WATERFORD High School may not be known for too many major non-academic achievements, but what the St Catherine institution is quickly becoming recognized for is its interesting array of natural products, made from scratch, by the eager hands of the enthusiastic students of the Science and Environmental Club.
The club's flagship products are facial cleansing soap bars, which it makes in a variety of essences, including garlic and lemongrass, orange, and aloe. The students and their teacher Tera Rankine all visibly light up as they speak of the success and the attention that the initiative has so far attracted.
Rankine explained that the club entered the soaps in the Katalyxt's Youth Innovation Competition held earlier this month, where they placed seventh, beating out even traditional high schools.
"We are right up there with the Ardenne and the Campion; we are in that top group. It shows the students that they can do it, it doesn't matter which school they are from. That's the impact I wanted to make, that's why I came back to this school to teach," the past student said.
The competition, which was created by Mint Management and Finance Services Limited, engages young innovators from third to sixth form to participate and develop an appetite for innovation. It instills in the students the business acumen to be future business leaders.
Science club member Kemo Anderson explained that the soaps, which go under the company name Nature's Drop, are different because of the emphasis on natural ingredients in their production and the absence of harsh preservatives and other chemicals.