Philipsburg:--- UTS and the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise have collaborated on a pilot project at the Martin Luther King School offering a portion of the student population who come to school without having breakfast a nutritional, healthy breakfast. The school, UTS, and Rotary Sunrise signed an MOU on Wednesday, committing all parties to the breakfast program for the duration of the 2012-2013 school year. "In speaking with a number of educators during the past year, it has become very evident that there is a significant part of the student population that comes to school hungry in the morning. These students frequently have difficulty taking in information during their classes and in some cases also exhibit behavioral problems," says UTS Marketing and Communication Officer, Ivy Lambert. "The difficult economic climate affects everyone in our community and it's understandable that some parents struggle with expenses like school fees, uniforms, and such. We are happy to assist in this project because it will benefit the long term development of a child that may struggle otherwise. A good education is one of the basic building blocks for future success. If we can help a child get there by providing them with the right nutrition for optimal learning, we cannot hesitate. The decision to help was a very easy one to take," Lambert continued.
"The start of the new breakfast program at our school would not have been possible without the joint cooperation between the Rotary Sunrise Club, UTS, and the school's management," remarked School Manager of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Primary School Stuart Johnson. Johnson added, "Whenever a sponsorship of any type is given to a school, it is an investment towards our future. The thirty-five students participating in our program shows that we have social needs on our island and collectively we all must lend a helping hand to quell these woes." He concluded in saying, "We deeply appreciate this support for these participating students as they continue along their educational journey."
Rotary Sunrise president Marcellia Henry states: "To increase the probability of students eating a nutritious breakfast in the morning and to in turn improve and enhance their learning, the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise decided to pilot a school breakfast program at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School in collaboration with UTS and at the Ruby Labega School in collaboration with Sheriff Security. The purpose of the breakfast program is not to replace parents'/guardians' role as a provider, but to assist the schools with promoting healthy nutritional habits and to increase the academic performance of the students who participate in the program."
Very good initiative. Hope some more of these big businesses will see the need for this program and join forces to give an ease to some parents. I always wonder why some of those politicians didn't take up this challenge when they were they were squandering money last election!