From left: Isabella Carazo, Jennifer Faneyte, Salina Gopaul and Adio Williams.
SOUTH REWARD--St. Dominic High School students won two prizes – winner and second runner-up – in the St. Martin Caribbean Social Studies Competition.
Third formers Salina Gopaul and Adio Williams won first place and second formers Isabella Carazo and Jennifer Faneyte placed second runner-up.
The St. Martin Caribbean Social Studies Competition saw the participation of second and third form students from several high schools on the island. This event took place at Cité Scolaire Robert Weinum Savanne in Grand Case on Saturday, May 28.
Students sat with The Daily Herald on Monday and talked about their experience.
They all said that on hearing about the competition they were almost immediately interested in signing up. Their social studies teacher Daniella Arrindell first introduced all students to the competition and those who were interested in signing up were encouraged to do so. In all, four groups of two students signed up.
Williams said he had previously participated in the competition. After his team did not place, he was determined to try his hand one more time.
Gopaul said her sister also had previously participated in the competition, she had played a major role in helping to prepare her sister and this in turn had piqued her interest in joining this year.
Carazo said she had always had a passion for the subject and was open to learning more about the greater Caribbean, outside of what she might learn in school.
Faneyte said she also wanted to learn more about other Caribbean countries.
They all agreed that it had been a rewarding experience which they had very much enjoyed.
The students credited their social studies teacher for not only encouraging them to participate in the competition, but also helping them prepare for it. After signing up they had just about a month to prepare for the event.
In an invited comment for this newspaper, Arrindell said that as their teacher and mentor, she encouraged the students to do their best, study often and use various studying strategies to learn the history of St. Maarten/St. Martin and the Caribbean at large.
“As their mentor, I gave encouraging words daily and checked on their well-being to ensure that they stayed motivated throughout their preparation,” said Arrindell. She applauded Shujah Reiph for introducing and integrating this Social Studies Competition into the school. “It helps the students to learn about their culture and the Caribbean at large,” she said.
The competition was part of a St. Martin Book Fair youth project. The competition booklet of 11 categories of information was made available for students to prepare for the event. The booklet features information about Caribbean history, creative arts, political and sports personalities, liberation struggles, animals, trees/fruits of the region, flags and other information.
