School opens doors to calm community tensions

Principal of Maverley Primary and Infant School Valentine Spencer is opening the doors of the school's wellness room not just to students and teachers, but also to parents and community members caught up in conflict.

"This wellness centre caters not only for the students, because you will have students that will come in and they'll be a little bit upset," Spencer said. "You have parents that will also come in, and the guidance counsellors can better take care of their needs by bringing them into a safe and calm environment."

Spencer says the centre acts as a safe space that can help ease tensions and bring healing to troubled people.

"I have used this wellness centre with parents who are irate, who are upset. I bring them inside and they calm down quickly and easily, and the matters were dealt with. So, it helps with the psychological, the emotional needs of the parents."

"When they come and they see that there's a safe space for them, something like a home or probably better than a home, a calming place, it's like a safe place in a school that's not academic, [and] it's a well-needed thing."

"It serves the community also, where, if needs be and we have problems, we can use this to talk with the persons who are involved. It is here for community members to use, although we have not had them come in and use it yet. They know about it and know they have access."

Spencer explained that Maverley has been struggling with serious violence in recent months, and he hopes to use the centre as a neutral space for dialogue.

"We are having a war in this community, where you have one side of the wall fighting against the next other wall. There are parents dying, young men dying. Recently, a two-year-old died; before that, six persons were shot across the road, and it's just something that is crazy, and I would love to see the people stop doing this. So this is a space that I would love to probably get them into and get them seated in, and where we could talk it out."

He added that the school continues to feel the impact of the violence, as some children are too afraid to attend when shootings erupt nearby.

"There are students that didn't come to school because of violence. With the shooting of the two-year-old, there were students that didn't come to school because of it, but since then children have started to come back to school. Those students were directly impacted. The children don't want to miss school, because we have so many activities here that cater for the holistic development of the children. It's not only academic, but also sports and arts."

Spencer said he wants more parents and community members to feel comfortable using the centre.

"They are not that willing to come in and sit down at this time. But I could make the appeal that they could come in and use the wellness centre with the guidance of the guidance counsellors, where, if they need to come in and sit down and talk, we have two trained guidance counsellors that are willing to facilitate them, to help them with constant psychosocial problems."

"We are right here for them, because this school is not just for the students, it's for the entire community. So if they need help with psychosocial problems [or] problems that they might have, we have the concept here that we facilitate them in the wellness room."

One of the school's guidance counsellors, Candice Scarlett-Martin, says the wellness centre has already proven to be a vital support for students who are struggling with trauma, fear, or exhaustion.

"Many of the students come from homes where violence or hardship is common, and anxiety is a quiet reality. Some children arrive at school hungry, wearing worn-out shoes, or too tired to concentrate because they didn't sleep the night before."

"Sometimes they're just afraid," she said, noting that the school has even added a small bed, so students can rest when exhausted.

Scarlet-Martin explained that the centre supports everyone, including students, teachers, and parents, with counselling, referrals, and guidance on personal challenges.

"Parents also stop by occasionally for advice on how to handle issues at home or to talk through financial struggles."

"This wellness centre definitely helps. It's a safe haven where people can come, talk, and relax in a peaceful environment."

Though the team hopes to expand the services offered, limited funding remains a challenge. Still, both Spencer and Scarlet-Martin believe the centre is a vital source of hope for the community.

Maverley falls within the St Andrew South Police Division, which covers several Corporate Area communities. According to data from the Jamaica Constabulary Force, the division recorded a 20.3 per cent decrease in murders and an 8.1 per cent decline in shootings as of July 2024, compared to the same period in 2023 -- a sign of ongoing progress in the fight against crime.