ESSEX VALLEY, St Elizabeth – Alumina Partners of Jamaica (ALPART) has awarded academic scholarships, valued at $240,000, to 32 students from 17 All-Age and Primary Schools in St Elizabeth, where it operates.

The students qualified for the award from a rating system that was used by teachers to judge the most outstanding performers in academic and extra curricular activities at the schools.

The presentation ceremony, held at the Alpart Sports Club in June, was hosted by the company’s general manager, Darrel Harriman, who said the recognition programme was ‘world class’ in terms of motivation and the high standards attached to the selection criteria.

According to Harriman, ALPART had given its full support to the programme as the company identified with education from basic to university levels, and appreciated the efforts of the teachers in preparing the students for their various achievements. At the same time, he congratulated awardees on their achievements, noting that they had all excelled in the fields of endeavour outside of the classroom, including sports, safety, culture, discipline and leadership.

Dr Sharon Johnson, director of the Help-for-Parents counseling agency, who was guest speaker at the awards ceremony, encouraged students and parents alike to bond together as a family unit, to ensure success.

President of the Alpart/Schools Safety and Education Council, Verna Bromfield, meanwhile, thanked ALPART for its partnership with schools in Essex Valley.

“The academic awards programme is a tradition in the Valley that is as old as ALPART and Kaiser Bauxite, and has produced several well known educators, engineers, scientists and other professionals,” Bromfield said.

Among them she said, were:

. Dr Keith Peart, formerly of Petrojam;

. Dennis Stephenson, the current maintenance manager at Alpart;

. Len Blake, Member of Parliament for South-East St Elizabeth, and

. Shirley Samuda, former principal of the New Forest School.

In addition to the award of the scholarships, ALPART made trophy presentations to schools safety quiz winners, Nain Primary and Junior High School; and essay champions Ashleigh White and Venneisha Myer, both of the Rose Hall All-Age School.