Students and staff of Denham Town Primary School pose with their winners' trophies at the Jamaica Public Service Company/Scientific Research Council (SRC) science fair, held recently at the Holiday Inn Hotel in Montego Bay, St. James. In the back row from left are Doreth McFarlane, head of Denham Town Primary science club; Michelle Morris, SRC communications officer; Andrea Hutchinson, SRC team leader - Popularisation/Information Services; Curtis Deenah, SRC technical information officer; and Everton Jones, principal of Denham Town Primary. - Contributed

Students of the Denham Town Primary School in Kingston have done their community proud.

The western Kingston school, which is often challenged by violent upsurge in neighbouring communities, has emerged winners of the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS)/Scientific Research Council (SRC) science Fair.

Kilsyth Primary in Clarendon and Mount Alvernia High in St. James placed second and third, respectively.

Innovations

Denham Town's innovations included a bicycle dynamo used to power small appliances; converting waste paper into 'fuel balls' for cooking; processing banana skin into paper; turning the national fruit into 'ackee soap', with uses including dishwashing liquid and laundry soap; and recycling discarded cardboard into fire- and water-resistant housing material.

According to head of the school science club, Doreth McFarlane, the cardboard can be used to provide temporary housing, especially in situations when people have lost their homes through natural disasters such as hurricanes or fire.

Asked what inspired her ideas, Ms. McFarlane simply replied: "I pray and ask the Lord for ideas and I read a lot."

Ms. McFarlane said she discussed her ideas with her students leading to research and trial and error.