Two Exceptional Leaders Propel the 4-H Movement in St. Mary

The parish of St. Mary, with its verdant landscapes and rural charm, boasts two leaders who are shaping the future of youth empowerment and agricultural innovation within the 4-H community.

Vice Principal of the St. Mary High School and leader of the school’s 4-H Club, Major Christine Wright, and Agricultural Science Teacher of the St. Mary Technical High School, Captain Antonio Wright, have been a part of the 4-H Movement for more than 70 years, collectively.

In an interview with JIS News, Miss Wright points out that her involvement with the 4-H community began when she was a student at St. Mary High School.

“I had a teacher called Mrs. Ghalia Evans-Stewart. She taught me Agricultural Science and was the 4-H leader, and the way she put forward agriculture made me fall in love with it, so I started to study agriculture,” she says.

Miss Wright notes that through the 4-H Club she was able to offer her family the support they needed at the time.

“At that time, my family struggled financially, so being involved in the different activities caused me to not only support myself but offer support to my family,” she says.

The various skills and training she learned from being a part of the 4-H Club are the same skills she uses to empower and motivate her students.

“The 4-H Movement is about holistic development, so you learn about life skills, personal development and communication skills. So, if I observe a child that is shy, I subtly go about empowering the child to be more assertive and confident,” Miss Wright explains.

Miss Wright studied Agricultural Science at the College of Agriculture Science and Education (CASE) in Portland.

The 2024 4-H Girl of the Year for St. Mary, Nickelia Ramdon, is a student under Miss Wright’s mentorship.

Ms. Ramdon attributes her successful campaign of winning the 4-H Girl of the Year for two consecutive years to the guidance of Miss Wright.

She entered the competition with a business called Nature’s Secrets, where she creates body products and Indian curry, among other spices.

“My club advisor, Miss Wright, has influenced me by being the number-one person who has been pushing me to do this project and to ensure that this is done properly and also in helping me to develop leadership skills in teaching other clubbites,” Ms. Ramdon tells JIS News.

She says Miss Wright is always motivating her to persevere even when the odds are not in her favour.

Similarly, Mr. Wright is also making strides in influencing his students.

Mr. Wright, who describes himself as a “stalwart” in the 4-H community, has been an active member for over 40 years.

Like Miss Wright, he started his 4-H journey at the secondary level as a student of the St. Mary Technical High School where he was actively involved in agriculture.

“I participated in school gardening, entered the St. Mary agricultural expo, what we normally call the grazing agricultural show, budding and grafting and agricultural quiz competition,” he recalls.

Mr. Wright shares that he has learned many life skills and valuable lessons after being involved in the club for over four decades – skills that have proven useful throughout adulthood.

“I developed my leadership and public-speaking skills because those are major aspects of the 4-H Club. I was able to enter public speaking competitions and to take part in other speech activities, and that built my confidence as well,” he asserts.

He attributes his love for the Club and the successes he has had to his teacher and mentor, Mrs. Murine Cunningham-Johnson, with whom he has worked over the years.

“She was my mentor, and I’m proud to say I returned to the school as a member of staff and during her time there, both of us have taken the St. Mary Technical High school, then Richmond Secondary, for over 10 years as champions at the Parish Achievement Day,” he beams.

Mr. Wright also praises the Club for aiding in his successful career, as it was through a scholarship from the 4-H Club that he was able to pursue higher education.

He also graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agricultural Science from CASE.

Mr. Wright says the acquisition of the degree has helped him to teach and educate students in the field of agriculture.

He passes on techniques in areas such as ornamental, composting and food science, which his students now use to create successful projects.

The 2024 Boy of the Year for St. Mary, Kymani Parkins, is one of the many students Mr. Wright has helped throughout his journey in the Club.

Mr. Parkins, who entered the 4-H Boy of the Year competition with a product he developed that can be used as both a porridge mix and a punch, called ‘Plapecin’, says Mr. Wright has been one of the influences in the success of his product.

“He has been there every evening when we’re at school testing new formulas and also researching new ways to make this product better,” he says.

Meanwhile, Mr. Wright says he is proud of Mr. Parkins for having taken the skills he had taught him and using them effectively.

Both the St. Mary High School and the St. Mary Technical High School have consistently dominated the parish competitions, securing not only the titles of 2024 Boy and Girl of the Year, but also second place in both competitions under the guidance of the teachers.