Corinaldi Avenue Primary Tops International Poster Competition

MONTEGO BAY – In a time when several schools are under pressure for not performing up to par, the Corinaldi Avenue Primary in St. James is making positive strides both locally and internationally.

The school recently copped first and second places in the 2013 World Plumbing Day International Poster Competition which is staged by the United States based World Plumbing Council. The day is observed on March 11 annually.

The 2013 staging of the Poster competition had entries from elementary/primary schools from around the world, including countries such as the United Kingdom, Scotland, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, the USA and Jamaica.

In the end, Andrew Malcolm and Nakelia Humphrey, both 5th grade students at the Corinaldi Avenue Primary, took  first and second place respectively, with Liana Ellis, a 4th grader at Dunross Primary School in St. James, Trinidad, taking the third place spot.

For their winning pieces, Andrew Malcolm received US$100 for himself and US$1,000 for his school; while Nakelia Humphrey received US$50 for herself and US$500 for her school, which will receive in total US$1,500.

The school’s participation in the competition came about when Grade Six Teacher Donette Salmon, saw the information on the Internet and along with Grade Three Teacher, Dane Julius, decided to have two students enter.

“We have very talented students here at Corinaldi, and so we decided that Nakelia Humphrey and Andrew Malcolm would be good choices (to do entries), seeing that they have more experience in entering poster competitions and doing very well at it,” Ms Salmon told JIS News.

Mr. Julius informed this is not the first poster competition that the school has won, and their achievements have spanned both international and local competitions over the years.

Both teachers are overjoyed by the results in the World Plumbing Day International Poster Competition. “(It is) not only that we won, but we gained the two top places in the competition, which is a first for the competition itself, so we were overwhelmed by it,” Ms Salmon said.

The students, Andrew and Nakelia, are equally excited at finishing in the top two.

With a student population of approximately 1600, Principal, Cynthia Munroe, told JIS News, that she and the entire school population felt very excited to have outdone the many schools from around the world that entered the competition.

“We had done it before and we knew that we could do it again,” she said, while praising the Art Teacher at the institution for the continued success of the students.

An official function was held at the school to highlight the achievement of Andrew and Nakelia, at which they received both their World Plumbing Council prize, as well as special prizes from the school.

Mrs. Munroe credits the continued high levels of achievement of the Corinaldi Avenue Primary School to a shared vision between principal and staff.

“Our teachers are highly motivated and committed, and they transmit this commitment and motivation to our students; and so our students know that when they get out there they have to excel, they want to achieve at the highest,” she explains.

She further reveals that this feeling and principle is applied throughout the school in all areas.