Sameika Mailtand Financially Challenged Grade A Student At Hampton Boarding School Earns Silver Award Certificate

Sameika 2015 photo

Against the backdrop of a large gold and blue colored tent under which Hampton Students adorned in white dresses sat in rows as they waited for the Annual Founders Day And Award Ceremony that was held at Hampton School on Sunday, November 15, 2015 and chaired by the President of Munro – Hampton Alumni Association in Washington D C, USA and an Alumna of Hampton School to commence; trees dressed in green bonnets that lined the landscape; clapped their hands as students led by Music Director Allison Francis, played rhythmically on the school’s Steel Band.

Included among parents in the large audience who sat in the perimeter of the large gold and blue tent adorned in their Sunday Best, was Juliette Mullings, single parent Beersheba Primary School Alumna who resides in an unfinished one bedroom house in the impoverished peasant farming community of New Savannah, Saint Elizabeth, Jamaica West Indies.

Oblivious of her three days per week job as a household helper that earns her meager wages well below the poverty line, her face beaming with joyous smile, Juliette Mullings, mother of Sameika Maitland, financially challenged grade A boarding student at Hampton School for whom Beersheba Old Students Association has been a safety net and monitor, stood and applauded as her daughter’s name was read aloud over the Public Address  System, Sameika ascended the steps to the podium on the platform to receive Hampton School coveted  Silver Award and recognition as a member of the Headmistress Round Table as commendation for her excellent academic performance as an A student with 95 grade in mathematics as well as excellent grades in other Natural science subjects despite highly competitive performance by other students in her grade 7-24 class of 45, 2014-2015 school year.

Immediately after Form Teachers presented Certificates to the Awardees, Miss Deidre Powell, Hampton School Alumna from the Class of 1986, a Lawyer by profession and Senior Trust and Endowment Officer at Queens College, Ontario, Canada and recipient of the Prime Minister of Jamaica Award for Excellence was eloquently introduced as Key Note Speaker  by Miss Penny Green-Daley, Executive Assistant, the Guest Speaker received a standing ovation as she came to the podium to deliver her anticipated Key Note Address that was punctuated repeatedly by applause from the large audience.

Highlights from the Guest Speaker’s Address entitled: HOW TO LEAVE A LASTING LEGACY that she delivered against the backdrop of the motto of her alma mater “Summa Virtute Et Humanitate” meaning: “With Utmost Courage And Courtesy” are as follows:

  • People should emulate the philanthropy shown by Robert Hugh Munro and Dr. Caleb Dickenson 150 years ago when they bequeathed money from their estate to Munro and Dickenson Trust that became the genesis that established Hampton School.
  • Anyone who attains age 18 years and over should make a will in which the individual should seek to leave a lasting legacy  that could be of lasting service to others in need. It does not take a millionaire to make a will.
  • We should not only create wealth for ourselves, but we should set up Trusts to help others in need. Robert Sutherland bequeathed his entire estate of Canadian Dollars 13,000 that rescued Queens College, Ontario, Canada from financial crisis.
  • Listing various other ways in which people can leave a lasting legacy, the Guest Speaker urged the audience to make cash donations; students can donate benches on which plaques can be mounted to adorn the landscape of their school compounds; people can take out insurance policies and name Hampton School as one of the beneficiaries.
  • As a kind gesture of “putting her money where her mouth is,” the Guest Speaker assured the audience that if Hampton School did not realize its goal of collecting JMD 100,000 that was taken during the singing of the offertory and school hymn: GOD IS WORKING HIS PURPOSE OUT at the Annual Founders Day And Award Ceremony, that she will donate her personal funds to make up the shortfall.

Awardees should perceive themselves as stars that are connected to greatness and they should continue shining as stars.

Beersheba Primary School Alumni, Honorary BOSA Members, Friends and Well-wishers and readers of the above news article in Jamaica and the Diaspora who would like to leave a lasting legacy to help Sameika Maitland continue her excellent academic performance at Hampton School, are kindly asked to make their generous financial contributions by checks (cheques) or money order payable to Munro and Dickenson Trust – Hampton School and send them directly to:

Mrs. Svetlana Crawford-Keane

Bursar Hampton School

Malvern P.O.

Saint Elizabeth

Jamaica West Indies

Donors are asked to indicate on their checks (cheques) or money orders that their generous financial contributions are to go towards assisting to defray the cost of boarding and tuition fees for Sameika Maitland, Student ID 2923.

Donors are also kindly asked to notify Beersheba Old Students Association (BOSA) through its email address: beershebaoldstudentsassn@gmail.com as soon as they have sent their generous financial contributions to the Bursar at Hampton School so that the amounts can be reconciled with the Bursar and promptly acknowledged by the Association.

NOTE: 1.00 USD = 118.80 JMD

 

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