History of Santa Elena Primary-Roman Catholic School
In the 1920s the town of Santa Elena was very small and the only form of Primary Education facilities offered was in San Ignacio. Eventually, there arose the need to facilitate a small number of school-age children in Santa Elena. Two teacher leaders, pioneered the effort and started the Santa Elena Primary Roman Catholic School. The location was where the St. Ignatius School is presently located, right above the banks of the Macal River.
Schools Present Local Environment
SEPS is located in the new area of Santa Elena Town, at the corner of Requena and Bishop Street. The right side of the school is bordered by Perez Street which is known as the school main address. The school is approximately 200 yards from the western highway and about 150 yards from the district education center.
The Community the school serves
The school community is the residents living in Santa Elena Town. Houses can be seen on all four corners of the school campus. Since most students come from right around Santa Elena it makes it easy for parents to visit teachers and conference with them at any time. During the lunch break, parents from the community are again seen at the school campus. They take lunch for their children or buy lunch from the cafeteria and can be seen having lunch on the picnic tables. Likewise, in the evening parents can be seen on campus to pick up their kids and even help with duties. Therefore, the community is seen as very helpful and being involved.
Once upon a time…
There were two pioneers who saw the need to provide formal education to the ever-growing community of Santa Elena. At that time the only formal schooling offered in the community was in a then-existing church building made of white marl and thatched roof. The two teachers pioneers, namely the late Maestro Garcia and Mr. Henry. gathered community efforts and monetary/financial assistance to build a classroom near the church.
As Santa Elena began to expand, the town limits extended. The growing population gave rise to the need for more classrooms and thus in the 1950s, a cement structure with asbestos roofing was constructed. The borders of the compound ended right next to the building.
Later on, the church acquired as a grant, a two-story wooden residence, which was right next- door to the school. With the acquisition of this new property, the borders extended further east. Eventually, another family residence in front of the newly acquired building was also purchased from the De La Fuente family.
As time went on, there was a need for yet another expansion. This was done in the 1970s. Another two-story extension was made to the building acquired as a grant from Mrs. Requena, the then owner of Santa Elena. Added to this, a small extension measuring 10ft x 8ft was done to host the principal’s office. Temporarily this seemed to satisfy the growing need for space; but not for long. There was then the obvious and urgent need (as the population was rapidly growing) for more classrooms and space. This resulted in the acquisition of eight acres of land in the new area of Santa Elena Town where a two-story concrete building housing nine classrooms and a principal’s office was constructed. In September of 1992, the school was separated. Moving over to the new site was the Upper Division (Standards IV-VI) with their principal Mr. Crescencio Pinelo, and Santa Elena Infant/Middle staying at the previous location with the principal Mrs. Dorothy Cowo. Due to the lack of space and inadequate classroom spacing, a group of Standard III students from the Middle Division had to be accommodated at the Upper Division grounds. It was indeed difficult for two teachers on one site and the other on the next site, a mile away, to communicate and work together. Repairs were made in the summer of 1994 to accommodate the group at the Infant/Middle School.
At the time, there was a struggle in negotiating for a new structure to have begun even before Mrs. Dorothy Cowo took over the post of Principal in 1994. With the assumption of the post in 1994, the school set out to form a P.T.A. The focus was to fundraise and solicit funds for the improvement and safety of the structure. The existing complex, eight-classroom structure was very much dilapidated and posed a serious threat to the lives of the teachers and children in there. Ministry engineers came to the school and agreed that the structure was beyond repair and therefore, condemned the building.
The then P.T.A. worked arduously for two years with quite a number of achievements in raising the necessary funds. On the other hand, there were Funding Agencies that had provided assistance, but still, it was not enough to make a start.
