Quiz used as preparative tool for Test of Standards
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – SIXTH Grade students of the Bronte Welsh Primary School have completed another leg in their rigorous preparative activities for the upcoming Test of Standards, having participated last evening (June 7) in a keenly-contested Quiz.
Before their peers, teachers, relatives and members of the media, six of the 13 sixth graders – two boys and four girls - summoned the information they had committed to memory to assist them in providing the appropriate answers for the questions posed to them.
Shenique Morton, Nickhail Sutton, Jahnika Francis, Kajomo Isaac, Tamesha Murray and Renisha Wilkenson endured 16 rounds of competition, four each for the subject areas of English, Mathematics, Social Studies and Science.
The children valiantly - and correctly in most cases - answered questions about fractions, geometry, parts of speech, the Periodic Table, general knowledge about the Caribbean, the Commonwealth and facts on St. Kitts and Nevis.
So close was the competition that by the end of the final round three of the participants – Morton, Francis and Wilkenson - were tied in first position with 75 points each and a tie-breaker had to be employed with a view to identifying one first place winner.
Again, the students displayed their extensive knowledge base and all three answered their questions correctly. The second round of the tire-breaker however was a deciding question with only Morton answering correctly.
And while she was named winner of the competition, both Francis and Wilkenson were required to ensure yet another round of questioning so as to distinguish between the second and third place winners.
Failing to answer her question with accuracy, Francis placed third in the competition while Wilkenson took the second spot.
All of the students received trophies for their participation in the second-annual Island Purified Water-sponsored event, and those who took the three top positions received trophies in accordance with their performance.
Speaking with the media following her win, Morton explained that she felt proud of herself and her accomplishment. She said her confidence level at the commencement of the competition was not as high as it ought to have been, especially since the intelligence of her peers was equal to hers. But her hard work did indeed pay off.
“I think it will help me get through Test of Standards and pass it and get in a good class when I get to high school. I studied a lot...I gave myself work. Sometimes I would let my friends test me on what I know. If you keep studying you would get better in life and people would look up to you instead of looking down on you.”
Principal of the school Anthony Wiltshire said the Quiz is an excellent preparative tool and expressed that his students are expected to put their best foot forward during the Test of Standards.
“I must say that this evening was more keenly-contested than last year, because last year we definitely knew the disparity. This year, Mr. (Stewart) Rawlins (Grade Six teacher) kept saying it was going to be a tight competition and he ensured that there would be a tie breaker question because he anticipated that this was the way it was going to go.”
He expressed that when the students of Grade Six would have transitioned into the high school stratum, “we are going to miss them because they have been good ambassadors for us during the academic year”.
