cayman compass Your most trusted news source Established 1965 $1 | Funding local journalism | Friday, 28 February 2020 Speakerless Deputy Bernie Bush resigns after McKeeva Bush takes leave of absence as Speaker of the House Page 6 NEWS Young chefs bring the heat in national cook-off Page 8 NEWS Rock iguana population numbers ‘critical’ Page 17 ISSUES The Great Rush Hour Race Pages 21, 22 and 23Pages 21, 22 and 23Matinees (matinee price before 6pm) • Seniors $8.00 (Mon-Fri before 6pm) Additional charges apply per 3D/VIP tickets 640-FILM (640-3456) Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 SATURDAY NIGHT: For your viewing pleasure, minors under the age of 18 will not be admitted to any film starting after 6pm, unless accompanied by their parent. WHAT’S PLAYING THIS WEEK FRIDAY | SATURDAY | SUNDAY BAD BOYS FOR LIFE (R) (FRI) 12:55 VIP | 1:40 | 4:00 VIP | 7:00 VIP | 7:20 | 9:45 (SAT) 12:55 VIP | 1:40 | 4:00 VIP | 7:00 VIP | 7:20 | 9:45 BRAHMS: THE BOY II (PG-13) (FRI) & (SAT) 12:30 | 2:45 | 4:50 | 10:15 (SUN) 12:45 | 4:50 | 7:40 VIP | 9:55 VIP | 10:15 CALL OF THE WILD (PG) (FRI) 1:40 | 4:20 | 6:50 | 9:20 (SAT) 11:10 | 1:40 | 4:20 | 6:50 | 9:20 (SUN) 4:20 | 5:10 VIP | 6:50 | 9:20 FANTASIA 1940 (G) (SAT) 10:00AM EMMA (2020) (PG) (SUN) 7:20 FANTASY ISLAND (PG-13) (SUN) 4:05 | 7:00 | 9:45 THE INVISIBLE MAN (R) (FRI) & (SAT) 1:10 | 4:05 | 7:00 | 9:55 VIP LOVE AAJ KAL (PG) (FRI)-(SAT) & (SUN) 5:00 | 8:10 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG (PG) (FRI) 12:45 | 3:40 | 6:40 | 9:10 (SAT) 10:50 | 1:15 | 3:40 | 6:40 | 9:10 (SUN) 2:45 VIP | 3:40 | 6:40 | 9:10 KIDS CLUB PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY: Cayman Compass Ltd. Compass Centre, Shedden Road, George Town, Cayman Islands SEND US YOUR VIEWS OR NEWS: P.O. Box 1365 Grand Cayman, KY1-1108 Cayman Islands Telephone: (345) 815-0095 Email:newsdesk@compassmedia.ky ADVERTISE WITH US: T: (345) 949-5111 E: sales@compassmedia.ky W: caymancompass.com PUBLISHER KATHLEEN CAPETTA EDITOR IN CHIEF KEVIN MORALES Partly cloudy skies with cloudy spells and a 20% chance of showers weather Forecast today Cayman Islands 82°F 70°F HIGH LOW WINDS North to northeast 15 to 20 knots with higher gusts. SEA STATE Rough with wave heights of 4 to 6 feet. FIND US ONLINE Caymancompass.com Facebook.com/Caycompass cayman_compass@cayCompassCayman Compass Award-Winning Caribbean Chicken! Fresh, Healthy & Delicious! West Shore Center SMB Country Corner Savannh 623.2290 chicken@chicken2.com ® 945.2290 chicken@chicken2.com ® Eat-in!Take-out! Leap Year twins Chaz and Katie Ruddick. KAYLA YOUNG kyoung@compassmedia.ky It’s an event that happens once every 1,461 days. On Saturday, Chaz and Katie Ruddick, born 29 Feb. 2008 at Cayman Islands Hospital, celebrate their third birthday. The twins have a tendency of going big for their Leap Day birthdays. In 2012, they recreated a Disney castle featuring Mickey and Mini in their backyard using cardboard boxes and paint. Four years later, they got to experience the Magic Kingdom in person with a trip to Disney World. “It’s special because you get it every four years, and [other years] you just don’t get the moment you’re having. It’s just fun because it’s bigger and better than the year before,” Katie said. This year, they’re not sure yet how they’ll celebrate. Their hopes of going on a cruise were dashed by coronavirus fears but mother Nicole Ruddick hints that there could be some surprises on Saturday. “We have an agreement with them that the three years in between, they can have smaller, separate