Nevis students show their spelling skills
By Anastasha Elliott
The Charlestown Primary School and the Gingerland Secondary School last week won the Rotary National Spelling Bee competition held at the Nevis Cultural Centre.
The participating primary schools included: the Ivor Walter Primary, the Violet O Jeffers Nichols Primary, the Charlestown Preparatory, the St. Thomas’ Primary, the St. James Primary, the Gingerland Primary, Lyn Jeffers, the St. John’s Primary and the Bellevue International.
The participating secondary schools included the Gingerland Secondary, Lyn Jeffers and the Charlestown Secondary. In second and third position in the primary level of the competition were the Charlestown Preparatory and the Violet O Jeffers Nichols Primary respectively.
Lyn Jeffers placed third in the secondary level of the competition, while the Charlestown Secondary placed third. At the close of the competition each student received participatory trophies.
Michael Perkins, area representative for St. Paul’s, in his opening remarks on Thursday encouraged the students at the event to make use of their youth in a constructive manner.
He told the students that time goes by quickly and their youth is precious. “Once you recognise this you will say to yourself that I must make use of my time, age and not look at it as though you have years ahead to catch up with what you fail to do now,” Perkins said.
Minister Perkins further encouraged the students to “begin now if you have not, to make good, sound, productive use of your time and your age.”
“You have a grand opportunity here on Nevis where education is provided free of cost, unlike many other territories and that is something you need to cherish,” said Perkins.
Jennifer Hodge, Principle Education Officer, in her remarks said the then president of the Rotary Club, Alfred Tyrell, approached her with a proposal to form a partnership with education. “He was not sure what he wanted but after some discussion we agreed that it should be a spelling bee competition involving all the schools of the secondary and primary levels,” Hodge said.
“I discussed the idea with Mrs. Coverly, the then co-ordinator with the teacher resource centre, who embraced the idea whole heartedly but with one condition,” Hodge said. “That it must not be rushed, it must be properly planned, to be well executed.”
Current president of the Rotary Club, Dexter Bowrin, said the hosting of the competition was a fulfilling moment and assured that the competition would be an annual event. He noted that education was one of the areas that the club identified in its purpose to serve the community.
“You will be seeing more of rotary in the education field. But just like everything else we have to iron out all the little hurdles,” Bowring said.
The students who participated in the competition included: Al Flemming and Diandre Ottley of the Ivor Walters primary, Denrick Bowrin and Alex Persaud of Bellevue International, Christopher Callawan, Alex Ellison of Lyn Jeffers, Austin Liburd and Somalia Liburd of Gingerland Primary, Crystal Selkridge and Merit Chapman of St. Johns Primary.
Of the Charlestown Preparatory were Jeremy Singh and Chloe William, of Charlestown Primary were Alkin Huggins and Trish Taylor, of the St. Thomas’ Primary were Kendal Thomas and Kejel Tyson, of the St James Primary were Takila Prentice and B. Nisbett and of the Violet O. J. Nichols Primary were Destine Howell and Movella Liburd.
