Rotaract writing competition for Primary School students

Lexi Morris

The century that started the new millennium, is bound to be etched by technology and development. So in an age where games and social settings are being redefined in electronics and cyberspace, the turn of a page, and the ink blotters of pen on paper are slowly fading away. The impact of television is also noted as a reason why scores in English and writing on standardized tests are plunging.   One N.G.O. is trying to make a difference.  Recently, the Rotaract held a story writing competition for schools of the Belize District to encouraging writing. The winners and their prizes were announced today at the Thurton Library.

Tanya Thompson, Publicity Director, Rotaract

“This is the first time we’re testing out our story writing competition and we had participation from three schools within the Belize District. It was limited to Belize District and we had a total of fifteen participants. We had two categories—the first category was from standard three to four which was the middle division and the first place winner walked away with seventy-five dollars, a trophy and a gift certificate. The second prize winner walked away with fifty dollars, a trophy and a gift certificate and the third place winner took home twenty-five dollars, a trophy and a gift certificate.”

Jose Sanchez

“Why is rotaract interested in having a reading and writing competition?”

Tanya Thompson

Tanya Thompson

“We are trying to keep in the theme. Last month was child-stimulation month and we’re also going on the theme this year for improving learning. We are also running another program by the name of filter within the primary schools which is fostering imagination through learning and reading. So we just thought of a community service project to tie into the same theme like the one that we are currently running.”

Lexi Morris, Winner, Our Lady of  Lourdes

“We always start writing stories, then they said that they were going to have this competition and we wanted to enter to use our talent—not to win; just for the fun of our talent. So we just entered and had fun. I won first place for five and six.”

Jose Sanchez

“What did you write about?”

Lexi Morris

“I wrote about “Village limousine”. It was based on a true thing, but I changed it up a bit.”

Jose Sanchez

“Village Limousine; you don’t hear about hat a lot. Tell me about your village limousine.”

Lexi Morris

“Well my village limousine is an old abandoned bus that we have an overactive imagination. We just play in the bus pretending like we are superstars and having fun.”

Jose Sanchez

“Do you think this also helps you to want to write more and to read more?”

Lexi Morris

“Yes it does. I was just telling my friend, I’m gonna write, I’m gonna write, I’m gonna write. I won’t stop. I wanna be a writer when I grow up.”

Amberley Marin

Amberley Marin, Winner, Belize Elementary

“One day I was in school and my teacher came in with this paper and she told us what the rotaract and the rotary was about and she tell us about the competition and I said I want to enter. My story’s name was the wonderful Belize and it’s about when you walk into a candy shop; how you are very excited and how when you taste the candy you are very excited; how Belize is interesting and stuff.”

Jose Sanchez

“So you think you gonna do more reading and writing because of this competition?”

Amberley Marin

“Yes.”

Jose Sanchez

“So clearly next year you would want to participate again.”

Amberley Marin

“Yes.”

Tanya Thompson

“We want to develop children reading skills where if you are noticing in Belize, you have a lot of kids who don’t like to read—they would prefer just looking at TV. And we are trying to bring that back because back in the days you know we had more reading going on and you saw better results than we are seeing now with examinations taken within the primary school level. So that’s what we’re embarking on.”

The Rotaract Club intends to make the writing competition an annual event.