I would like to say thank you to all those that welcomed us in the Treasure Beach community! Your warmth and kindness really made us feel at home and made it hard for us to leave. Thank you to Sandy Bank Basic and Primary schools for allowing us to work with the most wonderful kids! We miss you all!

I have been waiting all day to see pictures. No such luck. I'm truly grateful your group was there but I want to see the photos. Please.

I want to thank the students from UVA who were at the Sandy Bank Basic School, your impact was well accepted. Thanks for taking timeout to teach, feed, hug, play, and assist in supervising their lunch and snack break. We are really grateful for the little break esp. when you teach. THANKS A MILLION. See you next year. From the Sandy Bank Basic school Family.

I would like to second Selamawit's message! It was a truly memorable week. Your generosity and kind hospitality was overwhelming. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to stay in such a beautiful place with so many wonderful people. The students at Sandy Bank are so full of energy, it was a blessing to have the chance to work with so many intelligent, fun kids, especially ones that are so eager to learn. Thank you to all of my new friends. I know I will have to come back again soon!

The Treasure Beach community and Sandy Bank Primary School were so welcoming. I cannot imagine anywhere else in the world where I would have learned, laughed, or played as much. I am so thankful that I was a part of this experience and that I got to work with some of the best kids in the world. I am already looking forward to coming back!

I'd like to thank all the people that made our stay in Treasure Beach so comfortable and homelike. It was such a privilege to return to TB for my second year, and I can't imagine not returning again; all the kids at Sandy Bank and the entire community are like a second family now. Thank you to the Sandy Bank administration for letting us come and work with your kids. I'd like to send a special shout out to my grade 6 boys - good luck on your tests!

I had an absolutely amazing experience helping out at Sandy Bank and spending time in Treasure Beach. I wish we were able to stay longer, and I definitely plan on returning next year. Thank you all for being so welcoming.

The Treasure Beach community has something truly special. The warmth and generosity is something I will never forget. My experience in Jamaica has definitely impacted me. Working with the first grade at Sandy Banks could not have been more rewarding. The kids taught me just as much as I taught them. I am strongly considering coming back next spring break to further develop a relationship with such an incredible community. Thank you so much for allowing us to come live with you for a week. I look forward to further visits!

Working with the Sandy Bank Basic School was truly one of the greatest experiences I have ever had. I have never met more loving and kind children in my entire life. They taught me so much, and I look forward to hopefully returning next Spring!

I am enjoying reading the comments and seeing the photos. These students are very special people. Their parents should be filled with pride.

I can echo every single one of the students' comments so far. This was my second year coming to TB to work in Sandy Bank and it gets harder to leave every year. It was great to see everybody (students, teachers at Sandy Bank, and the community) again this year and I look forward to returning next year. Good luck to all the students with their upcoming tests!

More photos. More photos. Please.

Thank-you.

No more photographs? I am not meaning to be a pig but I am enjoying seeing all the children and the wonderful university students who helped.

Ask and you shall receive!

Great pictures, Chris. And tres chic hats! :-)
Thanks for all you guys did over your Spring Break.

Love all the photos, Chris. Thanks to you, your fellow classmates and Treasure Beach Foundation for everything you did for the children. That's what it's all about. Our futures are with our children and you have set a shining example for them.

Like the others before me I just want to thank the Treasure Beach and Sandy Bank Primary School community for showing us a warm reception and heartfelt hospitality. Treasure Beach is such a beautiful and friendly place, and I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to visit. My experience at Sandy Bank Primary is one I will never forget. All the students were so welcoming and eager to learn. Thanks so much!

Lauren, none of the pictures you tried to upload came through. Can you give it another shot, please.

If it continues to be a problem, send them to webmaster@treasurebeach.net with the subject line of "UVA Pictures" and we'll post them for you.

Thanks!

-TBNet

\image

The picture with the kids in the glasses is priceless. Did the UVA students bring those glasses to T/B?

Uh oh. No photo from Taylor. I must say I have also had problems posting my own pictures in the past. It is a very difficult process and I am never sure I did it right until I see them posted. There should be an easier way. Could you get back to Taylor and ask him to try again.

Beautiful, happy, loving, adorable and appreciative children.These are some of the qualities I see when I look at these pictures.Thank you UVA students!!!! Your contribution to the community is greatly appreciated.

Goodness in EVERY face.

POWER HOUSE KIT FOR SANDY BANK SCHOOL

We were so impressed by the last photo under Chris Sweeney's name...the blackboard announcing a Science class in session. We felt the compulsion to order a teaching tool, the Power House Kit, demonstrating practical Renewable Energy for these bright students drawing from some lessons imparted by the visiting "wahoos"..."Wa-hoo-wa you-vee-ay"!

www.realgoods.com/product/camping-gifts-apparel/toys-gifts/toys/the+power+house+ kit.do?search=basic&keyword=64-0033&sortby=bestSellers&page=1

That is, of course, if the principal and teachers feel that it is appropriate for your curriculum, we would be happy to demonstrate it when we arrive before summer.

