The Royal Bank of Canada and Cayman27’s morning show Daybreak recently hosted an essay competition to showcase the writing of local school children.
The competition consisted of two separate age categories.
The first category was for students 9 years old and younger. They were asked to write 500 words on ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’
The second category was for students between the ages of 10 and 13 years. They were asked to write 1,000 words on ‘In your eyes what makes the Cayman Islands so special?’
The winner from each group received a College Passport Savings Account from the Royal Bank of Canada with a substantial first deposit of CI$500.
Eight-year-old Ann-Alecia Moore, in year four at St. Ignatius, took first place in the 9-and-younger category with her essay about her ambition to be an actress.
‘When I grow up I would like to be well-educated, happy, well-mannered, disciplined, comfortable and safe.
‘I want to share my life with God, family, friends, travel all over the world, and meet new people every day.
‘Most of all my desire and dream is to become a famous actress…My parents say that you can always be what you want to be if you follow your dreams.
‘Put your mind to it and just tell yourself you can do it and your dream will be fulfilled. I will do my best to make this dream come true for myself and the Cayman Islands,’ she wrote.
The judges where so overwhelmed by the response and high standard of entries in the 10-13 category that they decided to select two winners, each receiving a CI$500 savings account.
The first winner, Josanda Scott, who is in year six at Creek & Spot Bay Juniors in Cayman Brac, produced an informative essay packed with information on why the Cayman Islands are so special to her.
‘In the Cayman Islands trees are also bush medicine, these are soursop tree, periwinkle, aloe vera, castor oil plant, coconut, fever grass and lots more.
‘The sour sop tree has light green leaves and green prickly fruit….Our history is about rope-making, seamanship, the turtle industry and ship building.
‘You make the rope out of the silver thatch palm. The ships were made of mahogany and ironwood. There are three types of boats: catboats, schooners and hawl,’ she wrote.
Taking joint first place in the category with Ms Scott was 11-year-old Ashleigh Nalty, who attends Red Bay Primary.
Ashleigh describes seven reasons why Cayman is so special to her.
‘The sixth thing I want to talk about is something important and it’s my favourite reason.
‘It is that all different colours of people can live together on a relaxing island and there is no war or fighting…Anyway at different places in Cayman you will find lots of people of all colours living and working together and that is most special,’ she wrote.
Betty Pollard, accounts services representative at the Royal Bank of Canada said: ‘At Royal Bank of Canada we believe it is extremely important to encourage our young talent, and through this contest we hope to inspire children to think and write about what matters to them.
‘The 2005 essay contest has been a great success and we are delighted with the high standard of entries. It is our aim to make this an annual competition and we are already planning for 2006,’ she said.
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