Students beat out for manatees
As any parent or teacher can testify, getting students fired up about learning can be a challenge; even when that learning involves creatures as fascinating as manatees. But in its efforts to promote manatee awareness, the Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute made sure the odds swung in their favour, by adding a little fun. Instead of essays and debates, the children were asked to pick up a paintbrush and bust a few beats.
Tanya Williams, C.Z.M.A.I.
“We told them that they could do it in any musical form, rap, reggae, whatever they think would capture the audience.”
Janelle Chanona, Reporting
And here’s a sample of what the finalists came up with:
(Belmopan Comprehensive School and Corozal Community College rapping and singing)
While the judges tallied their scores, participants in Coastal Zone’s poster and model competition were awarded with certificates. Hummingbird Elementary had the most entries, but it was the students of St. John’s Anglican Primary School who scored first place in the poster competition.
And then came the moment of truth…
Tanya Williams
“Corozal Community College with their manatee jingle.”
Luisa Carrillo, Corozal Community College
“We were all like we like to see the manatees and we in our future would like to be tourists because we like to see Belize’s nature and all the animals. And we really feel very happy that we have all those things right here in Belize, and we were imagining things and together we put down our own ideas and we made up the song with our feelings and Mr. Badmoor.”
Janelle Chanona
“Was it difficult coming up with the concept you presented today?”
Luisa Carrillo
“Yes, it was a little bit, but in the end we came out with it and it was easy.”
Janelle Chanona
“You had fun playing it today?”
Luisa Carrillo
“Yes, it was really [fun]. We were like we were afraid of playing, we were really afraid that we were going to lose, but we had faith in ourselves and we did it.”
And they didn’t just do it for fun, according to C.Z.M.A.I.’s Tanya Williams, there’s a really important message behind the music.
Tanya Williams
“We just want to make sure that people do realize that it’s more than just the music and the lyrics and the jingle, that is all about manatee conservation; and that’s the whole purpose of today’s event.”
“Popular music works for Belize. If you look at any campaign, they use popular music, the background and then add their own lyrics towards it. And it captures the youths, older people, we believe that it reaches a far more wide cross-section of people than ordinary means, so we do think that the jingle does work.”
And what do the students get for their hard work? …A trip to Swallow Caye to visit their new best friends, of course. Reporting for News 5, I am Janelle Chanona.
Today’s competition was the culmination of activities held as part of Manatee, Turtle and Crocodile Week celebrated in December of 2002.
