By Samantha Simon
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The first grade class of the TN Kirnon School pooled efforts to give a donation of EC$1,000 to the Antigua and Barbuda Humane Society.
The idea was the brainchild of teachers Sacha Mills and Dorrett George after a fieldtrip with their students in 2022 to the Donkey Sanctuary where they adopted a donkey named Dee.
The children showed such a positive response to the equine beasts that the teachers used the opportunity to educate the children on empathy, kindness and the care of animals.
The teachers later put together their skills to make a short video skit of the children, showcasing the lessons experienced and creating a video to document the story of kindness the children had learnt.
The video was shown before the school enjoyed a special brunch as part of the celebration of their handover of the donation to the Humane Society.
The teachers are no strangers to unique teaching methods that influence not only their class but the entire school, having been the trendsetters behind the institution’s Independence Flag Week which has come to be adopted by other schools.
They hope to be able to continue providing such opportunities and experiences to their students, recognising that many parents may not have the time to take their children to places such as the Donkey Sanctuary, and for many, it was their first interaction with large animals outside of the average cat or dog.
The two teachers have both taught for much of their lives – George for 10 years and Mills for an impressive 17.
They attributed their ability to come up with creative initiatives on their support of one another as well as the trust they have built up over the years with the school’s staff and students.
With the conclusion of this initiative, they said they hope to work together with other organisations to provide more opportunities for the children to learn in fun and creative ways.