Stella Maris Students Shine Bright on Day One
For most students, the first day of school comes with the familiar mix of butterflies, excitement and big smiles. And at Stella Maris, that excitement was even more special this morning. While the school continues to operate from temporary location at the University of Belize as renovations at their facility continue, teachers, parents and management made sure the students felt right at home. There was a special photo shoot to let their personalities shine, a nutritious breakfast, treats in the classroom and thanks to a sister-city partnership with the Belize City Council and Miramar, Florida, every student returned to school in brand-new uniforms. We caught up with Principal Doreth Pascasio-Griffith about the excitement on day one.

Doreth Pascasio-Griffith
Doreth Pascasio-Griffith, Principal, Stella Maris
“The first day of school is a lot of excitement, a lot of big smile and a lot of enthusiasm. You could see the excitement on the parents. I have some parents crying, you know, because for some of them, I have new parents and it’s their first time their kids are coming to Stella Maris. But I think it’s the tears that are coming, pouring down their cheeks, it’s because they’re excited for the back to school journey here at Stella Maris.”
Shane Williams
“What are you doing special for the kids?”
Doreth Pascasio-Griffith
“Well, as you can see behind me, we have our special backdrop whereby the kids could take their photos. The parents can take their photos along with the kids because memories are important. In the classroom, the teachers, they have tokens for the kids, you know, as a treat, as to welcoming them back to the school.”
Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.
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