Digicel rewards BB Coke schoolboy heroes, pledges support for victim
THE five BB Coke High School students hailed for swiftly moving on foot their schoolmate Jaheim Colman, 14, to a medical facility last week, are set to benefit from tuition assistance, courtesy of telecoms company Digicel.
The students, who were honoured by Prime Minister Andrew Holness and presented citations, received electronic gadgets, mobile data among other gifts at Digicel’s headquarters in Kingston on Tuesday.
“For their unselfish deeds, Digicel committed to providing tuition assistance to support the boys in managing their academic expenses. Additionally, the young heroes were presented with Samsung tablets, Youth Plan SIM cards with one year of free data and calls, bookstore vouchers, phone credit, and cricket memorabilia bearing the signatures of West Indies greats,” the telecommunications company said in a press release.
The telecommunications company said it invited the schoolboys to its corporate offices for a special honour.
The group, dubbed ‘Ambassadors for Good’ by Prime Minister Andrew Holness, comprised Daejuan Gordon, Gary Bartley, Khari Green, Dejaun Powell, and Leon Barnes.
The group of boys lifted the injured child and walked 530 metres from the school through the busy town of Junction to a doctor’s office last Thursday after he was beaten unconscious allegedly by a grade 11 student for stepping on a shoe.
Barnes said he and the other boys were focused on assisting Colman.
“It feels really good to be honoured, especially because we were all just looking out for our friend. Thank you so much,” said Barnes.
Digicel also committed similar support for injured student, Jaheim Colman, who is still recuperating in hospital.
Chief executive officer for Digicel Stephen Murad further extended a warm and heartfelt welcome to the boys by taking them on a tour of the company’s headquarters in downtown Kingston.
“We’ve had the absolute pleasure of having these heroes in the building. They are great role models and you could see their passion and pride as they put their friend first before anything else. Digicel and the entire nation are immensely proud of them,” said Murad.
A proud BB Coke High guidance counsellor, Raoul Chambers, welcomed Digicel’s kindness and the wider national admiration for the high school heroes: “It’s been a while since we’ve seen young boys really help other students, especially with the inclination to grab their phones and turn to social media. But, these boys really live up to our lesson that unity is the way to go and together, we build. These kind gestures go a far way, so thank you Digicel for showing your appreciation to them.”
Echoing his sentiments was acting principal at the school, Liteashia Gallimore, who hopes that the boys will serve as role models to young people, and encourage others to always do the right thing.
