Head Nursery Teacher Shirley Dayes has spent a quarter century shaping generations of students, instilling in them a deep sense of care and empathy. Ms. Shirley, as she is affectionately known, is woven into the fabric of Lower School school life. Throughout her tenure, Dayes has earned love and respect for her deep devotion to students, their families, her colleagues, as well as for her service to others.

Partnering with local churches and schools in Jamaica since 2012, Dayes has always sought ways to help address educational disparities and provide crisis relief. The scale and urgency of need became pressing in October 2025 when Hurricane Melissa devastated Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean.

Educator as Humanitarian: Shirley Dayes’ Response to Crisis in the Caribbean

As the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa became apparent, Dayes felt a profound sense of loss for the country she grew up in—a lament that quickly became the driving force behind a months-long campaign to organize disaster relief and support. Though she left Jamaica for New York over 35 years ago, with many loved ones still living there, Dayes remains intimately connected to the island. She also maintains a strong sense of cultural pride, which deepens her commitment to helping generations of Jamaican people. “I always want to give,” Dayes shared. “Giving brings comfort and peace of mind knowing you’re able to help.” That impulse to give without expectation, she explained, was taught in childhood when her family and neighbors regularly shared what they had with those in need. Those steadfast values of generosity and community responsibility carry through to today in her teaching Poly’s young students and is reflected in her compassion towards others.

“She instills kindness, courage, and advocacy for others, while modeling global citizenship through her relief efforts… A true pillar of the Lower School, Shirley is someone many turn to for wisdom and strength.”

Associate Nursery Teacher Denise Fraifeld

Traveling to Jamaica over the Thanksgiving break, Dayes packed four suitcases filled with supplies for donation. She brought Poly shirts, rain boots, and even tarpaulins to give to families who had lost their roofs. As was in her childhood, she observed neighbors helping one another as they worked to rebuild, contributing to the collective action of care to help the country heal. Even weeks after the storm, the devastation Dayes witnessed was overwhelming. “As far as your eyes could see, there was blue tarps on rooftops and debris covering everything,” she said. “Once-green landscapes were now brown. Trees were beaten down and broken, even the leaves themselves looked destroyed.” More than 600 schools closed. Widespread road closures, power outages, and disrupted water supplies compounded the hardship, making recovery slow and at times, uncertain.

Help was required on so many levels. Dayes worked with local churches to identify urgent needs and coordinate relief efforts with the support of Poly’s parents, faculty, and staff. Everyone wanted to pitch in. The response to her Hurricane Melissa Relief Drive was almost proportional in scale to the storm itself, Dayes recalled. Together, the community filled 13 jumbo-sized barrels as donations flowed in steadily to Poly Lower for over a month. Each 77-gallon barrel contained food and emergency supplies, including canned goods, bags of rice, folding chairs, sleeping bags, sanitary wipes, gloves, zinc nails, inflatable mattresses, flashlights, and other critical items. Lower School students played an active role as well. Kindergarteners proudly helped sort supplies, eager to contribute. At the Dyker Heights campus, the Math Department connected with Dayes and donated a generous amount of essential items. Even after the drive officially ended, families continued to ask about Dayes’ loved ones and inquired about future opportunities to give, a reflection of Poly’s generosity and care for one another.

Dayes’ 12-Year (and Counting) Book Drive

Long before Hurricane Melissa’s devastating impacts, Dayes’ commitment to service and belief in the power of education, particularly to her home country of Jamaica, has been a defining part of her community efforts beyond the classroom. Since 2012, she has organized annual book drives that give Poly’s surplus supply of books a new home in Jamaican schools. The schools organize celebrations of learning with their new books where students and teachers dress up, certificates are prepared, and children walk a red carpet to receive a book or two selected for their grade and reading level. What began with a single barrel of books donated has grown into a sustained effort with the help of longtime friend Shana Mortlock, faculty members Susie Brandmeyer P’26, ’29 and Sarah Ely, and often, Poly parents. Today, up to six barrels of books are sent each year, along with essential school supplies and technology, offering joy and deepening a love of learning in all students, integral to Poly Prep’s mission.

