More than 250 teachers from 38 schools in St Ann and St Mary were hosted by the Sandals International Resorts Ocho Rios Region properties as part of the Health and Wellness Teachers’ Day celebration at Pearly Beach, St Ann.

In partnership with the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) and the North East Regional Health Authority (NERHA), the participating hotels were Sandals Dunn’s River, Ochi Beach Resort, Sandals Royal Plantation and Beaches Ocho Rios.

“This was our way of giving back and saying thank you to our hard-working teachers,” explained Sandals Regional Public Relations Manager, Lyndsay Isaacs.

“The teachers benefited from services, including HIV/syphilis testing, pap smears, general medical checkup, cholesterol, tetanus and Human Papillomavirus vaccinations, blood sugar and blood pressure checks,” she said.

The event also saw teachers winning prizes to Dunn’s River Falls, Green Grotto Caves, four weekends to a Sandals/Beaches Resort, among other gifts.  Each teacher was also presented with a memorabilia plaque from the region.

“We made sure there was something for everyone. Our teachers went through a lot throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and needed a break to unwind. Our partners, the UDC and NERHA, must also be commended for a job well done,” Isaacs said.

Teacher at Mile End Basic School, St Ann, Jenielle Pinnock, who won one of the major prizes, said it was great that Sandals and the two government entities [UDC and NERHA] could assemble so many teachers together “for a fun-filled day”.

“I am also overwhelmed at winning this dream weekend for two. I will be going to a Beaches Resort with my son who will be celebrating his sixth birthday in July and who will also be graduating. He is doing extremely well in school, and this will be the perfect wish I had, that is now a reality. The entire day was beyond expectation. I did not expect it to be that much fun and to see everyone just having a great time.  The entire staff were exceptional too,” she pointed out.

Senior teacher at Runaway Bay All-Age School, Audrey Ashmeade, was also equally elated.

“Sandals and company really went all out so we could all enjoy ourselves. With all we have been through over the past two to three years, this was indeed a welcome reprieve,” she told JIS News.

Meanwhile, Manager of the Ocho Rios Commercial Centre Limited (a subsidiary of the UDC), Angela Strudwick, said it was a great gesture on the part of Sandals to put the event together, adding that “we are just happy that we were able to participate…alongside NEHRA”.