MONTEGO BAY, St James — More than 100 grade one students at John Rollins Success Primary School recently received an interactive lesson on the importance of trees and participated in a tree planting exercise, with Sandals Earth Guardians and Sandals Foundation Ambassadors in Montego Bay.

The lesson was prepared and delivered by Kadeen Black, an earth guardian of Sandals Montego Bay and Shaville Lowther, environment, health & safety manager at Sandals Royal Caribbean.

The students learned about the value of trees to the environment and how to battle the global problems of deforestation and global warming by replanting trees. Fruit bearing trees donated by the Sandals Foundation were also incorporated into the lesson and thereafter given to the students to plant in their gardens at home.

“We were pleasantly surprised by the attentiveness of the grade one students. They listened and when it was time to answer the questions, they knew key words like ‘deforestation’ and ‘carbon dioxide’ and could explain what they were. It goes to show that these issues are not beyond young children,” said Black.

Vice-Principal of John Rollins Success Primary Hervilyn Forbes-Williams commended the earth guardians for the lesson on the environment, adding that the students were thoroughly engaged.

“The use of multi-media technology and the incorporation of the trees in the lesson really piqued their interest. We are very grateful to the Sandals team for taking time to do such a thorough lesson. That’s how companies should be involved with the children in the community,” Forbes-Williams said.

After the lesson, students and teachers joined the Sandals team in planting a cherry tree on the school grounds. It is expected to reach maturity and bear fruit in three years.

“The reception we received at Success Primary encourages us to continue championing the cause of the environment in the communities around us. Sandals Resorts is registered with EarthCheck, an international body that ensures companies in tourism abide by environmental best practices. But we don’t just keep it to ourselves, we continue to educate communities around us,” said environment, health & safety manager at Sandals Royal Caribbean, Shaville Lowther.

For the month of October, all Sandals Foundation projects focused on the importance of trees and similar trees donation and planting were carried out in several communities in Jamaica and Caribbean countries where Sandals Resorts are located.