Students from various secondary schools in St Vincent and the Grenadines were, earlier this week, encouraged to put God first in everything they do.{{more}}

These words of wisdom came from coordinator of the Windward Islands Farmers’ Association (WINFA) Kozel Fraser, as she delivered the feature address at the annual Secondary Schools’ Bible Quiz (SSBQ) Awards ceremony on Tuesday.

Fraser congratulated students for taking part in the quiz and told them that they should realize that they are the trendsetters of society.

“Youths, you have to recognize that although you might be very young in age, you are trend setters…its important for you to be cognizant of this and to be spiritual examples, championing the cause of Christ,” she said.

In her compelling address, Fraser pointed out that seeking God at a young age can be what saves an individual in the future.

“Many people think of the youths as leaders of tomorrow, but God wants you to be a leader today. Don’t wait until you are mature or knowledgeable and accomplished and don’t set those things as milestones before you begin to take God’s word seriously and consider what plans or purposes he has for your life,” the WINFA coordinator said. “We forget that the benefits, that we forget God for, are already ours if we seek him first. My encouragement to you therefore, is to work diligently to God’s service. Dedicate yourself to him, for at the end of it all, what matters most is what you do for Christ”.

Joel Jack, the coordinator of SSBQ reported that the number of students participating in the quiz has increased from last year. In fact, 24 of the 26 secondary schools in SVG entered the quiz.

“Student participation during the year…showed a 66 per cent increase over 2012. Indeed, since the quiz began, this year had been the best in terms of student participation,” Jack said.

He added that in 2014, efforts will be directed towards encouraging more participation in the bible quiz.

This year, the Outstanding Secondary School Award was presented to the St Vincent Grammar School (SVGS) for the second time in a row. Ahron Richards, who obtained 11 CSEC passes and is a former SVGS student, was awarded with the Distinguished Graduate Award. For his acheivement, Richards received an iPad mini, a smart case and US$50 Apple gift card.

Rockwell Lewis of the Intermediate High School was awarded with the first ever Acute Cosmetics Beginners Award while Alexamdria Bacchus of St Joseph’s Convent Kingstown earned the award for Most Frequent Participation.

The winner of the SSBQ for the month of November is Janiqua McTair of the Union Island Secondary School.

Certificates were also presented to SEARCHLIGHT newspaper and Acute Cosmetics for their outstanding support of the quiz.