Please allow me some space in your weekly paper to address an issue in my district, District One.

It is with great concern that I write this letter as a born and bred Anguillian, a proud resident of District One, a past student of the Island Harbour Primary School now renamed Vivien Vanterpool Primary School, and more important as a parent of two children presently attending the said School.

Within the Island Harbour community, it is alleged that campaign funds have been granted to a particular candidate by an individual within district one, with the expectation, that if the said candidate wins the District One seat, the individual who funded the campaign will be given title to the present school premises in exchange for land elsewhere in the community for the new school to be built on.

October 15th, 2009, marked the day on which the renaming of the school took place. I clearly recall the months, weeks and days leading up to that day and I’m sure there was a lot of time, hard work and preparation put in place to ensure that the occasion was a memorable one. Indeed the efforts of all parents, teachers, students, (past & present), residents of districts one and two and other citizens of the community willingly, who assisted in the painting of buildings and cleaning of the surroundings to ensure that Mr. Vanterpool was honoured in grand style, must be commended.

With that said, I am certain, that all present at the ceremony would recall the Hon. Kenneth Harrigan in his presentation during the ceremony remarked that the Groundbreaking for the new VVPS would take place in December 2009. By the same token, and with all due respect, December has come and gone and, to date, the groundbreaking ceremony has still not taken place, and there has been no mention of it since.

I do not want to jump to premature conclusions, or spread illusive hear-say, so I am hoping that via this medium I will obtain some answers or, at the very least, some clarity on the status of our school. Many of us have pledged much of our time and effort in advancing this school in its totality, and I believe that it is incumbent upon me as a dedicated supporter and voice for the community to keep abreast of its progress; and so I propose the following questions:

Is it true that because the land on which the school is currently situated, and the proposed land for the construction of the new school (adjoining land west of the existing school) are being eyed by an investor(s), nothing has been done as promised by the representative of District One?

Is the value of the proposed land for the new school the same value as the land the school is currently situated on?

Is the government and/or the investor of the opinion that this beachfront location is too good for our children?
Don’t our children deserve the very best? By the same token, this location presents an important opportunity for this school to reintroduce the swimming programme, which can also be used as an incentive for learning.

Statistics show that the VVPS, formerly the Island Harbour Primary School, has turned out many professionals such as, lawyers, doctors, pilots, teachers and other specialists. In fact, the majority of today’s professional political aspirants of District One are products of the said school, and this clearly shows that the location of the school has no bearing on a child’s performance or academic ability. In fact, the opposite could be considered, because the location compliments the everyday lives of the students, affording an environment that is free of pollution free of vehicular noise, exhaust, burning or debris; and we all know the saying, a healthy body, breathes a sound mind.

Quite frankly, I see no justifiable reason why the school should be moved from its present location. Many others in the community of Island Harbour and District One are of the same opinion, and feel that the school could urgently use some additional construction, finish-work and general upgrading to its surroundings and, of course, a level playing field.

After all, there are certain characteristics that a community is identified by. One is a Church, and the other is a school, and if we take away the Church, we take away that Community’s identity. Same methodology applies to the school; if we take away the school we take away the Community’s identity.

I also take this opportunity to challenge each candidate (past and present) running for the District One seat to let your voices be heard on this matter. I also want to challenge the community of Island Harbour, especially parents whose children currently attend that school and past students of the school, to voice their opinion.

It is also my intention to carry out a public survey in the community of Island Harbour with regards to this matter.

I trust that as parents and concerned citizens of our community, and specifically for our children’s future, that we would see the need to stand firm together on this matter, so that our school will not be given away to an investor(s), a friend or anyone but, instead, be upgraded to educate our children so that we can have a society that is productive, drug free and crime free.

- Name withheld at writer's request

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