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KOTA KINABALU: SM St Michael, Penampang have won another award – this time in the UNertia Campaign and Competition run by Unesco Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau for Education and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Organised for the first time this year, UNertia is a campaign and a competition that encourages anyone and everyone, in particular young people, students and schools in the Asia-Pacific region, to engage in sustainable actions which will yield positive environmental benefits in their local communities.

The award presentation to the winners was held at Princess Chulabhorn College Trang, Trang Province, Thailand.

Nine students representing SM St Michael, Penampang were Achilles Bernard Logijin, Angelina Idalia Freddy, Nichelle Cheong, Gillian Steffy George, Jonathan Wong, Carlsson Paddy, Cyril Moses, Angellica Santiala Jorin and Kevin Moses Lee (ranging from ages 14 to 17) grouped together to become the Ecorangers.

This group worked hand in hand with their School Excellent Principal Marie Yong Pik Hua and two advising teachers Thecla Nelly David and Claris Hee on their project entitled "A Drain of Hope for You and Me".

The project envisioned to rehabilitate, clean and beautify the drain from Penampang Futsal Court to Taman Pampang, Penampang.

"A Drain of Hope for You and Me" was actually a project which was continued since last year during the Toyota Eco Youth programme.

Representing Malaysia, their efforts paid off after winning first place in the UNertia competition for the secondary school level.

As for the tertiary level, Philippine Normal University, Unesco Club was placed first.

Meanwhile, the Malaysia Youth Heroes representing Universiti Malaya managed to get first in the youth category.

"Winning was not easy. Not only did the Ecorangers sacrifice their weekends and holidays, the Ecorangers even braved the horrible polluted drain. Just b ecause they wanted it to be clean for everyone.

"The journey that we started together as a team was definitely wasn't all smooth sailing. We had our ups and downs but it was all worth it," said Achilles Logijin, leader of the Ecorangers.

The Ecorangers had implemented a lot of green countermeasures in order to make their project a whole success.

The projects included regular clean ups, visits to primary schools to educate them in environmental awareness, mudball making and so much more.

Constant collaboration and cooperation with Jephrin Wong, former Deputy Director of the Sabah Fisheries Department, PWD, Penampang Futsal Centre and the local community also contributed to this achievement.

SM St Michael, Penampang is actually the first school to initiate the tagal system.

The implementation of the tagal system has become the main highlight in this project while Jephrin Wong was the one who initiated the idea to tagal the drain in the Futsal Centre.

"To continuously convey the message to help mother earth wasn't as easy as 1,2,3 or Do Re Mi. It requires our constant persistence to have the hope that someone at least a person could hear our voices," said Nichelle Cheong.

"The UNertia competition has ended and winners have been announced, but our journey does not end here.

We will ensure that the future generation will have the opportunity to see and to live in a cleaner environment.

"We thank Unesco and UNEP for sharing with us such a precious knowledge on the practical steps that can be taken to preserve and conserve our environment," the Ecorangers said.