Sheea Hewan Brown (left) accepts her Silver Pen award from Garfield Grandison, The Gleaner's editor-in-chief, at his office yesterday. - Andrew Smith/Photography Editor

Sheea Hewan Brown, principal of Grace Christian Academy in Kingston, is the August recipient of The Gleaner's Silver Pen Award. Her Letter to the Editor, which was published on August 1, was tagged 'Lessons from a sad sex saga'.

Like dozens of Jamaicans, Mrs. Hewan Brown was moved by the case of the 14-year-old girl who was allegedly molested by a group of young men in the presence of a church deacon. Writing the letter was her way of dealing with the incident.

Pushed to write

"I was moved not just because I'm a Christian, but as a teacher. It pushed me to write," she said.

This was the first letter that she has ever written to The Gleaner, even though she enjoys writing. "I wrote the letter and kept it for three weeks before deciding to send it. I was happy when it was published," she said.

In her letter, Mrs. Hewan Brown emphasised that children should always be made to feel safe to tell someone if they are being harmed in any way.

"We must ensure as educators and parents that our children are never afraid to tell us the truth, regardless of the consequences," she said.

The incident even prompted the principal to start a character development programme at her school, which she said was going well.

Mrs. Hewan Brown has a daughter and two sons and lives in Mona, St. Andrew.