By Janelle Christie
“You’ll pass through this world but once: if there is anything good, therefore, that you can do or any kindness that you can show to any fellow creature do not differ or neglect it, for you shall not pass this way again” –Stephen Grellet
These well known words are at the core of the belief systems of Eloise Panton, the first female principal of the Aabuthnott Gallimore High School in St Ann.
Born Eloise Brown in Bamboo, St Ann, to parents Velma Rose-Walker and Ian, she is the first of five siblings.She grew up with two brothers until the arrival of her sister when she was a teen. Her family was made up predominantly of males and for this reason she adopted some of their ways.
Growing up for Eloise Brown was “fun” in a peaceful community where residents all “looked out for each other”.
Mrs Panton recalls the most challenging moments of her childhood being those times, growing up in a single parent family, where a decision had to be made between which of the older children, her brother or herself, would attend school, on which day.
This inspired Eloise Brown to get an education and aim for her goals as “it was the only way” out of her situation.
From Bamboo Basic, she went to Bamboo All Age School to Ferncourt High School, in Claremont, St Ann.
Mrs Panton says that as a child she was an avid reader and an all rounder, being involved in a number of clubs and societies including drama- music, speech, dance; Circle K, and Girl Guides, serving as a guider.
Despite the rough times she experienced, the caring spirit of the people in her community outshone the problems and Eloise grew to have a passion for nursing. Soon though, after high school she realized that maybe she wasn’t cut out for nursing.
She enrolled at Shortwood Teacher’s College, after applying to enter teaching and also nursing. For teaching practice, she was placed at a secondary school in Kingston, where she came across students with behavioral problems, quite unlike those she knew as a rural area child. Yet, she found that her early experience with many males around assisted, even when she had to cool and calm a hostile young man with a knife in class.
She found that she had impacted the lives of many students while at this institution and knew that she had found her passion.
After leaving Shortwood, Mrs Panton attended the NorthernCaribbean University (NCU), in Mandeville and graduated with a bachelor’s degree with honors.
Thereafter, Mrs Panton went on to pursue the masters degree in Educational Leadership at the Central Connecticut State University and graduated in 2008 with a 3.97 GPA.
From there she moved on to the University of The West Indies (UWI) were she did her post graduate diploma. She graduated from UWI with distinction in 2009.
HOW THE JOURNEY BEGAN
Marcus Garvey Technical High School in St Ann, was her first job after Shortwood College. She spent almost twenty years at this school.When she went there she taught a batch of grade nine students who she says “had an appetite for knowledge” and kept her on her feet.
After leaving Marcus Garvey Technical, she moved overseas and worked at a middle school in Bermuda for two and a half years. But she became home sick and moved back to Jamaica to be with her family.
AABUTHNOTT GALLIMORE
She then taught at The Moneague College in St Ann, for one year and one semester before taking up the post of principal at the Aabuthnott Gallimore High School, in St Ann.
She sees the school as a new journey with its own culture and has seen where she has made a mark at the institution. “I hope that we will be able to transform Aabuthnott Gallimore to be the institution of choice for students sitting the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) and the Grade Nine Achievement Test (GNAT),” she said
She also hopes that the school will be able to add value to students’ lives to equip them to be able to function effectively in society.
During her tenure as an educator, Mrs Panton has been supported by her family and inspired by other educators.
Although Mrs Panton knows her calling was to become an educator, there were times she yearned for a change to see if there were otherlatent talents and abilities in society that she could have unleashed.
Mrs Panton finds satisfaction in seeing her students excel.
“The thrill that I really have is to see that children that I have interfaced with have surpassed me”.
Mrs Panton has had the opportunity to work with students, some of whom have gone on to work with renowned organizations.
FAMILY
In 1991, while in her final year at college, Mrs Panton met a man with whom she built a relationship. More than a year later, in 1993 they got married.
Having mothered several children, Mrs Panton is the biological mother of one daughter, Jinelle, who she shares with husband, Hernel.
She describes her family as being supportive and spoke of her daughter being an inspiration to her and that she has made her proud.
Apart from dedicating herself as an educator, Mrs Panton enjoys reading, surfing the web and taking nature walks.
Mrs Panton is an active member of the Salem Seventh Day Adventist Church where she has served in various capacities. She has served as Adventist Youth Leader, Treasurer, Church Clerk, Youth Sponsor, Personal Ministry’s leader, Assistant Family Life Leader, and Women Ministry’s Leader.
The team she is a part of at church helps to minister to incarcerated youths. Mrs Panton is desirous of devoting more of her time to do projects like these to serve humanity. “Ultimately as a Christian, we are called to be witnesses for Christ and we can share the good news of salvation so it is something I look forward to, having more time, to really dedicate to doing work like that,” she said.
