Stars and STEM Stories
Trinidad GLOBE School Awarded First Prize at Young Leaders Competition
The Young Leaders Program of The Royal Bank of Trinidad and Tobago aims to help youth develop leadership skills and learn the value of working as a team. Beginning in 1981 as an essay-writing competition, the program broadened its scope in 1984 by challenging students to develop projects that would benefit the community, and in 1991, earned its current name. Since then, hundreds of students have participated in the competition to make tangible contributions to their communities through investigative science research. Almost every secondary school in the country now participates in the program, along with youth groups, vocational centers, and cadet forces.
Each year, students are given six months to complete their projects under a designated theme. The school placed third with their initial entry last year. This year's competition theme, "Water Beyond the Surface - Sustaining Life, Securing our Future," marked the 30th anniversary of the youth development program. More than 30 project entries were highlighted and guest speaker Dr. Kenny Broad, an environmental anthropologist for National Geographic, spoke to students about water conservation methods and encouraged them to make a commitment to respect their environment, making a positive impact daily.
Brazil Secondary School, a GLOBE School in Brazil Village, developed a greenhouse and hydroponic system at their school as a means of cultivating crops while also conserving water. Brazil Secondary students collected wastewater from various sources such as gutters and sinks around the school and filtered it for watering crops in their greenhouse. In just their second year to enter, this innovative idea earned Brazil Secondary students first place in the competition in 2011. The awards ceremony was held at the National Academy for the Performing Arts in Port of Spain, Trinidad.
In July 2011, Trinidad and Tobago celebrated its 15th anniversary with GLOBE in conjunction with a week-long celebration of World Environment Day. The week was filled with school assemblies featuring environmental dances and skits, PowerPoint and video presentations, field trips, the distribution of commemorative GLOBE t-shirts, and demonstrations of GLOBE Protocols in action. Seven schools were involved in the celebratory activities, including: Lere High School, Naparima Girls' High School, Couva East Secondary, Mc Bean Presbyterian, Waterloo Presbyterian, St. Augustine Girls' High School, and Brazil High School, the most active GLOBE school in Trinidad and Tobago.
GLOBE Country Coordinator Mr. Hollis Sankar is currently overseeing a semester-long workshop to certify pre-service education students at the University of Trinidad and Tobago to incorporate GLOBE into their teaching. Mr. Sankar leads GLOBE activities in Trinidad and Tobago with assistance from Deputy Country Coordinator Ms. Farishazad Nagir. Curriculum officers Ms. Vashtie Ramnarine and Ms. Vindra Cassie also assist in powering the drive initiated by former GLOBE Country Coordinator Henry Saunders to continue energizing GLOBE in Trinidad and Tobago.
The theme for the 2012 Young Leaders Competition is "Climate Change - Global Phenomenon, Community Solutions."
Read more GLOBE Stars from Trinidad and Tobago:
- GLOBE Trinidad and Tobago adds Emergency Care and Disaster Preparedness to Program Training
- Latin America and the Caribbean V Regional Meeting San Antonio, Texas
- GLOBE Teachers' Conference in Helsinki
21 September 2011