(Janice, photo to come from Horace Hines. Just in case you didnt get it from Karl)

BY HORACE HINES

Observer West reporter

FALMOUTH, Trelawny- Over 50 employees of the Jamaica Public Service Company participated in a recent workday to provide a perimeter fence and upgrade of an outdoor play area for the Falmouth Basic School.

The Trelawny early childhood institution was selected as the JPS Foundation Model School Project for the Western Region.

Chairman for the JPS Foundation Sir Kenneth Hall, employees of the utility company, including CEO Kelly Tomlin and a group dubbed Volunteers On Location To Serve (VOLTS); representatives of the Falmouth Basic School, including principal, Margarett Gordon Bennett,

members of the community and other stakeholders were on hand for the official ground-breaking which powered off the workday.

JPS Foundation Model School Project, launched in August 2013, seeks to bring a selected early childhood institution in each of its three regions, to the required standard of the Early Childhood Commission (ECC).

According to JPS Head of Corporate Communications, Winsome Callum, the development plan for the school is scheduled to be implemented over a three year period, “after which the project will be turned over to the schools and surrounding communities.”

She estimated that this year about $3million, which includes contribution from JPS workers, will be spent on upgrading the school. The work will also include rewiring the structure, as well as upgrading the bathroom facility.

” But in terms of the project scope we can’t address all of that at once. We expect that they will reach the 100 percent model school status over a three year period,” Callum said.

She noted that Falmouth Gardens Basic School has already satisfied nearly a half of the ECC standards.

“Falmouth Gardens is a little bit ahead of the game because they have satisfied 40 percent already, but there are some great needs in the school,” Callum told the Jamaica Observer West.

Gordon Bennett expressed her gratitude to JPS for their assistance to the school which was started in 1982 and which currently has a student population of 45.

” We are really grateful because without JPS we would not be able to do it now. We need funding. We are lacking when it comes to funds. JPS has now taken on this project and we are grateful to them,” Gordon Bennett said.