The WATA team presents a $500,000 cheque to Jonathan Grant High School for sustaining their greenhouse
project in the WATA Sustainability Competition.
WISYNCO GROUP Limited believes in the development of the youth, the economy and the environment. Through their brand WATA, they have once again made an impact in the lives of the students and teachers at Jonathan Grant High School, which is located on Salt Pond Road in St Catherine.
In June 2017, Jonathan Grant was one of two schools to be awarded $750,000 for first place in the WATA Sustainability Competition for creating an ‘Eco-Smart Greenhouse’ that promoted the preservation of the environment.
The students of Jonathan Grant, under the supervision of their teachers, were able to ingeniously use plastic bottles to construct their greenhouse, which also included a fully integrated aquaponics system. Additionally, the greenhouse enabled them to harvest several crops such as lemongrass, mint, peppers and basil – most of which are currently used to supply the school’s canteen.
As a reward for the sustainability of their project, Jonathan Grant was given an additional award of $500,000 on Monday, April 23, from the WATA team. “We’re very elated that our students were able to maintain the project, and we are looking forward to expanding it even further,” said Lisa Powell-Brown, senior teacher and project leader. “I thank WATA for recognising the hard work of our students and we will definitely use a portion of the earnings to enhance the project.”
The school was congratulated for their hard work and dedication by Councillor Claude Hamilton from the Portmore Pines division, who extended greetings and congratulations on behalf of Mayor Norman Scott, chairman of the St Catherine Municipal Corporation. “Jonathan Grant, as a school, has grown from a seed to a mighty tree which cannot be taken lightly. When we recognised that this WATA Sustainability Competition was won by Jonathan Grant, we were awed,” said Councillor Hamilton. Also in attendance was Kenisha Allen, councillor of the Spanish Town division and a past student of Jonathan Grant. “We’d like to applaud the students and teachers of Jonathan Grant for not only constructing such an amazing and impactful project, but for sustaining it over the period,” commented Shelly-Ann Dunkley, environment communication officer at Wisynco Group Limited. “It is very heart-warming to see how involved the students are in the project and how excited they are to be a part of preserving our environment.”
Wisynco, through a number of their brands, continues to promote best practices that lead to the improvement and sustainability of the environment. In addition to the WATA Sustainability Competition, the company has led several environmental initiatives, such as the Wisynco Eco Club recycling competition and Recycle Me campaign.
