Chukka Cove Hosts Special Boys |
Reported by Herbert E. Murdock July 1, 2009 - Nine, fifth grade boys from the St. Ann's Bay Primary School are still talking about their outing to Chukka Cove on Thursday, June 25, the day when Daniel Melville and his accommodating staff graciously hosted a special fun day for the boys who have been enrolled in a special instructional and mentorship program, Children of our Village, since October, 2007.
Children of our Village is the brainchild of Jamaican-born Herbert E. Murdock, an experienced English teacher and retired New York City high school principal who, because of the current, island-wide, academic underachievement of Jamaican males, is determined to do whatever he can to address a problem which he thinks is untenable. In collaboration with Miss Amy James, Principal of St. Ann's Bay Primary School, and the parents/guardians of the participating boys, the program seeks to address the pressing needs of at-risk, primary school boys in St. Ann's Bay and its environs. Children of our Village operates under the auspices of the St. Ann Homecoming and Heritage Foundation of which Mr. Murdock is the chairman. Patron of the organization is Honorable Radcliffe O. Walters, Custos Rotulorum for St. Ann.
Assisted by a volunteer Foundation member, the Reverend Winston Walsh, Mr Murdock visits the St. Ann's Bay Primary School on Tuesdays and Thursdays for one-hour language arts classes with the boys. In the 2007-2008 school year, when the boys were in grade four, instruction focused on preparation for the Grade Four Literacy Test. Although not considered the brightest of last year's fourth graders, in May 2008, every boy passed the Grade Four Literacy Test; and some received perfect scores in more than one section of the test. In recognition of their efforts, the boys were treated at Dolphin Cove at the end of the school year.
This year, in a chance encounter with Mr Melville, Mr Murdock told him about the boys of Children of our Village and asked the affable Mr Melville if he would provide the end-of-year entertainment for them. Without a moment's hesitation, Mr Melville agreed and began, on spot, to pave the way for the June 25 happening. That day, the boys, accompanied by Mr Murdock and the Reverend Walsh, arrived at Chukka Cove at 8:45 a.m., and the fun immediately began when the visitors were met by the charming Miss Nicole Lynch who outlined the day's program and introduced Jamaica's celebrated dogsled musher, Oswald "Newton" Marshall, and his dogsled colleagues.
The boys had learned only the week before that Jamaica had an official dogsled team and that one of that team, Oswald "Newton" Marshall, in March, 2009, had done Jamaica proud by placing thirteenth in a field of 27 international mushers in the Yukon Quest 1,000 Mile International Sled Dog Race. They were thrilled to meet Newton, whose ever-present smile and amiable disposition immediately made him a friend and big brother. Soon the boys were enjoying the screening of the Sun Dog documentary which exposed them to the dangers and thrill of dog-sledding and gave them a better understanding of Newton's remarkable achievement.
But the highlight of their visit was, without a doubt, the dry land ride on a sled pulled by fifteen harnessed dogs. That is the adventure that the boys cannot stop talking about. It rivaled the storybook magic carpet ride in its exhilarating, extraordinary flight through space and time. Not even the subsequent thrilling experience of running with the dogs on their leashes equaled the dog sled ride. After a hearty, hot lunch, each boy was presented with a bag of goodies including a tee-shirt, lunch bag, notebooks, pencils and a pen. Everyone wanted to know the date of the next visit.
June 25 will be long remembered by these nine boys, most of whom come from households headed by mothers and grandmothers who struggle daily to meet the financial and emotional needs of these youngsters. Some boys pass by Chukka Cove five days a week; others have passed by on several occasions. And each time they passed by, that site and what it offered, seemed as far removed from their lives as dining at Buckingham Palace still is. That is why they will not forget the day when a benevolent Jamaican, Daniel Melville, introduced them to another world, into a new, exciting realm of possibilities. |
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