BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - STUDENTS who participated in the 2012-2013 Junior Achievement Company Programme were yesterday (Nov. 21) awarded certificates, plaques and trophies for their hard work in successfully creating and managing a business.
The Annual Award Ceremony was held at the Sir Cecil Jacobs Auditorium of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank.
The five Secondary Schools that participated in this year's programme are the Basseterre High School, Cayon High School, Charles E. Mills Secondary School, Washington Archibald High School and the Gingerland Secondary School.
The participants were tasked with initiating and managing a business for a period of time, participating in a local trade fair and upon liquidating their business submit financial reports.
The programme sought to educate and train young people in the areas of work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy.
The Washington Archibald High placed third in the Trade Fair Display while Cayon High School copped the second spot and Basseterre High School came out the winner.
Special recognition was given to one student from each school for going above and beyond what was required of them in executing their responsibilities to their school's Junior Achievement Company.
Those awarded are Laquasha Sargeant of Basseterre High School, Tylah Clarke of the Charles E. Mills Secondary School, Monroe Tweed of the Washington Archibald High School, Chelsea Claxton of the Gingerland Secondary School and Shenequa Stevens of the Cayon High School all received Junior Achievers Awards.
Shenequa Stevens of the Cayon High School was awarded the National Junior Achiever prize.
And because there was no award ceremony for those who participated in last year’s programme, the organisers saw it a fitting gesture to acknowledge the winners of the various categories at this year’s ceremony.
Basseterre High School was awarded for winning the Best Business Plan while Washington Archibald High came out on top for the Best Financial Report and Shelicia Rogers of that said school was adjudged the National Junior Achiever.
In addition to being the National Junior Achiever, Rogers was also presented a Junior Achievers Certificate along with Diondra Archibald of the Gingerland Secondary School and Damarni Tyrell of Basseterre High School.
Speaking briefly at the ceremony were the President of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, David Lake; Permanent Secretary in the Department of Education in the Nevis Island Administration, Lornette Queeley-Connor; and Senior Education Officer in the Ministry of Education, Michael Blake who proclaimed his Ministry's full support in the programme.
The Keynote Address was given by the Chairman of the Board of Directors for Junior Achievement St Kitts-Nevis (JASKN), Peter Chevozerov, who is also known to many as Peter KN.
Chevozerov encouraged the students to advance their personal financial standing in the future and to create inventive businesses. He also encouraged them not to give up should they fall along the way and to use whatever perceived failures as a stepping stone.
Junior Achievement St Kitts-Nevis is the local management and implementation agency for Junior Achievement Worldwide which has been in existence for over 100 years. And over the past nine years the Junior Achievement Company Programme has been executed in the Federation’s secondary schools.
