Lascelles Chin, chairman and CEO of the Lasco Group of Companies, presents Jacqueline Simpson-Huntley (left) and Nadine Molloy with their trophies after they were announced as winners of the Lasco/Ministry of Education Teacher and Principal of the Year awards, respectively, yesterday at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.

It came down to a nail-biting finish, but minutes into the reading of the citations, it became clear from the expressions on the faces of Jacqueline Simpson-Huntley and Nadine Molloy that they knew they would emerge the winners of the Lasco/Ministry of Education Teacher and Principal of the Year awards.

Simpson-Huntley, business education teacher at Ewarton High School in St Catherine, said she had wanted to be a teacher since she was 12 years old.

Now a member of the noble profession for the same number of years, she said she was grateful to be recognised for a job well done.

Very hard worker

"Some people are of the opinion that teachers are not doing anything and that some of us just waste time, but I know that there are persons in the profession who are working very hard for the cause of education," she told The Gleaner minutes after receiving her award yesterday at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.

Simpson-Huntley currently serves as head of the business education department, acting examination coordinator, grade 11 supervisor, senior teacher, house/sports coordinator, staff adviser to the environment club and member of the school board.

Great support from spouse

When asked how she found time to juggle so many responsibilities, including her duties as a mother and wife, she gave credit to the support she receives from her husband.

"My husband has been a tower of strength," she said. "I have three young children, seven, five and two. Most nights I am at school until eight or nine and if he did not decide that he would babysit, it would not be possible," said Simpson-Huntley.

Molloy, principal of the Buff Bay High School in Portland and president of the Jamaica Association of Principals and Vice-Principals of Secondary Schools, said she felt yesterday's ceremony was a testimony to the quality of teachers that are present in Jamaica.

"We are products of the Jamaica education system and we are proud of that," said Molloy, who has been a teacher for the past 14 years. "We stand here today, clearly saying there is a lot of good in the education system."

For her annual project, Molloy said she plans to pursue the creation of a common link among all the schools in western Portland.

"Where there are resources in one school where others do not have it, we can share those resources," she said.

"We are also looking at creating a code of conduct for all the teachers and students in that area."

Molloy said this would ensure that when a student leaves primary school to attend high school in the area, the transition would not be too much of a challenge, as the rules and the values would be similar.

Simpson-Huntley and Molloy each received $100,000, a trophy, Lasco gift packages, spa packages and an expense-paid trip to the annual conference of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development in the United States.