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| Ms Cynthia Seabrookes a student of the St Thomas Primary School receives her letter of notification from Director of Agriculture Mr Samuel Powell while Ms Earlene Maynard, Principal, looks on. |
CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (March 9, 2006) -- A student of the St Thomas' Primary School emerged winner of the Department of Agriculture sponsored poster competition on Thursday, a contest designed to involve students on Nevis in agriculture.
Miss Catherine Seabrookes of Cotton Ground Village, one of only two entrants from the school, captured the top position from among a total of 40 entries from the 10 schools on the island affording her a number of prizes including a trophy and an EC$250 cash prize.
According to Mr Samuel Powell, Director of Agriculture in the Nevis Island Administration, the announcement of the winner at the St Thomas, Primary School on Thursday was the conclusion of a pre activity which would lead to the Department of Agriculture's annual Open Day. The agriculture exhibition which showcases agricultural business on Nevis is this year scheduled for March 30-31 at The Villa in Charlestown where Ms Seabrookes would receive her prizes.
The poster contest, under the theme "Agri-Business the Way to GO", was launched in October 2005 during the World Food Day week activities. The theme will also be used for the upcoming Agriculture Open Day.
Mr Powell said that the Department had decided to highlight a business approach to agriculture because that was the way forward if agriculture was to survive.
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| The winning poster. |
"We have to add value, we have to do things differently and in so doing, Nevis will better position itself to deal with the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States Single Market and Economy and the World Trade Organisation arrangements that are coming in place and we have to organise ourselves now otherwise we will be left behind," he said.
Miss Seabrookes took the opportunity to thank her parents who she said encouraged her to draw because of her desire to enter a contest of that nature.
"I always wanted to enter a poster competition and right now I feel very happy that I have won this competition because this is my first time entering a poster competition. I would like to thank Teacher Nisbett for helping me label the poster, Ms Maynard for helping, me with my idea and Mrs Simmonds and Evado for helping me draw and colour this poster," she said.
Ms Erlene Maynard School Principal congratulated Ms Seabrookes and thanked the teachers and parents who assisted with the project. She explained that whenever the school was successful in any of its endeavours, it was as a result of a collaborative effort of parents and teachers.
Meantime, Principal Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture Mr Stephen Jones who was present said that both the Ministry and the department were making a concerted effort to ensure that Nevis became sell sufficient and as such it was important that "we grow food, keep animals of meat and we make sure that we do what we call agro processing".
Also present was acting Communications Officer in the Department of Agriculture Mr Steve Reid.
