Bohemia All-Age School receives supplies from Manpower & Maintenance Services

Bohemia All-Age School in St Ann received 20 tablets, a printer/scanner/copier, ink and copy paper from the Manpower & Maintenance Services Foundation, Bohemia past students and the Stewart-Hinchcliffe family. The donation is valued at $700,000.

In making the presentation, past student and chairman of Manpower & Maintenance Services (MMS), Audrey Hinchcliffe, recalled her days as a student and outlined her reasons for making the donation to the school which has 196 students on roll.

“When I saw the issues with schools going online, my mind ran on Bohemia which is dear to me. So today I am very excited to do this with my son Garth Hinchcliffe, deputy CEO of MMS Limited, as well as the foundation which supports health, education and sports,” she said.

She was accompanied by her niece, Norma Stewart-Henry, one of the managers of the company. Other family members who reside overseas as well as past students contributed to purchasing the tablets, and others would be doing more in the future.

Personal connection

“This gives me great pleasure because all that I am today started right here; my grounding is from Bohemia. I was also the first librarian when the project started here,” Hinchcliffe said.

She encouraged the children to work hard and not let being physically out of school deter them from studying; rather, they should work hard at home. She told them to make use of the libraries and channel their energies into reading.

Principal Kevon McLaughlin described the donation as timely and comforting because many students did not have the much-needed tablets. He noted that the donation ceremony was being held in a building that was also built by past students to house the future library and computer room.

“These 20 tablets will help us overcome the challenges and uncertainties of the moment. We are grateful to the Stewart family and to Manpower & Maintenance Services, who we regard as true heroes at this time,” he said.

Meanwhile, school board chairman, Millicent Richardson, expressed joy at the gifts at a time when many parents could not afford to purchase them. She encouraged the children to be productive and keep doing their best in spite of the pandemic.