School are closed for the holiday break until next week, but the Guy H. Benjamin School is a busy place these days.
Nearly 50 St. John volunteers showed up at the Coral Bay school on Monday to take part in the clean-up and repair of the building and schoolgrounds, and work is expected to continue through Saturday.
The effort was organized by Parent-Teacher Association president Yulandra Richards, who said problems with the school building had been building up for years. After birds began invading one classroom through a hole in the roof last fall, teachers staged a walkout.
Months ago, the Benjamin PTA members developed a lengthy list of problems needing to be addressed. Then they began soliciting cash contributions, building materials and volunteer assistance from trades workers and carpenters. By the time the clean-up got under way on Jan. 3, they had enlisted help from the Education and Public Works Departments and V.I. Fire Services, as well as the private sector.
By Monday afternoon, Richards and PTA public relations officer Junie Violenes reported that roof gutters had been cleared, classroom had received fresh coats of paint, the school water cooler had been cleaned, and an assortment of leaks had been caulked. Alongside the school playing field, firefighters had the construction of new wooden bleachers well under way.
Items remaining on the PTA's list included installing a grease trap and repairing and replacing fencing, Richards said. "Parents and teachers will continue working throughout the week, and then there will be a final big clean-up by Saturday," she said.
Violenes said the school playground committee volunteers were just waiting for a delivery of gravel and concrete from a local construction company whose truck had broken down on Monday. She said a long list of companies and individuals donated lumber, paint, hardware, other materials, food and $600 in cash.
According to Richards, the week-long effort won't solve all of the school's physical plant problems in time for the resumption of classes. Repairs and improvements that will still await resolution, she said, include the installation of a new classroom door promised by Education officials.
