by J. Soso-Vincent 13.FEB.09

With a total score of 35 points, Form 2 student Shasha Hamzar, of the Thomas Saunders Secondary School, swept to victory on Friday, February 6, in the school’s first Reading Competition, which has been running for the past three weeks.{{more}}

Outshining her competitors in two rounds, Hamzar displayed her dominance in round one – prepared reading, and round two – impromptu reading. Both rounds required the participants to answer a series of four questions set by judge Kay Martin-Jack, who works within the Ministry of Education.

The other participants were 1st former Keene France, who placed 2nd; 4th former Maffica Garraway, who placed 3rd; and in 4th position, 3rd Former Kimron Davy, who was the lone male in the final round of the competition.

In her remarks, Head of the English Department Tisha Allen Jack highlighted the importance of reading and comprehension in every aspect of life. “In today’s fast-paced information age, it’s simply not good enough for one to be an ok reader,” she explained. Jack also pressed upon students to remember that reading shouldn’t be a chore, but rather an enjoyable experience.

Furthermore, Jack was full of praise for the teachers who had worked diligently to ensure the success of the reading competition. “I commend them for their diligence in ensuring that the reading competition could come to fruition. This was a sentiment that competition judge Kay Martin-Jack also shared. “I commend the teachers for executing such an initiative!”