The Ministry of Agriculture and Lands congratulates participants of the recently held 4H District Spelling Bee Competition.
The involvement of children and youth in the 4H Movement provides an opportunity for 4Hers to study the importance of agriculture in a quest to ensure food and nutrition security for all. The keenly contested competition attracted participants from 4 Districts, which saw the duo of Joel Alexis and Aiden Victor, students of Woburn Methodist School and St Mary’s Junior School respectively, being crowned the 2019 winners and bestowing championship honours to the St George’s District.
Victor following his team’s win said, “This is the fifth trophy I have won in academics. I got my spelling words only last week, but I had to stay up late to study. I would tell anyone to keep trying until they get it right.”
“It was study practice and more practice for me; I feel really proud of this accomplishment. This goes to show that you can never study enough,” said Alexis.
Through two rounds of competition, the students were required to spell words from six different categories namely, Fruits and vegetables, Careers in Agriculture, Pest and Diseases, Tools and Equipment, Food and Nutrition, and Climate Change.
Team St George amassed a total of 90 points. At the end of the official competition, teams St David and St Andrew were in joint second place. However, following a tie-breaker round, St David was declared second-place winner with St Andrew having to settle for the third spot. The combined team of St John and St Mark had to settle for fourth position.
Assistant Agricultural Officer and 4H officer responsible for St Andrew, Anna Abraham, expressed satisfaction with the success of the competition. “I think the children did extremely well, they participated well, which shows that they were well prepared by their leaders. Getting the children involved in educational activities is one of the main aims of this competition; 4H is not just about gardening, it’s about activities like these also. “
Chief Agricultural Officer, Daniel Lewis, commended the effort of the 4H unit. “I am highly impressed with the standard of the competition and the quality of the spelling competition. It was highly competitive and in a competition like this, it really allows students to learn and even improve their diction. Congratulations to the 4H team, parents who provided support and teachers who assisted these students. The ministry will continue to support the 4H movement, as it represents a platform for growth and development of our students in the agricultural sector.
Ministry of Agriculture and Lands
