Mandeville, Jamaica…[NCU/IAD]
The West Indies College Preparatory School outclassed eight other local schools in Jamaica to emerge winners for the second year in a row, of the National Advance Schools Research Competition, which sees children at the primary level doing research on major environmental topics.
The school was announced as this year’s winner at a ceremony held at the Terra Nova Hotel in Kingston on Jul. 6. In addition to the winning trophy, the school also won two sectional prizes for best community outreach and most knowledgeable students.
In an interview with Northern Caribbean University’s Public Relations department, one of the main coordinators Mrs. Coreen Palmer said the idea of ‘Water Conservation’ which was the school’s topic of research, was the brainchild of Principal Lowry Spence. “Mrs. Enid Anderson the other co-coordinator and I agreed that ‘Water Conservation’ was a great area to research as water was something the students use daily and this would allow each student to become aware of water treatment,” Mrs. Palmer said.
In their research, each class was required to make posters and flyers as well as submit written research and make modules on how to treat and recycle water. The students then conducted an outreach program to share their knowledge of water conservation with the public.
“This research has allowed students to become more aware of environmental issues in Jamaica and the Caribbean. The students also put a lot of hard work and a few late nights into making this a success and they were very excited, plus their research was excellent,” Mrs. Palmer said. She said students now know how to treat water as well as how to use it properly.
The West Indies College Preparatory School, a Seventh-day Adventist School located on the campus of the Northern Adventist University, has been involved in the country’s environmental program since 1996. However due to their outstanding achievement over the years, they were placed in the Advanced Schools Research category, which began in 2000.
When asked what the school’s plan for next year’s competition was, Mrs. Palmer said she was not sure just yet, “but whatever it is they plan on taking first place again”. Last year the school’s research was based on deforestation in Manchester.
