The public can expect to see and hear a lot more about the Island's first senior secondary school in the months leading up to its opening.

Chairman of CedarBridge Academy's board of governors Garry Madeiros stressed this after the first advertisement of administrative and custodial posts appeared in The Royal Gazette last week.

The board is looking for a facilities manager, library technician, a senior secretary, three office assistants, and four custodians/handymen for the 243,000-square-foot property at Prospect.

It has set a May 16 deadline for applications to the posts.

Mr. Madeiros could not say how many non-teaching staff the school would need.

"We have to decide how many out-services we will need versus in-staff. We're still trying to determine the most cost effective and efficient approach,'' he said.

"But as we define what the overall requirements are, you will see from time to time advertisements out. It is evolving.'' Mr. Madeiros said the board had created five committees -- information technology, property/facilities, finance, curriculum, and communications -- to help with the opening and running of the school.

And he said all were busy carrying out their respective responsibilities.

But he said it was the communications committee which would have to raise public awareness about the new senior secondary school and the transition to comprehensive education in general.

Mr. Madeiros noted that the committee's "strategy of exposure'' included many public speaking engagements by CedarBridge principal Ernest Payette and himself.

The committee is also planning a fashion show of the school's uniform and a newspaper supplement during the summer.

"We are trying to make people aware of what we're trying to achieve,'' he said, adding he was sure that once people understood what the school will be offering and saw its "overwhelming'' facilities, they would have no doubt about its success.

But Mr. Madeiros said he had already noticed a "big'' improvement in the public acceptance of the new school and what it was trying to accomplish.

This, he pointed out, was largely due to Mr. Payette.

"Any groups or individuals who have interacted with Mr. Payette have come away with a confident feeling that what has been said will be achieved,'' Mr.

Madeiros said.

"He has a good grasp of what we need to do, what we have to do, and what has been the history behind all this. He has fitted in well and made this a real success.'' Mr. Madeiros noted that Mr. Payette had been "faced with a lot more than a new principal normally would''.

But he said: "He has been able to do that well. He has forged some very good relationships. He has brought together a number of groups to make this cohesive. He has been very effective. We could not have made a better choice.

"I am convinced that all of our commitments will be met. But we need the support of everybody because this is a community school that will bring together all kids from the east to the west of the Island. So we have to start off the first day in control, focussed, organised and ready to go.''