KINGSTON, Jamaica —The walls of the Special Education Unit at the Ocho Rios Primary School in St Ann now boasts a colourful mural depicting messages of peace, hope and acceptance.

The beautification project was undertaken by the Sandals Foundation as part of a longstanding relationship with the school.

Regional public relations manager for Sandals Ocho Rios, Lyndsay Isaacs, said the project included redoing an existing mural “and transforming it into a more diverse and inclusive package with messaging to showcase acceptance, understanding, love and that it’s okay to be a little different.”

She informed that some 56 team members from the Sandals Ochi Beach Resort participated in the activity to create the images that were requested by the school.

“It was explained to them what the signs meant – the autism elephant, which shows that it’s okay to be a little different. [It tells children] that not because I’m different [means] you can’t play with me,” she said.

Acting principal of the school, Natalie Johnson, expressed gratitude to Sandals.

She noted that the project adds to several initiatives and partnerships that the Foundation continues to spearhead at the institution.

“They work with a lot of persons, a lot of educators. So, right throughout the year, Ms Isaacs would bring educators from abroad who want to sit with the children, read to them and [things] like that,” she told JIS News.

Johnson said the mural has enhanced the atmosphere at the school, noting that the students continue to admire the artwork. “It is all about inclusion,” she said.

-JIS