After several consultations with the area representative, as well as with the minister of Natural Resources, an affirmation was gotten for the construction of a five-classroom building, provided that the school meets half of the cost. As the school worked towards the cause they also sent a proposal to CDB – Basic Needs Trust Fund for the construction of twelve classrooms including a principal’s office. After much deliberations and consultations due to problems encountered with the building at the Infant/Middle School site, the issue as to where the new building should be constructed was put to a vote to the general membership. It was voted one hundred and seventy-two to thirty-two, for the building to be constructed on the site at the Upper School. CDB (Caribbean Development Bank) headquarters in Barbados was, therefore, informed as to the change in plans. The school seemed to finally be achieving its goal when suddenly they were informed that there was nothing in the budget for Santa Elena Infant/Middle School. The struggle, however, still went on and with the efforts of the newly formed P.T.A., the school’s administration was sure that they were going to make a mark in the school’s history.
The Amalgamation Progress & Development
Due to the growing student population, the need for more space, and better infrastructure; there was then the amalgamation of the two schools – the Infant/Middle Division and the Upper Division. This happened in September 2001 with the new principal Mr. Manuel Medina Sr. The school was then named Santa Elena Primary School.
Upon taking over as principal, it was requested for the school to have two vice principals. The school’s Staff, therefore, consisted of an Administrative Principal, two Administrative Vice Principals, and twenty-five teachers. The student population was over 700. There were twenty-five classrooms (18 concrete and 7 metal), three bathrooms (2 small Sewerage type and 1 large pit latrine type) and a Principal’s office. Even though there was electricity in all the classrooms on the 2 story building and in the metal buildings, we could not install electricity on the lower flat of the new building which consisted of 9 classrooms and a room intended for a bathroom. This was due to leakage occurring when it rained.
In less than 4 years, the student population had grown tremendously to over 900. As a result, additional classrooms had to be built. We started construction on the upper part of the new building. With the assistance of the Area Representative, Rotary, Fr. Kevin Henderman and Fr. Bob Hass eventually ten rooms were completed on the upper flat and electricity installed in all 20 classrooms. By the end of the 2004 – 2005 School Year, the student population had grown to 966. The Staff now consisted of an Administrative Principal, three Administrative Vice Principals, and thirty-two teachers.
In terms of infrastructure, there were then 2 two-story concrete buildings and 2 metal buildings housing thirty-two classrooms, a library, a principal’s office, a staff room, three rooms that can open and can be used for meetings, etc, in other words, an auditorium, three bathrooms (with sewerage and washbasins). Besides this there is also a bathroom constructed by SIF (Social Investment Fund) equipped with sewerage, urinals, washbasins, and showers), two storage rooms, and a basketball court. The Pit latrine was sealed and converted to a storage room. There is also a football field and ample space for the children to play. As was mentioned before the school compound consists of eight acres making it the school with the largest compound in the area.
Improvement both in infrastructure and in academics continued since there is always room and the need for improvement. By the end of the 2007 – 2008 school year again with the assistance of Rotary, Fr. Bob, and the P.T.A. we were able to upgrade our electricity and installed ceiling fans in all classrooms. We also bought 25 computers and started a computer program for the Standard 4 and 5 classes. This room was secured and electricity installed for the computers with the assistance of Mr. Rafael Marin the then President of our P.T.A. Through his assistance we were provided with Internet access. Other outstanding accomplishments from 2001 up to now are that we have been the Coca Cola Spelling Bee National Champions for three times as well as the National Bishop Martin Cup Champions, among others, (Festival of arts, Contests, etc.)
For the 2008 – 2009 School Year, the computer program was improved as additional computers were purchased. We were then able to obtain an additional teacher to teach computer full time. However, one of the setbacks and threats to the school is vandalism. Therefore, in order to make our school and compound more secure and safe, we ventured into the construction of a concrete and chain link fence. By the end of the school year, with the assistance of BEL, Fr. Bob, our P.T.A., our school funds, among others, we were able to complete one side and three-quarters of the other or 1/3 of the perimeter of the compound.
