On June 7, 2024, the Garvey Maceo High School was given the opportunity to thank the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for equipment and supplies for its technical and vocational departments at a closing ceremony held at the school. Dignitaries attending the ceremony were Mrs. Ranger-Cowan, an Education Officer from the Ministry of Education, and Ms. Joy Vincent, Head of the Agricultural Department. Also attending were parents and members of the school’s Parent Teachers Association and Brother Alessandro Ferrari, Young Men President, representing the Church.
The Home Economics Department, Science, and Industrial Arts Labs, the Principal’s Office, and the school’s guidance counselors received needed learning-enhancing supplies and furnishings. Donations included a lawn tractor, an industrial printer, computers, an embroidery machine, and other items.
Mrs. Ranger-Cowan, an Education Officer at the Ministry of Education, commended the Church for its unwavering support of Jamaica’s education system and called it a true partner.
Ms. Michelle Jackson, representing the PTA, thanked the Church on behalf of the organization: “We are incredibly grateful to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for this service to Garvey Maceo High School. To take on such an expensive venture is a big deal, and so we say thank you for investing in our children, our school, and our nation.”
Representing the Church, Brother Alessandro Ferrari, Young Men President of the Pen Branch, Mandeville District, told the audience that it was an honor to serve the school and that this was an investment in the future. The gifts were not just for them now but also for those who would follow.
The Head of the Agricultural Department, Ms. Joy Vincent, said they will be forever grateful. “We promise to take care of these gifts and, while we use them, [we] give thanks for blessing us in such a way.”
The school gifted Church representatives with bottles of honey and a plaque to express their gratitude. Both were produced by equipment and the embroidery machine donated by the Church.