Rosario Guerrero

    On October 11th, 1962, in the small village of San Pedro, Marina and Rosendo (deceased) Graniel celebrated the birth of their baby girl, Rosario. She was the youngest of five brothers and three sisters. Like most island children, Rosario grew up enjoying the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean Sea. Her fondest memories are of playing cowboys and Indians, hopscotch and skipping rope. Also as a young girl, her mother taught her to do all the housework, to cook delicious dishes, to knit and embroider as well.

    Rosario attended San Pedro Roman Catholic School up to Standard IV. She did not graduate from primary school but moved on to Prep A at San Pedro High School, eventually graduating in 1979. The following year, Principal Lionel Reyes of the San Pedro Roman Catholic School called and encouraged her to enter the teaching profession. Rosario recalled, "Principal Reyes called and asked me to work at the primary school. At first I hesitated, but eventually I agreed to do it; a decision I do not regret for one minute."

    In 1980, Rosario began her newfound career teaching Math, Science, Social Studies, English, Reading, Phonics and Spelling to Standard III children. "It was not an easy job. I would say that we still teach the same subjects today, except English, Reading, Phonics, Spelling, and Writing are now taught as one subject - Language Arts," Rosario explained.

    The following year, on December 19th, 1981, Rosario joined her life in Holy Matrimony with Severo Guerrero. "I was always close to my family, and was very excited to start one of my own," she said. Together, Rosario and Severo are the proud parents of two wonderful children: Severo Jr. (21), who is currently studying dentistry and Rosangela (11), a Standard V student.

    Over the next few years, Rosario proved to be a fine educator. To reward her achievements, the Catholic Public School General Manager Clement Wade appointed her Vice Principal of the San Pedro Roman Catholic School. However, the time came when teaching standards were raised and the requirements needed to be a teacher and/or principal changed as well. Since she had no recognized formal training, Rosario's title was taken away.

    Since then, Rosario has dedicated much of her time on the Distance Education Program (Level 1), by working in class, and attending monthly workshops and four- to six-week courses in the summer. After studying Math, English, Teaching Methodology, Classroom Management, and Belizean Studies, she was still unable to complete this program. Rosario explained, "Supervisors from Belize say they can't come to San Pedro. This is very unfair, as we are always left out but yet they expect us to upgrade our skills. This was a big disappointment after working so hard and spending so much money."

    Eventually, under Principal Roxani Kay's administration, Teacher Rosario was re-instated as Vice Principal of the SPRC School. "I currently assist the Principal with managing the entire school. I enforce school rules, assess staff, prepare monthly returns for the managing authority and substitute teach," Rosario explained.

    The Vice Principal continued, "The one thing I strongly advise, is for today's youth to take full advantage of every opportunity that is handed to them. I personally never wanted to leave home, so I stayed here on the island and did not further my education. Now that I want to pursue my dream, it has proven to be a lot more difficult than I ever imagined."

    Rosario makes good use of her spare time as a member of the San Pedro Lions Club and has assisted with countless functions sponsored by the Lions. "I mainly help with barbecues and fundraisers," she says, "it is always nice to give a little of your time to help others." Her limited amount of "free" time is spent enjoying outings with her family at the beach, watching television or reading.

    For the past 22 years, Rosario Guerrero has made it her goal to expand and enlighten the minds of the island's primary school children. "It is a job I adore and that is the reason I continue to study and improve my skills - to better myself so that I can keep on teaching others," Rosario exclaimed. A wonderful teacher, Rosario is a prime example of the type of role model needed to encourage and motivate today's youth; a woman who also provides a vital service - instilling wisdom in the future leaders of "Our Community."