TEN STUDENTS between the ages of 11 and 15 from three high schools in Providenciales participated in the Edward Gartland Youth Centre’s 2017 Black History Month Essay Competition.
The competition opened to members of the Youth Centre and high schools in Providenciales during the first week of February and closed off on February 24, 2017.
The topic was: ‘What does Black History Month mean to me and why is it celebrated in February’.
Although February is a month filled with activities such as sports and Valentine’s Day themed activities, these students still managed to take the necessary time to conduct research on the topic given and construct essays that allowed them to take a moment and reflect on the true significance of Black History Month.
Keana Burrows from the Clement Howell High impressed the judges with her passion and understanding of Black History Month, making her the winner of the competition.
Daquant Duncanson of Maranatha Academy came in second place and Thamara Pierre of Maranatha Academy placed third.
Jeannia Prosper, assistant program coordinator with the Edward Gartland Youth Centre explained the selection process to this publication, stating that the students aged 11 and 12 were graded together, while the 13-year-olds to 15-year-olds jointly.
“Of course we checked for plagiarism and grammar. We also thoroughly read through to make sure that the students had a clear understanding of what Black History Month is and the struggle that many had to endure for a lot of us to live the comfortable lives that we live today.”
Representatives from the EGYC will visit the schools of the winning students on March 17, 2017 to award them with their certificates and prizes.
The assistant program coordinator said that with the enthusiasm that was shown in all of the essays, she was confidently expecting Black History Month 2018 to be even greater.
She said: “Thanks to all of the participants for all of their efforts and also the teachers that assisted them because it would have not been possible without the teachers. We appreciate all the support that we get for all that we do and we look forward to doing more initiatives with the students for more years to come.”
Black History Month, also known as African-American History Month in America, is an annual observance in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom for remembrance of important people and events in the history of the African diaspora.
Black History Month was observed in February in the United States.
