On Saturday 23 May 2015, the Burn’s Creek community and the teachers and students of Mercy Primary School came together to celebrate the official opening of their new school site.

Over the last 12 months the school constructed several new classrooms, with water tank and toilet facilities, and erected a security fence around an area to allow for future expansion. Two classrooms were funded by Make A Mark Australia.

As the most populated school in the Solomon Islands, Mercy School has significant infrastructure demands. For many years now the original school site has been unable to adequately accommodate the expanding student population of over 850 students. With classes sometimes exceeding 60 students it was time for the school to begin an ambitious development to improve the educational environment for the students.

While the classrooms were completed in January for the beginning of the school year, the recent official opening gave everyone the opportunity to celebrate and reflect on the great achievements that have been made over the last year. A message from the MAMA team was read during the ceremony.

Through regular letters and updates, we have been inspired by the stories of hope, optimism, resilience – and importantly, the local community working together to build these fantastic new classrooms. – Message from the MAMA team to the Burn’s Creek community

During the opening celebrations each of the classes performed outstanding musical pieces, sang cultural songs and entertained the audience with their talents. Some of the many highlights were the performance of the school song by the Early Childhood Class, who have benefitted greatly from their new classroom, and also the Year 6 class performing a traditional cultural dance.

The Minister for Agriculture, the Honourable Augustine Auga, attended and expressed his admiration for what had been achieved and continued support for the future developments of the school.