BEACON OF THE DAY: School founder teaching for 40 years

BEACON OF THE DAY: School founder teaching for 40 years

March 19, 2020 0 By Horace Mills

Angela Freemantle has been awarded for her sterling contribution to the field of education, in which she has been serving for 40 years.

She is also founder of Foursquare Basic School in the Kent Village area of Bog Walk, St. Catherine.

A day before International Women’s Day this year, Freemantle was awarded the Lyndon Taylor Award for her contribution to education.

The True United Sisters organization, which hosted the awards ceremony at Bethel Baptist Church in Bog Walk, described the educator extraordinaire as humble, loving, quiet and caring.

“Ms. Freemantle often visited various homes encouraging parents and guardians to send out their children to school whenever they were absent. Likewise, those who couldn’t afford to pay the school fee were also encouraged to send the children,” the organization said.

Freemantle, after collecting the award, told The Beacon: “It’s great to be awarded.”

She stated that her relatively long stint in the classroom is rooted in her love for interacting with children.

The native of Linstead, St. Catherine, is a past student of Rose Duncan Basic School and Linstead All Age School – now Linstead Primary and Junior High.

She spent two years at the then Buxton High School before she commenced studies at Jamaica Commercial Institute.

Freemantle eventually attained certification in Early Childhood Education (Levels 1 and 2) through the government’s HEART/NTA programme.

Her first job was as a teacher in 1980 at the then Dam Head Basic School – also near Bog Walk.

Five years later, Freemantle started the Foursquare Basic School under the banner of the Foursquare Gospel Church.

“I started with about 12 children and it grew till it had about 32 and the government came in and recognized it,” she explained.

The Ministry of Education, in 1990, recognized and certified the school with 32 students. In that same year, Jacqueline Wright joined the staff as a teacher, followed by Agnes Clark-Johnson who joined in September 1996.

Freemantle, in the meantime, told The Beacon that her basic school has been playing a fundamental role in Kent Village.

“It is playing a good role because some of the people cannot afford to send their children out [of the community] and so they are glad that the school is there. The next district from there is Bog Walk,” Freemantle noted.

She does not have any biological children, but has helped to raise many.

Her love for children is also displayed at the Linstead-based York Street Pentecostal Tabernacle where she worships and also serves as a Sunday school teacher.


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