Kurupukari Primary School students visit Iwokrama for the first time

By Wendella Davidson

FOR 45 students of the Kurupukari Primary School (commonly called the Fairview Primary School), the just-concluded Mashramani celebrations will remain etched in their minds as quite a memorable occasion.

Though many of them were born and grew up in the community, it was the first time they were afforded an opportunity to visit the Iwokrama International Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development.
The tour was organised by the school’s recently-appointed headmaster, Quado Vancooten, as he seeks to inject new life into the school community by getting the students to become more aware of places of interest in their community and its environs.

In an interview with the Pepperpot Magazine, Vancooten, who took up an appointment as the headteacher at the school in December last year, said the tour group consisted of students drawn from Grade Four to Form Three, Peace Corps Volunteer Lance Coldwell, a Biology graduate from the US who teaches Science at the school and also works with the council; primary level teacher, Jessica Jonas, her two-year-old son, Tyson, and the headmaster himself.

Prior to moving to the Kurupukari School, Vancooten taught for five years at Mainstay Lake Primary and was then headmaster at Mashabo Primary for 12 years, both schools in Amerindian reservations in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).
Vancooten recalled that his interest in the Kurupukari school began in August 2016, as he was passing through the community.

“I was heading to Georgetown from Lethem after visiting the Central Rupununi with the Kids Joy Foundation to distribute back-to-school supplies to the villages of Moca Moca, Kumu, Haiwa, Quarrie and Parishara. And, while on a brief wait at the Kurupukari crossing I struck up a conservation with `Michelle’, a female who operates a snack shop and during the discourse, I asked her about the Fairview school. I was immediately thrown into a state of sadness when she told me that the school only had two teachers,” Vancooten said.

He stated that upon hearing that he told himself that if the school at Mashabo, where he was employed at the time, could have its full complement of staff, he didn’t mind leaving to give service to Fairview, since, “I had fallen in love with the area at first sight,” he said. One year later, after giving 17 years of yeoman service in Region Two, Vancooten finally decided that it was time to move on and fulfill his dream of serving in the deep hinterland, and for him, Kurupakari was just ideal.

ARRIVAL
According to Vancooten, he hit the ground running upon his arrival at the school, stating that he gets a “high” seeing progress in the students as well as in the school to which he is attached. “It has been one stage of development after the other since then,” he remarked with pride, noting too, that at the time of his arrival he met a newly-built sanitary block and renovation works were ongoing on the school. Not long after the entire facility was tiled and repainted. In addition, a government-sponsored school feeding programme got underway in February. Also, a nursery class represented the school at the Annual North Rupununi District Sports for the very first time.

SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR MASHRAMANI
Continuing, the headmaster said that with the Mashramani celebrations approaching and hearing about all the hype in the city, he too wanted his students to get into the spirit, so he thought that they should do something special. “I enquired of the staff and pupils of the places they would have previously toured and whether they had anywhere specific in mind,” he said.

“I was told that the school had not made any tours outside of the community in a while, except for the participation by a couple of athletes in the region’s inter-branch sports meeting which was held at Moca Moca, in the Rupunini. Right away I had this idea of a visit to the Iwokrama Reservation, which would include walking the famous Canopy since it was located just a few hours drive from the village.”

Vancooten said the idea was thrown out to the teachers and students and it was immediately accepted, and it was then that he learned, much to his surprise, that several of the students, had never visited the area. Additionally, some of the students have parents who are employed at Iwokrama but they never had the opportunity to pay a visit.

Vancooten added that as the excitement grew within the school community, he sought and obtained all the needed approvals to execute the tour from the Education Department in Region Nine, as well as the Management of Iwokrama. Fuel to undertake the trip was donated by Mac Vantage, a logging company operating in the area and which is of immense support to the school in any of its endeavours.

On the day of the tour, Vancooten said upon arrival at the reservation the group was taken to the `Lodge’ where they were given a warm welcome. He said the tour guide, Kendrick Andrew, remarked that he was having a new experience as it was the first time that the reservation was hosting a primary school group on tour. Vancooten added that the children felt relaxed as the guide had told them to feel free to ask questions and share what they knew.

Armed with knowledge
An added hype to the visit, the headmaster said, was that some of the students are members of a wildlife club in the community that was started by the Peace Corps volunteer, and so they ensured that they were armed with binoculars, some of which they borrowed from residents, to use for possible bird sightings. He proudly remarked that during that tour the students easily identified in excess of 35 species of birds that live in the Iwokrama forest area, and recognised too, some of the trees.

The children also pointed out the bat seed which is grown in the forested area of their village.
He said that Andrew, the tour guide commented that his work was made very easy as he was able to relate to the children as they came with the previous knowledge.

“The children were all excited at the Canopy because only a few had gone there before … they were in awe at the height of the walkway, and one young lad even remarked that he is accustomed to trees but never knew that persons can build a walkway between them. The youngest child to the canopy top, two-year-old Tyson Jonas [Ms. Jonas’ son] was just as excited like the older children, he was not afraid one bit,” Vancooten said.

“I was happy at the conclusion and had a feeling of accomplishment as we at the school were able to achieve yet another first. I feel that I came to the school and village at the right time and I have found a unique niche where I can teach and work and live in a place I truly enjoy. A friend remarked on Facebook after seeing my various pics that I am living a working vacation of which I couldn’t agree less,” he added.

TEACHERS NEEDED
On a more serious note, Vancooten said the school is really in need of more teachers. “We are only three, with an enrollment of 103, but we do try our best with the resources at our disposal. We are happy that we receive administrative support from the Department Office at Lethem and infrastructural support from the Mahdia Regional Democratic Council. The Iwokrama Reservation has always maintained a great working and supporting relationship with the school to the extent that the school gets textbooks and other material support from them, as well as from REPSOL,” he noted.

Vancooten said too, that he learnt that Iwokrama’s assistance to the school has been ongoing for some time in that it was also through help from members of the community that the old school building was constructed.
He said for the time being, classes are still conducted in the former school building. With the airstrip being nearby, the students on almost a daily basis, witness the take-off and landing of small planes transporting bird-watching and other tourists, including those who come to the area to do sports fishing- which has contributed to Fairview’s reputation as “a fisherman’s paradise.”

Vancooten recalled that recently, Trans Guyana Airways pilot, Jonathon Mohamed,gave during one of his stops at the Kurupukari airstrip responded to a request by some of the children to have a look-see at the inside of a Cessna Caravan he had flown there. He gave them a brief view and even allowed them to take turns sitting in the pilot’s seat.

According to the headmaster, having witnessed the excitement in the children, then, he has since written to the Trans Guyana Airways administration at Ogle, seeking approval for the children to be given a short flight for them to experience flying in an aircraft. Should the approval be granted the headmaster said it will also be another first and memorable occasion for the children of Kurupakari Primary School.