One of the biggest accomplishments for the 2009 – 2010 School Year was the acquisition of a brand new top of the line Duplicating Machine. This was the effort of our cooperative, dedicated, and hardworking staff. This was necessary especially since the student population has now passed the one thousand (1000) mark and the two that we had were already giving us trouble and were always in need of repairs. Our Staff is pretty much qualified and experienced to deliver quality education to our children. Most are trained teachers including with Bachelors in Education and some with 20, 25, and even 30 or more years’ experience in the profession. However, there is and will always be room for improvement.
During the course of the school year, we were fortunate to get some Marching Band instruments donated by the Governor-General (Sir Colvile Young).
As one goal is achieved, there is another one to be challenged. We have to keep up with the challenges, needs, new developments and trends in education.
And Now, the Gift of Inclusion
One of the most special features of Santa Elena Primary School is its prestigious Special Education Program, taught by two trained and skilled Special Education Teachers. Mrs. Celia Monroy has a Master’s Degree in the field and Mrs. Yasmini Caliz trained with NARCIE before getting her Associate Degree in Primary Education. They presently teach 8 special education students. These students are unique! They are special! They are loved!
The special education program began in 2009. The classroom was located inside the library because there was no available classroom.At that time there were only 8 children. In 2011 Belize Natural Energy donated a building for the program.
At this present moment, there are 11 students in the program with different disabilities and learning disorders. There are 7 girls and 4 boys ranging in age from 5-14 years old. These disabilities include: down syndrome, deaf and mute, autism, cerebral disabilities, and learning disabilities like dyslexia. There are 2 teachers who teach in the special education program. In the special education program, students go by the same mission and vision statement of the school. They are not differentiated nor separated from activities that the school has. You can see them present at fairs, mass and sports day. These students are taught similar subjects to that of the regular classroom. These subjects are: spirituality, Physical education, and visual arts. Other subjects that are taught to these students that are different in the regular classroom are: daily living skills and personal social skills. Daily living skills teaches these students the basic skills that we need to survive. These would be knowing money, going to the shop, and basic and helpful skills. The personal social skill would deal with students communicating, socializing, and building high self-esteem.
For students to get enrolled in the program, their parents need to get in contact with the ministry of education (MOE) and register their child. From there MOE will contact the school and the child will be accepted. In this program, if the students have transformed and can be seen to cope well in the regular classroom, then the teacher will contact MOE and do the required paperwork to say or explain why they believe the child can cope well in the regular classroom. Since the start of the program, 5 students have transitioned into the regular classroom.
2011-2017
The surge in student population also saw the need to build our school’s own cafeteria. In the past years, tenders would bring their own little Kiosks and take them with them when their contract with the school finished. Using school funds and assistance from the P.T.A, we built our own cafeteria.
In 2015, Mr. Medina was able to procure funds from the school community and in close partnership with Mr. Rancharan, the owner of CP Gas, to build a shed for parents and students to have lunch in a more secure and safe environment, especially during the rainy season. The work continued, and with the leadership of Mrs. Maria Matus, our Infant Division vice-principal and assistance from the school/church community, the school was able to build a grotto intended as a special area for prayer and spiritual growth. It is called Mary’s Grotto and is also used as a little park/eating area within the school grounds as it has special cement benches for comfort and relaxation under the shady trees behind the main school building.
Under New Leadership-2018/2020
Under the leadership of a new school principal, Mrs. Andrea Guerra, a cement foundation and chain link fence on the right side of the school have been erected since the previous fence with post and barbed wire was becoming unsafe and falling.
A new male and female bathroom along with a storage room has been newly built upstairs, to serve the teachers in the upper flat, especially during the rainy season, so that they do not have to go way downstairs to use the bathroom.
Now with the new school protocols and regulations, hand-wash stations have also been built at the entrance of the school for students, parents and visitors to sanitize as they enter the compound.
One very concerning issue is that our school enrollment has drastically fallen since the opening of New schools in Santa Elena, namely the Baptist Primary School. Our enrollment used to be approximately 1000 students. Now, it barely reaches over the 750 mark. We need to do something more to increase enrollment, advertise our school’s strengths and welcome more school community engagement.