Little peeks from the chalkboard are snapshots of issues which the young will be grappling with long after the political policy arguments require urgent action on sustainable energy & the environment.

FROM THE CHALKBOARD:
Types of Energy: Wind...Fossil Fuels (Will eventually run out...Pollution comes from fossil fuels)
Also, we detect a fragment of a graphic drawing that looks like the blade of a horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT).

We have performed, for our purposes, much of our South Coast Engineering/Cost Analyses for both straight Solar Photovoltaic/5.3kW (3-day deep cycle battery back-up) & optional Solar PV/2.4kW:: hybrid small wind turbine (1.8kW)/ grid-tied to the JPS utility...or the wind turbine functioning to keep the batteries charged at night.
We realize that initial costs of both Solar PV modules & micro wind turbines, where applicable at steady wind speed about 12 mph (5.4 m/s), need to come down, more than recent drops, before its long term benefits become apparent to everyday folks.

The best our government has done for us, so far, is to remove duty & GCT on the import or solar/renewable systems.
Barbados leads the Caribbean region with policies aimed to drive down prices(example: US$5000 Income Tax reductions etc for installing solar systems).
Even policy analysts are projecting, for Jamaica, only about 20% of its energy needs met by Renewables (Solar PV & Hot Water; Small & Big Wind; hydro; biomass...) by the year 2020.

Concepts such as net metering, whereby the excess of what you produce from your roof-top Solar PV and/or wind turbine allows the utility meter to run backwards, when you have an energy surplus, thereby crediting a solar energy producer with credits or net zero balances on your energy bill.
These policies are being lobbied to the office of Utility Regulations, policy contracted with JPS, our largely foreign owned electrical utility monopoly.

JPS is not alone, among electrical utilities, who treat, as nuisances, home-based, private renewable energy sources who wish equity of treatment (price) for the energy they put into the grid when the sun is shining as they might be taking out of the grid, at night, if lots of lights & appliances are sucking it up.

Since Jamaica imports approximately 90% of its energy needs from fossil fuels, at a huge cost for a developing country to power its electrical grid, plus additional taxes, everyone with a "light bill" can see the whopping increases & the percentage of household income covering this expense.

The US model for homeowners purchasing Renewable Energy Systems includes Tax Credits, Rebates, and utility companies purchasing Renewable Energy Credits, which can effectively almost half the cost of your system. Until the powers that be on the Island, or the future policy makers, from these schools, are convincing that the imported fossil fuels are unsustainable in economic security & cost, incentives for Renewable Energy will lag.

These utility increases have created Payback Periods for well-designed, energy-conserving, passively-cooled "green houses", utilizing Renewable Energy Systems, in Jamaica, as little as 7 years.
After that, with solar industry-wide Warranties of 25 years (plus), and Inverter/ Battery maintenance (replacement) or diesel generator (if that be your back-up for sunless/windless days), one's electrical energy is somewhat "FREE", if at slightly less efficiency.

These children should be told that satellite & docking stations have been operating for long periods of time , in the extreme environment of space, using Solar PV.

As the UVA students & their perspectives depart, and leave Science & Technology courses to our educators, let us not forget the energy and programmes, which Diana McCaulay, JET & her staff & associates have imbued in schools everywhere.
We hope that Sandy Bank is included and taking full advantage, for the betterment of all.

JET: The Schools' Environment Programme
"Some fourteen years ago, JET decided to focus its efforts on environmental education in schools. At the time, many JET members were young parents and they felt that if children had a greater understanding of and appreciation for the natural environment, they would behave differently as adults. We started our education programme in nine schools in 1994, then called Earth Schools.
In 1997, we joined forces with the Jamaica Conservation and Development Trust (JCDT) to implement the Schools' Environment Programme or SEP, delivered to 125 schools in that first year. At its largest, SEP was implemented in 353 schools, reaching an estimated 300,000 students and 600 teachers.
Students and teachers had to improve their waste handling, green the grounds, start or strengthen an environmental club and carry out some kind of environmental research. The programme also carried out professional development workshops on environmental themes for teachers twice per year, including field trips, curriculum infusion exercises and hands on activities suitable for classrooms."
(from JET website)


www.jamentrust.org/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8&Itemid=11

www.jamentrust.org/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5&Itemid=8

NEPA's Student's Resource Center
www.nepa.gov.jm/student/index.asp


EXAMPLES OF (NON-WEALTHY) YOUNG JAMAICANS INVESTING IN RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEMS FOR THEIR HOMES:
"Jamaicans are funny people. They will buy a BMW for$5 million just to profile, but they wont invest in a solar system for $1.2 million, They just don't have their priorities right."
(Richard Osborne, engineer with Automatic Control Engineering: from Jamaica Observer 2008🯎0)

www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20090522/lead/lead4.html

www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20081025/lead/lead3.html

We would enjoy hearing from Chris Sweeney and others on your UVA team your impressions of the level of Science instruction at Sandy Bank, and if any lesson plans or teaching materials were offered to keep these young minds firing on all circuits.
Were you able to couple with any other Resources or organizations to facilitate learning?

