After a two year absence from the Young Leaders’ competition, the St. Vincent Girls High School has made a return this year, as the institution celebrates its 100th anniversary.{{more}}

The team, which consists of 34 students and four teachers, successfully launched their 2011 campaign last Friday, January 28, on their Richmond Hill school grounds, just 100 days before the centenary is officially observed.

They will focus on water management and conservation in the RBTT-sponsored programme, under the theme ‘Blue Gold: Treasuring earth’s reservoirs’.

Chante Melville, President of the GHS Young Leaders, disclosed at Friday’s launch that the team will be involved in a number of community based activities.

“We intend to plant one hundred trees in various locations around St. Vincent and build a pond and garden.

“We will also have a water bill competition where we would go around and see who has significantly reduced their water bills,” said Melville.

Melville said that apart from those activities, the team will also be bringing water awareness to other schools in the region when they tour, as well as donate bottled water collected to the Grenadine isle of Union Island.

“We intend to educate people of how precious and essential water is to life…. Water is essential for recreation, maintaining life and providing habitat for various types of animals and hence the reason we need to treasure our earth’s reservoirs.” Melville said.

Friday’s event also saw the unveiling of the team’s mascot ‘Mrs. Drop Drop’, on an afternoon where students, faculty and invited guests (which included RBTT representative Noel Dickson, Venezuelan Ambassador Joel Perez Marcano and the St. Vincent Boys Grammar School Young Leaders team) were entertained by a skit on water conservation, a fashion show utilising the plastic used to wrap bananas, a water drinking competition, dancing and performances by the Vincy Soca Dans member Luta and Fireman Hooper.

The school placed second in 2009, when they last participated in the programme.

Prior to that, the GHS Young leaders had recorded a number of first place successes, which President Melville predicts will be repeated as the school celebrates its 100th anniversary.

The competition, which got started on January 24, climaxes on April 29.

The St. Vincent Grammar School is the defending champion.