BUFF BAY, Portland — Teachers and students of Buff Bay Primary know what it is like to be embraced by their community, and they are grateful for the support. Helping hands sometimes come from afar, like members of the Jamaica Awareness Association of California (JAAC) dental team that was at the school when the Jamaica Observer visited recently.

“The JAAC team has been visiting us for over a decade. They have adopted the computer lab, furnished it with computers, and from time to time, refurbished those that are malfunctioning and replaced them with better ones. They are here today with a dental team, where they are doing cleaning and extraction for some of our needy students. There are about 80 students involved,” said school Principal Jacqueline Edwards.

The school, nestled in the western section of Portland, was originally part of St George parish before it was absorbed into Portland in 1867. Its motto, “Only the Best is Good Enough”, is taken very seriously. Of the 89 students who did this year’s PEP exams, 88 per cent were placed in Pathways One and Two with 70 per cent placed at their school of choice. Top boy Kijmar Higgins scored 374.6 while top girl Denisha Palmer scored 360.7. They will both be attending Titchfield High in September.

Keneisha Taylor, head of Buff Bay Primary’s Culture Club and the performing arts (Photo: Everard Owen)

The aim is for Buff Bay Primary students to be well-rounded and they are encouraged to complement academic excellence with a wide range of extracurricular activities.

“Keneisha Taylor heads our Culture Club and the performing arts. We have a very strong debating team headed by Tiffany Thaxter. Our 4-H club is doing well, and we have met with various successes. We also do well in sports. We are doing well and aspire for greater things,” Principal Edwards said proudly.

According to Taylor the school’s performing arts students took gold at the parish level last year and this year. Even though they did not perform as well at the national level of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission festival of the arts, she is very proud of her pupils.

“They are doing well, and we just need to continue to unearth the talent and develop it. We focus on dance and speech. Our parents are very supportive; the students are usually from grades four to six, and are actively involved,” Taylor told the Observer.

“These students perform at optimal levels across the board on top of their grades and classes. A well-rounded child will perform academically and in the performing arts. The performing arts helps them to be oriented, disciplined, and confident in themselves,” she stressed.

Buff Bay Primary’s strong debating team is headed by educator
Tiffany Thaxter.

Thaxter, who teaches fifth grade, was just as effusive about students who have taken up debating and benefit from her guidance. She proudly rattled off a list of contests they have won over the years, including the Jamaica Library Debate competition and the Junior Debate International competition based in Kingston.

“The latter lends itself to schools across the country and so we travel to different schools. In 2023 we were the national champions. Last year we did not participate but this year we were second in our zone, the highest third-place average and have been placed in the complementary final,” she said.

Students from all across the school are involved. Those from fourth to sixth grade compete with their peers from other schools. Younger students are encouraged to observe these matches and also have their own contest at Buff Bay Primary.

“A number of our students are involved in the debate at Titchfield High School. We have seen shy students develop to be top debaters as the talent is unearthed,” said Thaxter.

She spoke glowingly of parents who are actively involved in helping students prepare for debates.

“The parent support is truly amazing and it gives me great joy seeing the development of the children” she said with a smile of contentment.

That well-rounded development also includes getting their hands dirty.

“We have a greenhouse where we grow tomatoes, cabbage, lettuce and when they are reaped we sell them to the school’s kitchen, teachers and some parents purchase also. The students and the teacher water and take care of the plants regularly,” said Sophia Ramsay-Taylor who is responsible for the school’s 4-H Club.

Buff Bay Primary students have competed in the 4-H Expo at College of Agriculture, Science and Education as well as the national expo where they were third in rabbit care, second in seed identification and germination, and first in care and management in ornamental fishing, school gardening and electronically generated poster.

“Our students love 4-H, it is fun and they love to go on the 4-H trips and do the gardening. Our parents are very helpful and they assist in the weeding of the garden and greenhouse,” Ramsay-Taylor pointed out.

Proficiency in sign language is another area in which students shine and the local Kiwanis Club sometimes requests their services for events such as church gatherings or Christmas treats.

“Our students are enthused about this. One of our past students now attending Immaculate told me, ‘I liked the fact that you taught me how to do sign language as I am a part of the sign language club at my school and we perform at functions’. That, for me, brings so much joy as it is not just the academics but the development of rounded students, growing and grooming holistic children,” said Thaxter.

Teachers’ and students’ hard work, with the support of some parents, has made it easy for organisations such as JAAC to be a part of helping everyone involved live up to the school motto.

The association has been coming to Jamaica for 25 years and Buff Bay Primary was the first school it adopted. During the most recent visit they came with more than 70 volunteers from across the USA who also made a difference in St Mary, Trelawny, Westmoreland, St James, and Manchester.

“We have four different teams: educational, medical, dental and surgical. The surgical team is performing surgeries and training at the Annotto Bay Hospital, Falmouth Hospital, Savanna-la-Mar Hospital and Mandeville Regional Hospital. The medical teams are combined with medical and dental in five parishes with two clinics per parish. Today we are in St James and we partner with the Ministry of Health with their ‘Know your Numbers’ [campaign]. We also have the paediatric dental team here [in Portland] so that they can see the students and deal with dental care issues,” explained JAAC President Patrick Williams.

“We are happy to be here at Buff Bay Primary… We presented some backpacks with school supplies, an air fryer for the school, desktop computers, cartridges, ink, speakers, and cordless mics. We request of the schools their needs and try to facilitate them as much as possible and this year we are visiting 14 schools across the island. Portland, Trelawny, Westmoreland and St James are some of the parishes. We are happy to give back and the joy that we experience is unforgettable,” he added.

Buff Bay Primary’s Khaleed Guy (right), who copped first place and top boy in the St George’s District Association grades one to three spelling competition, receives an award from teacher Keneisha Taylor

JAAC President Patrick Williams (left) handing over equipment to Buff Bay Primary Principal Jacqueline Edwards (right) during a recent visit. (Photo: Everard Owen)