Brown’s Town Primary Wins Environmental Quiz and Expo Competition

Brown’s Town Primary students walked away victors of the inaugural Environmental Quiz and Expo, beating The Glen Preparatory 36-30 in a closely contested final match held at Holiday Haven in Runaway Bay, St. Ann, on January 13.

Meanwhile, Runaway Bay Primary copped third place, beating Lower Buxton Primary 50 points to 7.

The competition brought together 13 primary schools from St. Ann. It was organised by Cause for Change Foundation Limited, in partnership with VM Foundation and the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, among other entities.

For the winning team’s captain, Jaymar Duckett, the victory was both thrilling and rewarding.

“I’m feeling great and grateful about it,” said Jaymar, who is currently in the sixth grade.

“Going into the final, I thought about all the rules that our coach told us about consulting and always waiting until we’re acknowledged. So, I felt great and thankful that my team worked together to win,” he added.

Jaymar also cited the importance of education, stating that it makes people smarter as well as helps them to understand topics they may not have encountered before, like those that have to do with the environment.

Coach and teacher, Akelia Riley, said she remained optimistic throughout the competition and had confidence that her team would bring home the trophy.

“We decided to enter because the students needed to learn more, not only in-class learning but to learn a little extra about how they can care for their environment and also to educate others,” said Ms. Riley.

“Once they learn these things they never forget. Also, they communicate with their peers and also family members, so they will be able to share this information and also put it into practice in their everyday lives,” she continued.

She pointed out that fostering environmental awareness at an early age helps to build lifelong habits and encourages responsible citizenship.

The event was designed not merely to keep score but to provide an educational opportunity for schools and communities about healthy environmental practices and ways to create a better and safer environment for Jamaicans.

Principal Director of Cause for Change Foundation Limited, Richardo Aiken, told JIS News that the competition achieved its goal of engaging young minds in meaningful climate change discussions.

Moreover, he said the enthusiasm and responsiveness of the students is evidence that communities still have an active role to play in addressing national and global challenges, particularly through civil society-led initiatives.

For her part, Chief Executive Officer of VM Foundation, Samantha Charles, said the event was exciting, educational and extremely engaging, adding that she would love to see the competition expand beyond the parish, particularly given Jamaica’s recent hurricane experience and the importance of reducing environmental hazards.

“If we start young at primary school level, these children will continue to build habits that they can tell their peers, tell their parents, tell their communities, and be able to teach and share that knowledge, so that we can all grow up on a planet that we can see and love and be appreciative of nature and community development,” Ms. Charles said.