Freshly painted classrooms and a renovated play area will greet students of the Highholborn Street Basic School in downtown Kingston when they return to school on Monday (May 29).

The institution, which has a population of 45 students, benefited from a beautification exercise carried out by the Institute of Jamaica (IOJ), with support from the Digicel Foundation, on Labour Day (May 23).

Executive Director, IOJ, Leslie Harrow, told JIS News that selecting the school as its Labour Day project forms part of the entity’s new thrust to improve and build relationships with communities, particularly those in downtown Kingston where its main offices and museums are located.

He noted that more than 100 volunteers from the IOJ, Digicel and the community participated in the project, which saw the entire school being painted, among other things.

“There are three buildings [at the school]. We painted the three [of them] and the perimeter fence. We were able to set up the play area with sand to give it a general facelift and to improve the aesthetics of the area for the students,” said Harrow.

He pointed out that the activities carried out on Labour Day are just the start of the IOJ’s relationship with the school.

“We are planning to go beyond the facelifting of the school and to engage the students [through our] Programme and Coordination Division at the Institute,” the Executive Director explained.

Meanwhile, Principal of the Highholborn Basic School, Mariephil Ridguard, said she is very appreciative of the work done by the IOJ, noting that it will have a positive impact on the students.

“I know they will be excited because the classroom will look a lot brighter and the outside is much cleaner,” said Ridguard.

She further expressed gratitude for the renovated play area, noting that prior to the work done, the surface was not suitable for the children.