The eager and bright smiles of the children will possibly be the first thing that grabs your attention when you step through the doors of the Ocho Rios Methodist Basic School, located on the grounds of the Methodist church. The school is located in the heart of the busy Ocho Rios. It was founded in 1948, but recognized in the 1950s. The school is managed by the Methodist church and has four teachers on staff and 75 students on roll. The school’s motto “The love of Christ leads us. We are learning to follow”, is emphasized deeply throughout all aspects of school life, according to school principal Kadine Small. She also said that the school is excelling in various academic and extra-curricular activities. School is conducted in a religious atmosphere suitable to the passing on of Christian values.
The school will be competing in the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) speech and music competitions to be held in Brown’s Town on February 25 and March 23, 2015 respectively. In addition, Miss Small said that the Ministry of Education recognizes the school and the University of the West Indies is set to do an intervention programme in the next school term called ‘Insights’. The programme will seek to target the social interaction and communication among parents, teachers and students.
The school includes in its educational programme an introduction to playing the recorder, Spanish and the computer. It intends to add other offerings from time to time as personnel and funds become available. The institution also has begun the process of making awards for excellence and achievement. The school recognizes the need to encourage and reward high standards among the children.
