PLANTER'S HALL ALL-AGE GETS NEW INFANT DEPARTMENT FROM FOOD FOR THE POOR - Jamaica Observer - September 21, 2014

BRAND NEW SCHOOL FOR PLANTER’S HALL INFANT: Thanks to the continued support of Food For The Poor’s United States-based donors, the Levitetz Family Foundation, students of Planter’s Hall Infant School in St. Catherine were the proud recipients of a new school building which boasts three classrooms, kitchen, bathroom facilities, office, sickbay and veranda. The students will also now enjoy cheerful, child-friendly furniture, colourful play equipment and computers to engage in technology. Participating in the ribbon-cutting ceremony on September 5 were (from left), Susan Moore, Director of Recipient Services at Food For The Poor Jamaica; Morrett Weir, Principal of Planter’s Hall Infant; Jeff Levitetz, President of the Levitetz Family Foundation along with his son Zach; friends Brian Roberts and Brad Nardick and students from the school.

LITTLE ONES PERFORMING: These students of Planter’s Hall Infant School in St. Catherine were simply adorable as they performed at an inauguration ceremony that was held for the handover of their new school on September 5. Food For The Poor, in partnership with the Levitetz Family Foundation based in the United States, constructed a fully-equipped school building for the 30 students and three teachers.


THE principal of Planter's Hall All-Age School in St Catherine said there has been an increase in the number of students enrolled in the infant department because of a new structure built recently by Food For The Poor Jamaica and the Levitetz Family Foundation.

Morrett Weir said in recent weeks, a sick bay, an office, a new infant block that houses three new classrooms, a kitchen complete with a refrigerator and a stove, a new bathroom and a computer room, were built for the 47-year-old school which accommodates approximately 30 students.

"We truly appreciate this school that we have received. Since the construction of the school, registration has significantly increased. This gesture has impacted the entire community. Parents have said that they are more comfortable with sending their children to school because we have a far better facility," Weir said following the official handing over of the new school building on September 5.

She said she was grateful, most of all, for the new bathroom facility and the new computer room.
"I cannot explain how much it means to me to witness these children using proper sanitation units. One of the new classrooms has been outfitted with computers and as such the children will be having computer lessons," she said.

The infant department also received a new play area for students and a catchment system complete with a tank and a pump.

"Our students had to use pit latrines in the old structure. The classrooms before were extremely cluttered and so students could not move about freely. Teachers could not set up work areas because the space was so small. The classrooms were separated only by chalkboards and so the students could not hear clearly during sessions. They could not hear the sounds of letters and so they could not effectively develop phonemic and phonological awareness because of the classroom setting. This also hindered their reading development," she explained.

Meanwhile, Jeff Levitetz, president of the Levitetz Family Foundation said they chose to come to Jamaica and partner with Food For The Poor on this project because they wanted to contribute to the improvement in the quality of education being offered in the nation.
"Our intention as an organisation is to never stop helping Jamaica. I wish for this institution many more successful years," Levitetz said.

THANK YOU, MR LEVITETZ: Jeff Levitetz, president of the Levitetz Family Foundation based in the United States of America, was happy to share in a photo with a group of students from Planters Hall Infant School, after the official handover of the school on September 5. His Foundation donated the funds used to construct a new school building for the teachers and students as part of Food For The Poor’s Jamaica 50 Campaign, which was launched in June 2012 to build and/or upgrade 50 schools in 50 months



Contact:
Petri-Ann Henry, Food For The Poor, Tel: 984-5005 or 564-2886
Ainsworth Morris, PROComm, Tel: 926-6740 or 3756136