THE RCI Pinehill Essay Competition School Party, an initiative developed by Radio Caribbean International and supported by Pinehill has become a mainstay on the primary school calendar of activities in St. Lucia.
This year’s essay topic was “If I could give a Christmas gift to help the world, what would it be and why?” The competition was open to all Grades 3 to 6 students island wide and ran from November 3 to December 3. RCI received a total of 167 essays which were judged on originality, storyline and expression; emerging winner with the best essay was TiahLashley, 10 year old of the Saltibus Combined School.
The Christmas Party, the prize to the entire school, was held on Thursday December 11. Pinehill& RCI presented the winning student with a Samsung Galaxy Tablet, the school received a computer, and additionally this year, a computer desk and printer.
During the short prize giving ceremony, Pinehill Brand Manager Shari Popo made it known that “children are at the heart of the Pinehill Brand and that Pinehill was indeed proud for the seventh year to be a part of this initiative which encourages and rewards reading, writing and expression in our young students.”
Tiah’s class teacher Ms. Angela Mathurin also noted that through reading children developed the vocabulary and widened imagination needed to write great essays. She described the winner TiahLashley as a bookworm, “always reading in her spare time”. In speaking with Tiah she also timidly noted that she loved to read and wanted to enter the competition to win the tablet.