Former student gives back to Alexandra with Hydrate station

Giving back was the theme at the recent launch of the nineteenth Hydrate Barbados Station at Alexandra School. This station’s sponsor, Wholesale Express, is a small proprietary a stone’s throw away from the school, and its manager, Rinaldo Jordan, is a former student of the Alexandra School. This is the first school in the north to receive a sponsored water station as part of Newport Water’s Hydrate Programme. 

Jordan could not be present at the time of the launch but his representative, Salisha Hope spoke about his gratitude to the school. She spoke about his family’s long-standing connection to the school, dating back to the patriarch of his family, Irvine Jordan, who worked at the school as a maintenance man, and was known to many to “repair the unrepairable”. 

“I (Rinaldo Jordan) attended this school, and I am thankful to the principals, teachers and other staff who played a significant role in moulding me into the person I have become today. My mum, my aunt and three of my cousins also attended Alexandra School, while my uncle is the current porter and I have two cousins enrolled here,” Jordan said in his message. 

With school returning to its full capacity this term after the bout of uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, the principal of the Alexandra School, Cheryl Gill expressed her excitement for this new addition to the school. The station is conveniently situated in the canteen area, and it is hoped that this would encourage students to choose the healthier option when it comes to their beverages. 

Through this sponsorship, Wholesale Express has made the cold or room temperature water being dispensed from the station absolutely free for all, and an obvious choice especially in these harsh economic times.

Gill noted: “This school has a strong tradition of encouraging students and staff to live a healthy lifestyle, and in more recent years, we have been very successful in getting our students to see water as the preferred drink.” She was also elated for the school to have the opportunity to reduce the carbon footprint and contribute positively to to the environment. 

According to Tyla Miller from Newport Water, The Hydrate Programme is heading quickly for one million (500 ml) bottle fills, with over 330,000 of those bottle fills, coming from stations placed in the nation’s schools. 

With a mission to bring Barbados closer to a plastic-free country, whose inhabitants are no longer suffering from such high incidences of non-communicable diseases, the Newport team is committed to growing this initiative, so more businesses and individuals can play a part in it. 

Jordan chose this method of giving back as he hoped the staff and pupils alike would be encouraged to drink colder, refreshing and filtered water in light of the ever increasing temperatures Barbados faces.

Gill gave kudos to Jordan for staying true to Alexandra and giving back, while urging the students to take good care of the station and to do likewise as they reap success in their later life. 

As the bell rang for lunch, scores of children populated the canteen area and quickly filled their bottles with, as one child put it, the “better than bottled water” refreshing water. (PR)