Charlestown Primary receives top prize for FCCA Essay Competition
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| Premier and Minister of Education and Tourism, the Hon. Joseph Parry presents Head Teacher, Mrs. Alice Swanston with a US$3,000 cheque from FCCA Foundation for the Caribbean |
CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (November 01, 2007) -- Premier and Minister of Tourism in Nevis, the Hon. Joseph Parry presented a cheque of US$3,000 to the Charlestown Primary School (CPS) for winning the top prize in the recently held Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) Foundation Children’s Essay Contest.
The school made history, when 11 year old student, Miss Christina Ram, emerged as the overall winner in the junior category of the competition. She traveled to Cozumel, Mexico, to read her winning essay and accept her prize at the FCCA Caribbean Cruise Conference in Mexico from October 8 – 12. As part of the overall price package, the winning school and student each received a US$3,000 scholarship and cheque respectively.
Premier Parry, who led a Nevisian delegation to the conference, said Christina’s performance made him proud to be Nevisian and while he congratulated Miss Ram and her teachers, called on the school to use her performance as a catalyst to reach for greater heights.
“It was so good to see young Miss Ram standing at the podium, reading her essay to 1,000 persons from all over the Americas and to see them listening so closely to the great job that she did and applauding her. As a Nevisian, I was very proud!
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| FCCA regional winner and Charlestown Primary School student Ms Christina Ram presents Head Teacher Ms. Alice Swanston with her winning plaque |
“This must be a motivating time for her and her parents but it must also be a motivating time for the rest of this school and indeed for all of Nevis. I hope that it means something to you, that it is significant and that this performance and this example will be a catalyst for you to move forward and reach even greater heights,” he said.
Mr. Parry told the students that they had the ability to compete with geniuses in any part of the world and that being from a small island did not mean that they were limited.
“You need to break down the mental barriers, the psychological barriers and realise that the whole world is at our feet. It has been proven by Monique Liburd, by Kimala Swanston, Agiel Brown and Florelle Hobson of the Charlestown Secondary School.
“Again and again Nevisians have been outstanding at the regional level. I believe that as we are outstanding at a regional level we can be outstanding at an international level. I want you to use these performances as examples as little golden nuggets in your school-bag to remind you as you aspire to reach for the stars that you can perform as well,” the Premier said.
~~Adz:Left~~Words of congratulations also came from Principal Education Officer, Mrs. Jennifer Hodge. She said the Departments of Education and Tourism had enjoyed a wonderful relationship
“I say to you heartiest congratulations for your superior performance and bringing home to Nevis for the first time ever, the first place, congratulations! You have the potential to compete on the regional level and come first.
“I’m suggesting that when the next essay competition comes out every single student make an attempt to get in on that prize. The Department of Education and Department of Tourism have enjoyed a wonderful partnership and I encourage all students from all schools to participate in the respective competitions. Teachers, you can also use the competition as a class assignment and ensure that all students do the essay and give yourselves a better chance of winning the overall prize,” the Education Official said.
Moments before the close of the ceremony, Ms. Ram took the opportunity to share her winning plaque from the FCCA with the school and presented it to Head Teacher, Mrs. Alice Swanston as a source of motivation to her fellow students.
An elated Mrs. Swanston expressed her gratitude on behalf of the school and said the US$3,000 (EC$8,000.) would go towards the purchase of a photo-copier which was needed. She took the opportunity to appeal to parents and friends of the school to continue to support the learning institution in its endeavour to provide quality education.
Each year the Association’s charitable arm, the FCCA Foundation for the Caribbean organised an essay competition to encourage creativity and generate awareness of the vital role cruise tourism played in the Caribbean.
This years theme was “If I was a cruise-ship passenger, what would I do to encourage visitors to my destination,” Ms Ram wrote in the junior division for children aged 12 and under. A senior division for children aged 13 – 16 years was won locally by I-shana Broadbelt of the Charlestown Secondary School.
The brief ceremony was chaired by Tourism Officer, Miss Nicole Liburd who thanked the schools that had responded favorably to the Tourism Department’s invitation to participate in the competition.