ZED, you post some very interesting things here on the Forum. What you write indicates you have done your homework, have some fascinating ideas and are very interested in Treasure Beach.

I am thinking your post might not have been answered because the weekends seem to bring almost no posts. I presume our Webmaster needs time off like the rest of us do. Also, I am suggesting you do your best to make your posts shorter. When I see them I am reminded when I was in university and dreaded a huge assignment. Please know I am not attempting to insult you in any way because you seem to be one of the people who comes up with some of the most intelligent ideas. Can you do something to make it look less like work for the rest of us?

JET MANUAL: SCHOOLS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME (SEP)

"The Schools Environment Program currently operates in 189 schools across the island.
SEP manuals are linked to the primary and secondary schools curricula and its four main components are managing garbage, greening of school grounds, creation or strengthening of environmental clubs, and environmental research."

Would Ms Ebanks or or someone from Sandy Banks Primary let us know if the SEP Manual is being used in the classrooms, club activity & on field trips?
Did the UVA students have access to Jamaican produced Science/Environmental study materials?

www.jamentrust.org/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=118%3Aus-emba ssy-provides-grant-to-fund-environment-training-for-teachers&catid=77%3Afebruary -2009&Itemid=8

NEPA: Kids' Guide To Jamaica's Natural Environment

Refer to Resource Materials:
www.nepa.gov.jm/student/resource.asp

Here are some more pictures of the chalkboard during our Science lesson!

Thanks for indicating this facility to us ZED.

I believe that many teachers were not trained or exposed to these ideas, it would be then up to them to tune in or to work with volunteers familiar with the program. Maybe this is sometimes seen as an imposition on a full curriculum too?

I hope I'm wrong and the program is in full swing guiding the young in the most important direction for this generation.

GUILTY TO "PLEA"...So Sorry about any Raving or Ranting.

I agree with you about one's not self-editing, and realize that there are only a few more cumulative EXHALES left in this carcass.

We'll disappear from this forum to work through the Jamaica Solar Energy Association & incipient Solar (Purchasing) Co-op's for the acceptance & price reduction (policy & demand) of Building-integrated Renewable Energy (Solar PV/micro Wind Turbines) & Bio-digester septic systems, where practical on the South Coast.
Hopefully student interest & activity will be part of that mix coming to fruition for their sakes.

So Bye..Bye Miss Otaheite Pie.

Sistah:
What darg see im bark all night; ram goat see it no trouble im.

One, one cocoa full basket!

We did not really use any materials for our lecture. We basically looked at the chapter title of the children's workbook and created material on our own with our own knowledge to teach the children. It should also be noted that Chris McGovern and Kendall Davis were instrumental teachers in this same classroom, both creating material on the spot to engage and teach their children and both did an amazing job.

I guess there won't be any more pictures posted by the UVA students?

Picture Pig is using an honest alias.

HOME-GROWN STUDENT PROSPECTS: DOWN THE ROAD...

www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20100329/lead/lead2.html

Picture Pig, here are five more pictures.

Thank you, Chris.

I have just received letters from two of our scholarship students. They were at the dinner with the University of Virginia students. Here is a quote from one letter:

"I must say that I really enjoyed myself at the dinner with the students from U VA. They are really fun to be around. Sadly though, they can only spend one week. I am also thinking about going to U VA for university when I leave school if all goes well."

This is a quote from the other letter:

"A few days ago, myself and the other scholarship recipients met with 21 students from U VA. They were really nice people. We had dinner with them and got to know them. I believe that they are really good influences and that they are cool for wanting to spend their spring break helping to teach and spend time with the children attending the Sandy Bank Primary and Basic schools. I am assured that a brighter future may be achieved by going to college/university. Thank you for making it possible to meet with them and for a delicious dinner."

We are gratified the U VA students are serving as role models for Treasure Beach students. This is definitely an example of a win-win situation.

This inspiring message makes my day. Thank you for sharing.

The dinner with the scholarship students was a new thing we did this year (thank you Karen for helping set this up) and I think all the UVA students would agree it was a huge success. It was very inspirational to see what these determined, bright children were capable of and what their goals are. I hope to continue this dinner next year so that we can continue to meet and talk to these amazing students

I also like how the scholarship students each are mentoring another younger student. This program is reaching well beyond only those who receive the scholarships.

Here's another comment about the U VA students from a Treasure Beach Foundation scholarship student.

"I am grateful to you for the opportunity you gave to me to have dinner with the students from the University of Virginia. I can't even begin to tell you how much fun I had. They were so hospitable and pleasant. I was a bit nervous about the dinner, but after the way they welcomed me, there was no space for nervousness. Honestly, it was so easy to interact with them it was like I had known them for years."