A Model of Heart-Centered Leadership

Shirley Dayes remains an example of what leadership looks like not only for students, but also for her colleagues who are inspired by the action of her of empathy towards others and her enduring belief in the transformative impact of education to restore hope and promise.

Head Kindergarten Teacher Kim Davis reflected on Dayes’ extraordinary commitment to service, emphasizing her ability to unite people through quiet leadership and genuine care. She noted that Daye’s persisting efforts, especially her annual work to collect and donate children’s books to Jamaica, have become a meaningful tradition rooted in purpose rather than recognition. “As far as her efforts to help the Jamaican community, Shirley is simply amazing. She has this incredible way of bringing people together by doing what she knows is right. She steps in because people need help, not for recognition or praise. Year after year, she ensures children’s books find their way into kids’ hands. Her leadership is grounded in kindness, integrity, and action, and our community is stronger because of it.”

Grounded in Kindness and Integrity

“Anyone who has been in Shirley’s classroom can see her steadfast leadership and how she guides children to be the best versions of themselves. She does more than teach; she creates a culture of consideration, justice, and kindness where children of color feel truly seen and heard.” Lower School Spanish Teacher Sarah Ely reflected on Shirley Dayes’ extraordinary presence in the classroom and her profound impact on students, colleagues, and the wider community.

She highlighted Shirley’s ability to create a classroom culture rooted in justice, kindness, and high expectations, as well as her commitment to modeling anti-racism, collaboration, and service through both teaching and action. “Shirley brings her full self into the classroom, whether she’s reading a book about a nighttime bonnet while wearing her own, or thoughtfully teaching three-year-olds about equity and equality in ways they genuinely understand. She embodies anti-racism and justice and imparts those values to her students, holding them to high standards.”

The attention to details Dayes employs also struck Ely. “It’s also an honor to support her beyond the classroom, like spending a Saturday morning helping pack barrels of books for Jamaica, a tradition she leads every year without fail. Watching Shirley meticulously fill each barrel with hundreds of books is a powerful reminder of how deeply she gives back to her community. What she does, both for her students and for others, is truly remarkable.”

Dayes’ co-teacher and Associate Nursery Teacher Denise Fraifeld spoke to Shirley Dayes’ heart-centered leadership and the powerful example she sets for both students and colleagues. She emphasized Dayes’ ability to teach values not only through words, but through action by modeling resilience, service, and global citizenship in ways that resonate deeply within the Lower School community. “Shirley leads with heart and truly embodies the message she shares with her students to ‘spread the love.’ She instills kindness, courage, and advocacy for others, while modeling global citizenship through her relief efforts beyond her own community. A true pillar of the Lower School, Shirley is someone many turn to for wisdom and strength. Her resilience is inspiring, and her commitment to service—both near and far—shows what it truly means to lead with purpose.”

Leading by Example

“There truly is no one like Shirley.” Associate Kindergarten Teacher Marie Vizzotti shared her deep admiration for Dayes’ unwavering generosity, leadership, and love for both the Poly and Jamaican communities. She reflected on her longstanding commitment to supporting children in Jamaica through education and her remarkable ability to mobilize others in moments of crisis, noting how her compassion inspired an outpouring of support across campus. “In my years at Poly, she has consistently shown up in every possible way for those she loves, always going above and beyond with so much intention and care. Her dedication to Jamaica is truly admirable: from organizing and shipping thousands of books for children over many years, to stepping up immediately after Hurricane Melissa to rally the Poly community in support. Watching boxes upon boxes of supplies arrive, and seeing parents, faculty, and students come together to pack over ten barrels, was a powerful reminder of how beloved Shirley is. This incredible effort was possible because of her love, compassion, and the way she brings people together.”