People can, and do, change lives. They can light candles. They can , set an example to follow. They can be an inspiration to others.
One such person is Keisha Hayle, the principal of the Padmore Primary School.
I was deeply moved by her words when asked in an interview with the Jamaican Observer back in 2013.
“I have to pay the cook out of my own funds. Some children come to school without breakfast and can’t buy lunch and we can’t let them go hungry,”
Padmore Primary School is a small school located in hills of rural St Andrew Jamaica. Four years ago the school faced closure primarily as a result of declining attendance. But principal Hayle saw the need to keep the school going. In an 2013 Interview with the Jamaican Observer, Principal Hayle said
“The school serves several communities close to Padmore as some students would not be attending the Red Hills school because it costs even more to get there from here. Some persons with the means can send their children to other schools, but other children would not be so lucky,”
Many small rural schools in Jamaica are in similar situations like Padmore Primary School. Unfortunately there are not many dedicated principals like Keisha Hayle who is willing to sacrifice even her own income to help keep the school going.
Today Padmore Primary School is celebrating success. 12-year-old Danielle Dunbar from Padmore Primary will be attending the prestigious Campion College. This is the first time in in the school’s history that one of its student will be attending such a prestigious school.
Here is a video from an interview conducted in 2013. The interview shows the passion and dedication of Principal Keisha Hayle.
