![\"\"](\"https:\/\/viconsortium.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Skit_1st-Place-Winners-Alfredo-Andrews.jpg\")
\u201cGood morning. I\u2019m very excited to be here. As everyone knows culture is the way we live, it\u2019s how we speak, and it\u2019s what we eat. It\u2019s the music we listen too, it is everything about us. So to those teachers that are here today and support staff, I just want to thank you for working with these boys and girls to have them showcase our culture this morning,\u201d said Ms. Encarnacion said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keeping with the momentum, Mr. Somme stated, \u201cThe work that you are doing today is important. This is important work\u2026 It is our job as educators and students to teach our culture. So there is no dispute that what you\u2019re doing today is tremendously important.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The competition covered two days, D.O.E. said. On Monday, April 15, schools performing in the poetry, song and original poetry categories competed, and on Tuesday, April 16, storytelling and skit competitors made their presentations, followed by the awards ceremony.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mistress of Ceremony Susie Bough James read the rules and rubric immediately before each segment. Students and teams were judged based on memorization, effective speaking, emotional impact, insight and cultural relevance, originality, and time, to name a few.\u00a0\u00a0After each performance, the judges tallied their scores, according to the release. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A few notable highlights of the showcase were the Pearl B. Larsen team\u2019s entertaining recital of a combination of culturally relevant poems; \u201cClear the Road\u201d by Alfredo Andrews; Quelbe song rendition \u201cDaddy All I Want For My Birthday Is A Flute,\u201d by Claude O. Markoe; Juanita Gardine\u2019s Vienna Cake Mystery Skit and the Alfredo Andrews Original Skit \u201cThe Hard Headed Boys.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n D.O.E said the performances were outstanding, making it a tight competition for the judges. In addition to the remarkable display of Virgin Islands culture, students revealed how talented they were in song, spoken word, and acting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Division of Virgin Islands Cultural Education Director Valrica Bryson and organizer of the event gave closing remarks following the trophy presentation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI am very proud of the two days that we had. I hope next year after the schools see the great job you did we\u2019ll have some more schools partaking in this Cultural Communication Showcase,” she said, adding, \u201cI congratulate everyone; I want you to know that everyone is a winner. Just the fact that you got up on stage to take part and showcase Virgin Islands culture made you a winner.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dodson James, Vivienne Pacquette, Jennifer Toussaint, Alscess Lewis-Brown and Joan Paulus were judges for the competition, according to the release. <\/p>\n\n\n\n WINNERS BY SELECT CATEGORIES<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Poetry<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1st Place: Pearl B. Larsen Elementary School<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 St. Croix adapted from Nevis \/ I Find No Place At All Like St. Croix\/ Bless Our Island<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2nd Place: Juanita Gardine Elementary School<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 This Island is Mine<\/p>\n\n\n\n Song<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1st Place: Alfredo Andrews Elementary School<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Clear de Road<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2nd Place: Claude O. Markoe Elementary School<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Daddy All I Want For My Birthday Is A Flute<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3rd Place: Claude O. Markoe Elementary School<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 It\u2019s Not About Me<\/p>\n\n\n\n Original Poetry<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1st Place: Alfredo Andrews Elementary School<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 The Virgin Islands Where I Live<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2nd Place: Juanita Gardine Elementary School <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Turtles<\/p>\n\n\n\n Storytelling<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1st Place: Melodi de la Cruz of St. Mary\u2019s Catholic School<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Anansi and the Grasshopper<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2nd Place: Jahnoah Escobar of Juanita Gardine Elementary School<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock<\/p>\n\n\n\n Skit<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1st Place: Alfredo Andrews Elementary School<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 The Hard Headed Boys<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2nd Place: Juanita Gardine Elementary School<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Vienna Cake Mystery<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Feature Image: Alfredo Andrews Winners<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" ST. CROIX — Students from the Alfredo Andrews and Pearl B. Larsen elementary schools and St. Mary\u2019s Catholic School took home winning titles at the Division of Virgin Islands Cultural Education debut Cultural Showcase and Competition held April 15 and 16 at the University of the Virgin Islands Great Hall on St. Croix, the Department […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":73498,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1078,191,147],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/viconsortium.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Skit_2nd-Place-Winners-Juanita-Gardine.jpg\")