Spring Village Methodist student takes Courts Reading contest

Winner of the 2015 Courts Reading Competition Joelle Campbell of the Spring Village Methodist School. She won both the narrative and the news item category of the competition.

Nine-year-old Joelle Campbell of the Spring Village Methodist School is this year’s Courts Reading Competition Winner.{{more}}

Campbell, who won both the narrative and the news item category of the competition, will now go on to represent St Vincent and the Grenadines in the regional competition in Dominica.

Additionally, Campbell received $2,000 from Courts, a one-year e-subscription from the SEARCHLIGHT newspaper, a mobile phone from LIME, a trophy, compliments Multigraphics and many other prizes.

Her school, the Spring Village Methodist, also won $2,000.

Campbell told SEARCHLIGHT that she plans to be more settled and focused for the next leg of the competition. She thanked her teachers, her mother and father for their continued support throughout the competition.

Second place in the competition went to Janos Lucas of the Calliaqua Anglican School and Saskia Truchot of the Sugar Mill Academy placed third.

The other schools in the competition were the Barrouallie Government School, Langley Park Government, Cane End Government, Paget Farm Government, Windsor Primary and the Kingstown Preparatory.

Speaking at the competition finals, which took place at Frenches House on September 25, senior education officer in the Curriculum Unit Aldia Dyer noted that reading is a fundamental tool, needed in this day and age to create or have any advancement in the world.

Dyer, however, said that although we they were there to celebrate the cream of the crop in reading, one must still remember that there are students who are still struggling to read at the standard level.

“Despite the efforts of education officers, head teachers, teachers, parents, the children themselves and corporate society, there are many students who are not meeting minimum standards; we must never be allowed to forget them.”

Dyer said that society in general plays ‘the blame game.’ However, they need to realize that the success of having every student being able to read at the standard level depends on many varying factors.

She said with investment and hard work by both teachers and students, the Ministry will be able to raise the standard and reading level of students across the island.

The education officer, however, noted her disappointment that only two boys had taken part in the competition.

Senior manager at Courts Michelle Samuel explained that much of the funds used to put on the competition do not come from Courts corporate profits, but from the pockets of the owners of the company.

“The OECS reading completion is just one project in what we call our accountability programme, which supports education, health, infrastructure and occupation training and also includes a solidarity fund for providing assistance for victims of natural disasters.”

Samuel encouraged parents to read to their children and advised them to support their children in reading and push them, because reading opens up the world.(CM)