Garfield Angus, JIS Writer

Principal Andria Dehaney-Dinham does an early-morning check of the teachers' attendance record. - JIS Photo

If Andria Dehaney-Dinham was to clad herself in the white and blue uniform worn by students of the Maryland All-Age School, located in deep rural Hanover, she could easily be passed as a cheerful grade nine student. However, she is 30 years old and the principal of that institution for more than a year now.

Growing up in the community of Springfield, near Maryland, Andria's childhood days were about going to the river, climbing trees and playing with the boys in the area; a regular tom boy, some would say. But even with her 'extra-curricular' outdoor activities, she always knew the importance of a good education. "I had to be serious with my schoolwork. My mother was a community health aid and life was not easy for us. At the time, I was her only child and she was really strict and always wanted to see my books to ensure that my work was done properly," she said.

Her mother's guidance and close attention to her schoolwork was quite noticeable in young Dehaney. "In 1988, I was the only one from the grade six batch at my school to pass the Common Entrance Examination. From there, it was on to Rusea's High School where I had my focus on becoming a lawyer or nurse."

Fate

The assertive and always smiling young principal's choice of becoming a teacher could be described as fate. At age 17, she did a two-year pre-training stint at Maryland All-Age and was encouraged by staff members, students and current acting Region Four Education Director, Devon Ruddock, who was an education officer at the time, to go to college and pursue a career in teaching.

"The former principal who I succeeded was like my mother. She was strong and caring and she encouraged me to choose teaching. She and other teachers would tell me that I had the attributes of a teacher. I wanted to be a nurse, so after high school I applied to a nursing school in Kingston and the Sam Sharpe Teachers' College. The teachers' college called me first and so I enrolled there and started my training."

Looking back at the journey of the young school administrator, who quite often had to walk one mile from home to school, Delva Baker, former principal and Andria's mentor, believes that she is a shining example for young people who are beset by trying circumstances. "She was a jovial child, full of hope and I had no doubt that she would have succeeded in her chosen endeavours. When I look at young people today who have a lot, but yet they complain and give excuses for not making it in life, they need to look at what Andria has made and done with the little that she had. After she entered college, she sent me a thank-you card and part of it stated - 'if people like you had not come to Maryland what would Andria have become?' That has stayed with me and I am quite proud for the little that I have done in making her what she is today." After leaving college in 1999 with a diploma in primary education, it seemed only fitting that Andria wanted to give back to the very same school that provided such a strong foundation.

Ambitious, bright and kind are words that Fadie Kerr, mother of the youngest principal to be appointed at Maryland All-Age, used to describe her daughter. "From as early as age two I saw that something good would have come from Andria. Even when I did not have money to give her, she would tell me that with lunch or without, she was going to school. I am proud of her!"

This is a special Gleaner feature in partnership with the Jamaica Information Service (JIS).