Sagicor Visionaries finalists awarded

Students who were inspired to embrace science and technology through the Sagicor Visionaries Challenge have been awarded for their exceptional efforts.{{more}}

The three finalists from the national leg of the Sagicor Visionaries challenge received prizes for their innovative ideas, on Wednesday.

The finalists were all from the Girls’ High School, one of only two schools that took part in the local competition.

“I feel very proud, very pleased,” said Andrea Bowman, headmistress of the institution. “What I like is that the girls put a lot of energy into it”.

Agency manager of Sagicor Life Inc Stanley Browne described the challenge as a long and rewarding journey.

Although he expressed disappointment with the low participation from schools in the country, he expressed hope that the involvement of the youths will pave the way for innovative development.

“It was our hope when the challenge was launched, that it would open up the minds of the nation’s students and provide more in depth exposure to the science,” Browne said.

“Sagicor is pleased to bring focus to sustainability in the region”.

He also encouraged students who did not win to use their experience as inspiration to enter the challenge in 2014 with new ideas.

Senior education officer Asfo Stephens, in his address at the ceremony, said science is very important to everyone.

Like Browne, Stephens expressed disappointment with the fact that only two schools participated.

“I want to say that the work of Sagicor as an insurance institution works well with other stakeholders in ensuring that science is kept on the front burner,” he stated.

He congratulated the Girls’ High School students on their success and described Lenski Adams, the winning teacher, as an excellent individual.

Adams, a teacher of physics, worked along with Raeisa Byron-Cox and other students to create the national winning project dubbed “Paper Bricks”.

The teacher said he feels as though his studies have truly paid off.

“It feels like a milestone in terms of being a science teacher. It makes me feel like an up-and-coming inventor,” Adams noted.

Juanita Hunte-King, chemistry teacher at the Girls’ High School, and her group of six students were awarded the third prize for their project, “I Love my School, but it stinks”.

The second prize went to the project: “Combating the Common Cold and Influenza at the St Vincent Girls’ High School,” done by Deleon Fergus and her group of students.

The winning project, “Paper Bricks,” moved on to the regional competition in Barbados in April and won a special award for “Best Presentation”.

The project looks at recycled paper as a source of fuel, as an alternative to coal.

“Paper Bricks” also grabbed four more national special awards, including: Best Plan and Project Design, Best Presentation, Most Creative and Innovative and Most Relevant to Sustainability in Communities.

Two other national special awards: Best Use of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) were given to “I Love my School, but it stinks” and the other participating school, Bequia Community High.

The Girls’ High School benefitted greatly through their victory, as they have been awarded a vast array of science equipment.

Adams and group leader of “Paper Bricks” Byron-Cox will travel to Florida in July on an all expenses paid trip to visit places that integrate STEM: the Kennedy Space Centre, the museum of Science and Industry, Disney World COP Theme Park and the Pattel School of Global Sustainability.

An excited Adams disclosed that he was looking forward to his trip to the Kennedy Space Centre.

“That was the first thing that caught my eye. Everybody does not get a chance to experience that,” he said.(BK)