By Damion Mitchell, Staff ReporterLILIETH THELMA Dennis, 58, has never constructed the smallest of a sandcastle nor the simplest of dwelling houses neither has she engineered an elaborate commercial complex or a multimillion dollar mansion, but she is one of the most accomplished builders.
One, who after more than three decades in the teaching profession, still uses the tools of love, discipline and understanding to carve the minds of many and 'render' the hearts of the less fortunate in her community. "I'm a builder," said Dennis, Principal of the Foundation Preparatory School in Clarendon, who is also the 2003 Governor-General Achievement Awardee for that parish.
Born in May Pen, Clarendon, Miss Dennis began honing her skills as the architect of others' development at the age of 10 while she was a student at the May Pen Elementary School.
At that time, her mother migrated to England in search of better opportunities and so she had to take on the maternal role for her four siblings. Having assumed the lead role in the family, she began to utilise her self-taught dressmaking skills to earn well-needed cash to support the family.
A few years later, when she enrolled at the Vere Technical High School, conditions grew even more difficult. The "little mother" had to reduce her leisure activities and take on more sewing jobs in order to complement the remittances she received from her mother and the restricted support from their grandmother who cared for nine other grandchildren. But Miss Dennis was persistent to build her family and her own platform leading to the pinnacle of success.
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After graduating from high school, she worked at the Clarendon Parish Council for one year and then as a pre-trained teacher at the Rose Well All-Age School for another year before enroling at Shortwood Teachers' College in St. Andrew. There she obtained a teacher's certificate in education. Later, she gained a Bachelors degree at West Indies College (now Northern Caribbean University).
As a teacher, Miss Dennis rendered more than 29 years at the Inverness All-Age School in St. Ann and more than a decade at other schools in Manchester and Clarendon.
Eight years ago she decided to assist a member of her community with extra lessons in preparation for the Common Entrance Examinations and his success was enough reason for members of her community to convince her to open her own preparatory school. So she established the Foundation Preparatory School with 12 children and now she has an enrolment of more than 300 students. "I just love children, I love people, and I like to work with them," Miss Dennis told The Gleaner.
And she has continued the tradition of building at her school, naming the classes as building material such as sand, pebbles, blocks and steel.
Miss Dennis having achieved self-reliance and independence, is now working relentlessly to help relieve the sufferings of the less fortunate in her community.
Lilieth Dennis, the educator and church leader, is also described as a philanthropist, a benefactor of the poor. Among her many good deeds, she has facilitated the construction, repairs and furnishing of houses, and provided clothing and food for needy people in her community.
