From left: Carol Jennings-Smith, Curline Christie and Jacquelin Greenland stand in the environment they have made home for their students - a classroom at St Andrew Technical High School. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer

They were employed to teach but Carol Jennings-Smith, Jacquelin Greenland and Curline Christie of St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS) have gone the extra mile.

The teachers, among other educators, have established a school welfare committee. Funds raised from this committee are used for the school's breakfast programme and the purchase of shoes for needy students, among other things.

The educators were also instrumental in the success of Kamal Gilzene, a resident of Grants Pen, a depressed neighbourhood in St Andrew, who defied the odds and earned a university degree.

Gilzene, who was featured in The Gleaner on Monday, said the trio kept him on the right path.

"We have several other Kamals, to us it is nothing out of the way, we always try to assist our students," Curline Christie, principal of the institution, said.

"We tend to give away what we don't have to ensure that examination fees are paid and if we get a little bursary, we share it with them," she added.

Funds, she said, were sourced from past students and other institutions.

"What we do as teachers is what we think is expected of us," said Greenland, who has been in the classroom for 24 years.

"Our children here are special. Many don't have the guidance at home, so we feel we need to givethem the extra guidance that is needed," she said.

Most of the 1,235 students who attend STATHS are from poverty-stricken areas. Christie said the school provides shoes and fabric for needy students.

"Students without shoes are given a cheque to take to Leder Mode and purchase their shoes," she said.

Additionally, she pointed that teachers discreetly pack baskets of food supplies for needy students to take home.

"We don't like when students are needy and people know," she said.

Jennings-Smith, who has been teaching at STATHS for 28 years, said the teachers tend to be more involved in the students' lives because some do not get the kind of love they need at home.

"We know some of the homes that they come from. They don't get the attention and care, so we try to give them that," she said.

The school also sponsors children. But rather than giving them the money at once, they get in tranches.

"We open an account for them and let's say, if a child gets $25,000; every week, we give them a cheque with some of the money so they can use it for lunch and other things," Christie said.

She also noted that the students are encouraged to be thrifty.

"They sign for the money and if they come and say they want a blouse to wear to sports day, then we tell them no because that is not important ... . They will need money for lunch," said Christie.

According to the teachers, the breakfast programme at the school has improved students' attendance and punctuality and has given them the push they need to become well-adjusted citizens.

petrina.francis@gleanerjm.com