2006.09.07: September 7, 2006: Headlines: COS - Eastern Caribbean: Virgin Islands: Primary Education: Training: Vrgin Islands Daily News: Water now OK at the former "Peace Corps School"
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2006.05.08: May 8, 2006: Headlines: COS - Eastern Caribbean: Virgin Islands: Primary Education: Training: Vrgin Islands Daily News: Peace Corps Elementary School in Virgin Islands renamed for founding principal Milliner-Bowsky :
2006.09.07: September 7, 2006: Headlines: COS - Eastern Caribbean: Virgin Islands: Primary Education: Training: Vrgin Islands Daily News: Water now OK at the former "Peace Corps School"
Water now OK at the former "Peace Corps School"
Guy Benjamin Elementary School students began the second week of the school year with clean water. A cistern was contaminated during the summer, causing initial water shortages at the school. The school was not connected to anything involving the Peace Corps except that this was a federal training site for volunteers heading to Africa for service.
Water now OK at the former "Peace Corps School"
Water now OK at Guy Benjamin School, officials say
By IAN MORRISON
Thursday, September 7th 2006
Guy Benjamin Elementary School students began the second week of the school year with clean water. A cistern was contaminated during the summer, causing initial water shortages at the school.
St. Thomas-St. John Insular Superintendent Emily Carter said in a release last week that water would be brought to the school over the holiday weekend and students would have water when they returned on Tuesday.
Carter could not be reached for comment this week.
St. Thomas-St. John Deputy Superintendent Yahaya Bello said Wednesday that materials from work on the school's roof during the summer ended up in one of the school's two cisterns because the container's downspout had not been disconnected.
"So we cleaned the cistern and replaced the water," Bello said.
The water was then tested and cleared for use at the school, he said. Bello said he had not received details yet from that report or an initial test of the water completed before school began that found it to be contaminated.
"The Department of Education regularly tests water at all schools," he said.
Acting Principal Alecia Wells confirmed that the problem had been solved and water brought to the school. She said the contaminated water only prevented students from washing their hands because the cistern was not used for drinking water. The school brings in potable water for students to drink and classes have their own water coolers.
"We are cooking and the children have breakfast and lunch," Wells said.
Guy Benjamin PTO President Kristen Cox said that last week parents had to bring in water and on some days food for their children, so they could eat and wash their hands.
Some meals could not be served because dishes could not be washed with the contaminated water, Cox said.
The release - along with Bello and Wells - said that the department also furnished water for students and staff during the week. In addition, V.I. Public Works Department brought in extra water during the week after calls from parents.
Wells said that by Friday the school had enough water to wash dishes and feed students.
Guy Benjamin Elementary is not the first territorial public school to discover contaminants in its water system.
In 2004, Charlotte Amalie High's drinking water tested positive on the first day of school for fecal coliform bacteria after the school switched from using piped-in water to rainwater from a cistern to save money during the summer. Water at Yvonne Milliner-Bowsky Elementary - formerly Peace Corps School - tested positive for bacterial contamination in 2003. Tests showed the water contained fecal coliform and E. coli bacteria.
The department also found contaminants in Joseph Sibilly Elementary's water system in 1999, 2000 and then again in 2002 after tests of the cistern water at the school showed the existence of potentially harmful byproducts, chemicals and organic compounds.
Department of Education officials made a number of changes to the area around the cistern and reduced chlorine levels in the water being delivered to the cistern.
The water eventually tested free of contaminants in every instance after the changes were made.
Bello said he could not recall reports of any other schools in the territory with water problems at the start of this school year.
"Everything seems to be fine now," Cox said on Wednesday.
- Contact Ian Morrison at 774-8772 ext. 317 or e-mail imorrison@dailynews.vi.
When this story was posted in September 2006, this was on the front page of PCOL:
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Story Source: Vrgin Islands Daily News
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Eastern Caribbean; Virgin Islands; Primary Education; Training
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