posted a video of a homework [assignment] she got and we shared it with the staff. I think it was a real tear-jerking moment for everybody because she did it from her hospital bed after being shot. It really touched the staff,” he added.

The student’s family, Scott said, was insisting that she remain at the school due to the positive impact it had on her development, but arrangements were made for her to be removed from the institution due to safety concerns.

“To know that immediately following that shooting the family still reached out wanting the child to remain here, even though they had to remove from the community because of the sensitivity of the situation, was tough,” he told the Sunday Observer.

“Through the Child Protection and Family Services Agency, just for general safety, we had to part ways. But that, for me, was a tear-jerking moment that was positive and negative at the same time,” he said.

“Just her response — and even the school’s response to her as her classmates made cards and a video and sang to her, and she and her family saying thanks for the support — was a big deal. As much as it had a bitter taste in our mouths, it was positive in the end,” he said.

The institution, which accommodates students at the kindergarten level to grade four presently, is owned by global children’s charity organisation Christel House International, headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.

Started in 2020 at Twickenham Park, Spanish Town in St Catherine, it is now the ninth school to be established, joining eight other institutions in operation in India, Mexico, South Africa and Indianapolis.

It serves students from neighbouring communities within the vicinity of St Catherine — such as McCook’s Pen and Central Village — who belong to families that are among those living below the poverty line, and offers education, transportation, meals, stationery and uniforms free of cost.