(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Zonal Round Two of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Regional Quiz Competition 2008 comes to a close with Antigua and Barbuda and Trinidad and Tobago joining Saint Lucia and St Kitts and Nevis as the four contending teams moving on to the Semi-Finals.
In a keenly contested competition on Tuesday, (17 June) at the National Library in Port-of-Spain, Antigua and Barbuda scored a narrow victory of 39 to 37 over Jamaica and later beat Suriname 41 to 39 victory to secure one of the two remaining places in the Semi-Finals. Jamaica won its match against Suriname 53-15 points.
Meanwhile, Grenada which would have played both Dominica and Trinidad and Tobago withdrew from the competition at the last moment, thus making it easier for host country Trinidad and Tobago on Wednesday (18 June) to defeat Dominica by three points (39-36) to move on to the Semi-Finals.
By contributing 29 points to her team’s over-all score, Shenelle Grant from Jamaica not only emerged as her team’s best player but also copped the CARICOM Secretariat Trophy for the most outstanding player of Zonal Round Two. Other best players on each team were Suriname’s Vanessa Hok who contributed 29 points to her team’s over-all score; Antigua and Barbuda’s Raenor Sharpe who contributed 26 points to his team; Trinidad and Tobago’s Tianna Dadd who contributed 21 points to her team’s score and Dominica’s Kael London who contributed 16 points.
In commending the teams, Ms Marilyne Trotz, Special Adviser to the CARICOM Secretary General noted that the quality of the competition was high and that it was clear that the students had used the Handbook specially prepared for the Competition to gain information about CARICOM – its genesis, its purpose, its achievements and its aspirations.
Echoing her sentiments, Ms Aurea Honore, Curriculum Development Coordinator in the Ministry of Education, Trinidad and Tobago said the students and their coaches would have benefited tremendously from the interaction and would have gained valuable information and insights into the Community. She also commended the CARICOM Secretariat for what she described as a “remarkably well organized competition.”
The first Zonal Round, which took place in St Vincent and the Grenadines on 12-13 June, ended with St Kitts and Nevis and Saint Lucia earning the first two places in the Semi- Finals slated for 30 June in Antigua and Barbuda.
The Final Round of the Competition is scheduled for July 1 2008 and the winner will be presented at the Opening Ceremony of the Twenty-Ninth Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government on that same evening.
Sponsored in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) the CARICOM Regional Quiz Competition is being conducted to mark the 35th Anniversary of the Signing of the Treaty of Chaguaramas.
The competition is aimed at increasing the knowledge of students about the Caribbean Community and the integration movement.
Participants for the Quiz are drawn from among middle grade students of secondary schools and the Quiz is being conducted by Quizmaster and Communications Consultant Dr. Rovin Deodat.
The winners and runners-up in this year’s Quiz will receive prizes and trophies donated by a number of organizations including: ANSA MCAL, Caribbean Airlines, Citizen’s Bank Guyana Inc, Hand-in Hand Mutual Fire and Life Insurance Company, Frandec Travel Service, Giftland Office Max, Guyana and Trinidad Mutual Fire and Life Insurance company, Laparkan Holdings Limited, Medi-care Pharmacy, Le Meridien Pegasus, Neal and Massy Holdings Limited, Sagicor Group Limited, Scotia Bank, Guyana and Topaz Jewellers, Guyana.
