IRWIN, St James

The Irwin High School in St James will tomorrow commission an $8-million solar energy system designed to cut their energy bill by up to 25 per cent.

Principal Aldin Bellinfantie, said the savings from the project will be channeled into the school's Reading Village which was established in 2004 after the school discovered that 66 percent of its Grade Nine Achievement Test (GNAT) students and 43 per cent of its grade seven students were reading below grade level.

"We are still undersourced," he told the Observer West in reference to the one reading specialist that they have on staff. "Savings from the solar project will allow us to channel resources into this project," he said.

Additionally, a number of students are also being trained in the maintenance of the system, in a programme, which Bellinfantie hopes will contribute to the educational development of the students through energy conservation awareness.

The project was funded by a grant from the Environmental Foundation of Jamaica (EFJ) and is just one of a number of successful projects established at the school, including a music laboratory and a
school farm.

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