IT Infrastructure Improvement Project at Mercy Schools on the Alpha Campus, Jamaica

The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a push towards online learning, virtual meetings and gatherings.  The identification of the first COVID -19 case in Jamaica in mid-March caused nationwide school closure,  impacting all face-to-face learners in Jamaica. The Sisters of Mercy sponsored group of schools were all closed and were challenged in delivering teaching and learning through alternate means with limited education technology and resources to engage in remote learning exercises.

Through careful research and planning the Mercy administrators of the five institutions on the Alpha campus identified feasible hybrid learning solutions through the use of education technology. The first  challenge to overcome was to acquire a data communication framework and then improve the lack of reliable internet access to the Mercy institutions on the Alpha Campus. In addition, we needed to acquire the hardware to support the delivery of live-streaming from the classroom.

Thanks to a grant from MESA through the Sisters of Mercy Collaborative Ministry Fund, we can now ensure that teachers and administrators are  equipped with the tools to meet the goal of remote learning on various digital platforms. Students will have access to campus-wide internet and live-stream of lessons in session on campuses for students who are off campus. Three of the five schools on resumption on classes in September will have one-half of their population in face-to-face sessions at any point. Live-streaming sessions will complement the face-to-face sessions.

The funding from MESA for this project will greatly equip the hardworking teachers and school administrators with the required hardware to meet this dramatically changed education landscape. It has been a major learning curve for students, parents and educators moving their teaching online and delivering sessions which will be live-streamed. Through the support of MESA, we are now able to implement this project which would otherwise not have been possible. We are thankful for the tremendous support.

Comments from Mrs. Kali McMorris, Principal, Convent of Mercy -Alpha

A technology-driven economy and society demands that students can access and deepen their understanding of the concepts they are expected to grasp at the secondary level. Prior to March 2020, this meant that school improvement across the globe had, as a central objective, increased access to interactive and online learning. The flipped classroom and blended modalities were emerging realities.

In March 2020, the COVID-19 reality launched school communities headfirst into online and distance learning akin to the archaic practice of throwing children into deep water to teach them to swim! Some swim, some drown and most flounder, learning to stay afloat but never mastering the strokes, enjoying the glide or experiencing the exhilaration of swimming.

 The Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, through MESA, have thrown our school a lifeline and anchored us in safe waters. The grant received at Alpha will allow us to meet the expectations of our families who have come to believe that this campus is a safe haven; a Potter’s field where God through the spirit of Catherine and Jessie Ripoll will provide all that is required for the highest quality of education despite the context of the times. 

Through this grant our students will be able to access the internet, absent in many households, for learning on their own and in classes. Teachers will have stable internet access, allowing them to reach their students who are unable to come to school physically,and all will be able to use appropriate technologies as a tool to express their creativity and enhance their productivity.

Comments from Mr. Oneil Stevens, Principal, Jessie Ripoll Primary

The assistance from MESA through the Sisters of Mercy has been a godsend to our school community. The funds from Sisters of Mercy for campus-wide technology will assist with the following initiative(s):

The Renovation of Jessie Ripoll Primary’s Computer Lab, which doubles as an Enrichment Room. The renovation of the room will allow approximately 40 students (each day) to accommodate a space more convenient for small group support with up-to-date computers and other SMART technology to reinforce learning. The Sisters of Mercy will be partnering with the school’s Parent Teachers Association (PTA) to complete the project.

Improving the school’s internet infrastructure has always been a priority, but due to insufficient funds this was not realized. The support provided by MESA  will allow us to be better able to adopt the modality of a blended teaching approach. This approach conveniently allows face-to-face teaching as well as remote learning with lessons being streamed live. In so doing, the facility allows students who are unable to attend school due to medical challenges, to be engaged simultaneously with their classmates who are physically at school.

We appreciate the support which will allow us to be better able to be our  brother’s/(sister’s) keeper.

Submitted by Marcia Tai Chun
Ministry Coordinator and Legal Counsel
Sisters of Mercy of Jamaica
August 5, 2020