Nella Perrier is described as an extraordinary person who has always displayed a fervent desire to see children from all social classes succeed in their academic pursuits. WESTERN BUREAU:
THE LIFE of Nella Perrier is a remarkable story of youthful struggle, determination, discipline and success. She has been appropriately described as an extraordinary person who has always displayed a fervent desire to see children from all social classes succeed in their academic pursuits.
It is this commitment to guiding children along the educational path, which has earned Mrs. Perrier the Governor-General's Achievement Award for the parish of Westmoreland in the County of Cornwall. As she tells it, the award brought back memories of a time when she was struggling to reach where she is today the head of a successful independent educational institution.
"When I met the (Award) committee the first time, I could not hold back the tears, because I have had some very hard times - times that I felt that I couldn't make it. I have had to walk for miles in the nights to come from school, and sometimes I feel so bad when I think about these things but today I am happy," she said, flashing a warm smile.
RESPONSIBILITIES
FROM AN EARLY AGE
From a very early age, young Nella lived with her aunt and husband who were small farmers, and at age six, she also became a farmer, cultivating small crops, which she sold and used the proceeds to purchase needed items for school. Conditions became more difficult for the young child, when her aunt's health started to deteriorate, and she had to assume the responsibility of the housework, as well as much of the field work.
Notwithstanding her difficult circumstances, Nella passed the Common Entrance Examination at age eleven, but was unable to attend a secondary school on a half scholarship due to financial constraints. Not one to give up, she reverted to studies for the Jamaica Local Examinations and passed all three, which enabled her to become a Pre-trained Teacher. She later attended Moneague Teachers College where she qualified as a trained teacher, and continued to upgrade her skills by pursuing several other courses including a Management and Supervision Course at the University of the West Indies.
As a teacher at the Barracks Road Primary School, Mrs. Perrier consistently obtained passes ranging over 90 per cent in the Common Entrance Examinations. She achieved these outstanding results by conducting evening classes at her home for students who were not performing well and who were from different schools within the community.
PROUD OF HER ACHIEVEMENTS
By this time, Mrs. Perrier was proud of her achievements, but still yearned for even higher standards from her students. In 1992, she resigned her Government job to establish the Supreme Preparatory School in Montego Bay, providing quality education for children aged four to twelve. Today, she is glad she made that decision.
"I love children and sometimes there are little things that you want to do with children that you really can't get to do because you have to wait, but on my own I can make them and build them in the way I feel, because everybody has his or her style and under God I think I can do my best," she told The Gleaner.
The school with its present enrollment of 230, is regarded as one of the leading preparatory schools in St. James with numerous Government scholarships and awards to its credit.
In addition to teaching, Mrs. Perrier still finds time to write plays and poems, and her play "The Gambler is Reformed" won several medals including the Winston Tate trophy for best primary school play in the island. As a Justice of the Peace, she was specially trained to sit in the Drug Court and Petty Sessions, and she currently works with boys aged 15 to 19 in the JAMAL literacy programme.
Despite all her achievements, the educational successes of her students are at the top of her list. In her words, she would like to be remembered as the 'poor peasant who became a good, humble teacher', and who helped the children who came under her guidance.
