BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – WITH a total of 559 points, Miss Social and Emotional Development, 36-year-old Gloria Carey, outshone her four colleagues Friday night (Feb. 22) and was crowned Miss KDI (Key Development Indicator) of the Industrial Site Day Care Centre.
The pageant, which was held on the Centre's premises at the C.A. Paul Southwell Industrial Site, attracted an impressive audience that included parents, students, other teachers and family members.
First Runner-up was Miss Physical Development and Health 21-year-old Zarema Pemberton with 548 points while Miss Math, Science and Technology, 33-year-old Sefferina Audain gained 514 points and took the Second Runner-up position.
Carey had captured two of the four judged segments - Best Promotional Speech and Best Creative Wear with 138 and 157 points respectively.
Dubbed ‘Celebration’, Carey’s creative wear was a colourfully-designed dress, stylishly constructed from manila paper.
Pemberton won the two other categories - Best Talent with 158 points and Best Evening Wear with 138 points. Her winning dress was a fitted shimmery vivacious orange hailed ‘Vibrant Living’.
For her talent, without music accompaniment, she gave a lyrical testimony on the love that she has for the teaching profession. She shared that many critics questioned why she had chosen day care and encouraged her to try primary or even secondary schools. She however vowed that she would never resign from her job.
Pemberton addressed the debatable issue of small salary involved in the profession but told critics that “I am proof that little does stretch”.
The other contestants were Miss Language Literacy and Communication Shondi Mills and Miss Creative and Visual Arts Natalee Eulette.
Mills is in her late 40s and Eulette is 25 years old.
Mills, the most senior contestant, won the support of many in the audience, especially during her Evening Wear appearance, as she modelled across to stage to the current popular tune ‘Girl On Fire' by Alicia Keys.
She had the audience in stitches during her performing talent in which she pointed to the importance of being literate. In her dramatised piece she boarded a plane to China for the first time and portrayed the disadvantages of being ignorant of the Chinese culture because she was illiterate.
Mills made a hilarious reference to the popular resident Chinese storeowner ‘Cindy’, who was on the same flight, whom she asked to do her a “favour” in booking a flight back to St. Kitts.
Speaking with SKNVibes after the show, Carey said she was “relieved” and “happy”. She thanked her chaperones Alphonso Henry and Belinda Partliz whom she praised for “putting in a lot of work”.
She has been employed at the Centre for nine years and is the mother of a five-year-old.
Carey was asked what being a teacher means, to which she emphasised on the love sh daughtere has for children.
"I love children; that’s the most important thing about being a teacher. I adore children...I love working with children. Sometimes it can be stressful and tiresome but I just love doing my work as a teacher. I love my co-workers. Everything is not always dandy, but at the end of it we enjoy what we do - helping children to be what they are in society - and we are very proud of that. I am very proud of being a teacher.”
She thanked her mother, Emelia Carey, for “taking up position as mom” during the times she had to be away from her daughter in preparing for the pageant. She was also grateful to her daughter’s father for his support as well.
Sideline performances included Gary the Fireman, Royd Phipps and Sheryl Christopher.
Miss KDI was staged as part of the Centre’s activities to celebrate its 20th Anniversary.