On 30th September Prospect Primary School students from Ms. Jayme Farrell’s Year 3 class from the academic year 2013-14, presented senior Ministry of Education and Department of Education Services’ (DES) officials with copies of their published book, The Serenity Sombrero. On hand to receive the books were Minister for Education Hon. Tara Rivers, Acting Chief Officer for Education Mr. Christen Suckoo, Chief Education Officer Mrs. Shirley Wahler, Senior School Improvement Officer Mr. Roger Morris and Senior Policy Advisor and Manager (Curriculum Unit) Mr. Clive Baker.

Minister Rivers was delighted to receive a copy of the book. She said, “I am so excited to receive a copy of the Prospect Primary School’s book and to meet the talented students who co-authored it. Such initiatives are truly important for the development of our students both academically and as global citizens who actively and positively contribute to the world around them. I congratulate the students and their teacher on this success and I hope that more of our schools and students will get involved in such projects.”

The Year 3 class participated in the Write to Give Programme organised by the Canadian charity World Teacher Aid. This was the first time a school or class from the Cayman Islands has participated in this inspirational and stimulating writing initiative. Through the programme, the Prospect Primary Students collaborated with four other schools in Canada to write a narrative story. Ms. Farrell’s class was chosen to write the ending of the story and upon completion the book was published.

The students were then able to purchase and/or sell a published copy of their book to their family, friends, and school. All proceeds from the book sales contributed to the World Teacher Aid charity. This year, the Write to Give programme produced 34 books written by students from the Cayman Islands, Canada, USA, Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, Netherlands and Switzerland, selling more than 3000 copies and raising over US$45,000 to provide children in Lamolo, Kenya in Africa with a school and resources.

Mrs. Farrell commented on the exciting project saying, “While participating in the programme, students learned the essential elements of a fiction text, generated interesting ideas with their classmates, and collaborated with schools in Canada. They thoroughly enjoyed writing the ending, especially since they were able to solve the main problem in the story, whilst creating a funny and interesting final thought to the book which would leave the reader with a smile on their face. Through this initiative, students were not only able to develop their literacy skills, but also became global citizens, as they learned about other children’s cultures and needs in the world.”

Prospect Primary School Principal Mrs. Gloria Bell is extremely proud of her students and Mrs. Farrell. She said, “This authentic and rewarding opportunity allowed the Year 3 students of Prospect Primary School to celebrate their admirable desire to make a difference in the lives of others and develop a love of literacy. The students from Ms. Farrell’s Year 3 class are now celebrating their success as they share their books with their classmates, family and friends, here in the Cayman Islands! I would like to thank Mrs. Farrell for her leadership in this initiative and truly bringing literacy to life in her classroom.”

World Teacher Aid is a Canadian charity dedicated to providing and improving educational opportunities in the developing world. Their vision is accomplished through renovating existing schools and building new ones for internally displaced communities that have been uprooted from their homes. Their current projects are within Kenya and Ghana. Their Write to Give Programme is designed to empower primary school students to become published authors while giving back to children in developing nations. To find out more about this charity and their Write to Give Programme please visit www.worldteacheraid.org.

The Prospect Primary School students’ book The Serenity Sombrero will be released on Amazon.com in early 2015 for purchase and a copy of the published book will be made available for the Cayman Islands Public Library Service.

Photo and caption:

Prospect Primary School Student Authors with (Back Row, L-R) Acting Chief Officer Mr. Christen Suckoo, Minister for Education Hon. Tara Rivers, Chief Education Officer Mrs. Shirley Wahler, Senior School Improvement Officer Mr. Roger Morris, Prospect Primary School Year 3 Teacher Ms. Jayme Farrell and Senior Policy Advisor & Manager (Curriculum Unit) Mr. Clive Baker.