From left, honourees Seita Cunningham, Alma Whyte, and Dorothy Minott pose for the camera. - Anthony Minott photos

Three stalwarts of Port Henderson Primary School were honoured during an appreciation ceremony at the Church of Reconciliation recently.

They are Dorothy Minott, former vice-principal with 42 years of service; Alma Whyte, a former senior teacher with 37 years of service; and Seita Cunningham, a former parent-teacher association president and the coordinator of the school's feeding programme. Her association with the school goes back 22 years.

Minott started at Port Henderson Primary in 1969, preparing students for the Common Entrance, and more recently, the GSAT exams. With help from parents and Whyte, she led the school to gold, silver, and bronze medals in dance at the JCDC National Festival. She was teacher of the year at the school three times.

Whyte, who taught Grade Five, was a successful Common Entrance and GSAT educator. She was teacher of the year twice. She started Basic B, a spelling competition for basic schools in Portmore, and also started the builders club.

Behind every successful school there is a good PTA, and Cunningham was the driving force behind the one at Port Henderson Primary. She was always happy to assist.

Commitment

Past student Pastor M. Wright, the guest speaker, lauded the stalwarts for their commitment to the school. He said they had given a combined 101 years of service to the institution. He implored Mayor of Portmore George Lee, who was in attendance, to make it his point of duty to honour all teachers in Portmore with over 30 years of service to schools .