MONTEGO BAY, St James – Interim Principal at Corinaldi Avenue Primary School in St James, Hillary Foster, says the US$1,750 won by the school in the 2016 staging of the annual World Plumbing Day International Poster Competition will be used to boost the institution’s art programme.

“We are going to use the money to put our mission statement on the wall, do more murals…basically to boost our art programme,” Foster told the Jamaica Observer West.

Last month, the World Plumbing Council announced that the school won all three awards for this year’s staging of the event.

The winning poster was submitted by Adrianna Allen, a grade 4 student, who won for herself US$100; second place went to Grade 4 student Neil Graham, who got US$50, while Prudent Salmon, a grade 3 student, received a prize of US$25 for placing third.

For their efforts, the school was awarded the prize money of US$1750.

A beaming Adrianna said she was happy to have been placed first in such a prestigious competition.

“I am very happy. I didn’t even know that I could draw that good, but I just kept on trying and trying, because it is said that if you keep on trying and trying you will be successful,” she remarked.

Over 300 posters were submitted by students from many nations around the world. A preliminary panel of judges later reduced the number to 10 finalists. The posters were numbered with no indication where they were from, or who submitted them, and only two people — non-judges — had the key to the names. The 10 finalists were then presented to the attendees at the World Plumbing Council meeting in Warsaw, Poland. The attendees from many nations, including Australia, Brazil, China, England, Germany, India, Poland and the USA, voted for the three winners in the competition which was open to students 10 years and under.

“It is extraordinary that all three winners would come from the same school! In fact, it has only happened once before and those three winners all came from Corinaldi Avenue Primary School also,” said Allen Inlow, chairman of World Plumbing Day and the Poster Contest for 2016.

“This amazing achievement speaks very well of the educational programme of Corinaldi Avenue Primary School, and their commitment to educating their students about health, safety and the environment. Their sweep of all the 2016 awards, and the fact that they have done it once before, and are competitive every year, is an achievement that all of their school, their teachers and parents, everyone in Jamaica can and should be proud of,” added Inlow.

Foster lauded the students for their outstanding performance, and also commended teachers Dane Julius and Donette Salmon, who guided them.

Julius in the meantime said the entire school is elated.

“We are extremely elated; no other school has ever won all the prizes in the competition. It was over 300 entrants from countries all over the world including Australia, Canada, USA…. so we are very much elated,” he said, as he thanked World Plumbing Council for staging the competition.

“We really want to thank them for helping students to understand the importance of plumbing and sanitation overall to life, because without water there is no life,” Julius argued.

World Plumbing Day is an international event held on March 11 every year and it is recognised by the World Health Organisation. Initiated by the World Plumbing Council and supported by the Mechanical Contractors Association of Canada, it celebrates the important role plumbing plays in the health and safety of modern society.