CONGRATULATIONS: Edward (third right) receiving the Jury’s Award from guest-of-honour cum Tarat assemblyman Roland Sagah. Looking on are MPP chairman Lo Khere Chiang (second left), competition organising chairman Edward Kurik and senior MPP personnel.
KUCHING: Students of SK St Bernard in Kampung Sadir may soon become the envy of their peers if the school’s administration and supporters realise their goal of having a resort-style school.
“Our vision is to have a school ala resort. Many tourists who visit Borneo Highlands Resort stop by just to see our school,” headmaster Edward Peter Bajat told The Borneo Post when met after the prize-giving ceremony for the annual landscape beautification competition organised by the Padawan Municipal Council (MPP) yesterday.
The school, which is located about 70km from here, was crowned champion in the Mission School category and was also presented with the Jury’s Special Award for managing to place in the top three for three consecutive years.
For winning their category in this year’s competition, the school received RM1,500 cash, a trophy, certificate and a landscape project worth RM5,000, while for the latter award, the school received RM500 cash, a trophy and certificate.
Edward, who has been headmaster of St Bernard’s for the past three years, said in their first year of competition, they placed third, but improved it the following year to first place.
“We also won the Jury’s Award then. This year is our second time winning the award.
“Our secret is the cooperation between the schools and parents. Their cooperation is important, not just to beautify the school but also for its security and to create a comfortable environment for our students,” he said, adding that it was also possible because of the efforts of the committee in charge who planned and maintained the landscaping.
He said they tried their best to use as many natural features of their surroundings in their design, which also incorporated cultural elements.
“We didn’t spend comparatively as much on beautifying the school as MPP and other volunteers helped by donating plants. We also incorporated native flora found in and around the school and village. We also have a lot of help from parents and villagers in implementing our plans.”
He shared that the parents and villagers were very pleased about winning the best landscaping award for Mission School for the second consecutive year, and that they would likely plan something to celebrate the victory.
In yesterday’s ceremony, 30 winners across 10 categories were recognised by MPP for their efforts to beautify their surroundings. The categories were Best National School, Best Mission School, Best Chinese School (SJK), Best Secondary School, Best Malay Kampung, Best Dayak Kampung, Best Masjid, Best Church, Best Chapel, and Best Temple (Tokong).