birthdays, but they have to have a celebration together on Leap Year. And we usually plan something pretty spectacular,” Nicole said. So, how do the twins celebrate on non-Leap Years? It all depends on who you ask. “I celebrate mine on the 1st,” Chaz said. “And I usually celebrate it on Feb. 28,” Katie said. Double the trouble, quarter the birthdays Phalaenopsis, commonly referred to as ‘moth orchid’, originates from cloudy highland forests in Taiwan. Moth orchids are epiphytes, meaning they live on trees but are not parasitic. The plant in the picture is currently in bloom at the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park. “The park has had this one specimen since last year,” says Nick Johnson, the park’s horticultural manager. “It was a sickly leftover from the last Orchid Show sale. We nursed it back to rude health and the cool weather in November initiated flower spikes.” Phalaenopsis hybrids can flower up to three times a year, making them the most popular commercially bought orchids. In Bloom: The Phalaenopsis ‘moth orchid’ Phalaenopsis 'Moth Orchid' in bloom at the Botanic Park. Leap Day twins celebrate ‘3rd’ birthday cayman compass 2 N news FRIDAY, 28 FEBRUARY 2020 Leap Year twins Chaz and Katie Ruddick. KAYLA YOUNG kyoung@compassmedia.ky It’s an event that happens once every 1,461 days. On Saturday, Chaz and Katie Double the trouble, quarter the birthdays m opsis chid Phalaenopsis 'Moth Orchid' in bloom at the Botanic Park. Leap Day twins celebrate ‘3rd’ birthday newscayman compass 3 FRIDAY, 28 FEBRUARY 20201234567 89 101112 13 1415 16 171819 20 212223 2425 1234567 89 101112 13 1415 16 171819 20 212223 2425 ACROSS 1 A precious stone (7) 5 Strength of character (5) 8 1956 Olympic venue (9) 9 An informer (3) 10 Trick (4) 12 Composer of Trout Quintet (8) 14 New World symphony composer (6) 15 Revenue (6) 17 Transformation in style (8) 18 Indonesian island (4) 21 Excessively (3) 22 1928 Olympic venue (9) 24 Ventriloquist’s puppet (5) 25 A detail (7) DOWN 1 To object (5) 2 Greatest possible (3) 3 Double-reed woodwind (4) 4 Give formal order (6) 5 Visit habitually (8) 6 1992 Olympic venue (9) 7 Give just claim (7) 11 1912 Olympic venue (9) 13 A furniture wood (8) 14 Reduced in rank (7) 16 A hot spring (6) 19 Accept as valid (5) 20 Deity of ancient Olympia (4) 23 Female deer (3) The Compass Crossword Puzzle The Compass universal kakuro Puzzle 16313 The numbers in the black cells are clues. Numbers above the slash are across clues. Number below the slash are down clues. The goal is to enter digits 1 - 9 in the white cells to add up to the number clues. You cannot enter any digit more than once when adding up to clue. YeSteRDAY'S SOLUtIONS Puzzle 16312 ACROSS: 1 For keeps, 5 Pass, 9 Rogue, 10 Confirm, 11 Play with fire, 13 Blazon, 14 Clover, 17 User-friendly, 20 Ancient, 21 Rouse, 22 Yule, 23 Grandeur. DOWN: 1 Fury, 2 Regalia, 3 Every so often, 4 Picnic, 6 Alibi, 7 Symmetry, 8 In the long run, 12 Obduracy, 15 Vulture, 16 Sitter, 18 Excel, 19 Gear. EDITORIAL BOARD When it comes to violence against women, there is no room for debate. Confusion is not an excuse. Drunkenness is not an excuse. Grief is not an excuse. The full details of the alleged attack on a female member of staff at the Coral Beach bar should emerge over the course of a thorough police investigation. As of Thursday, McKeeva Bush has not been arrested nor charged. If any charges arise out of the incident, it will be up to the courts to determine guilt or innocence. We don’t intend to prejudge that process. What is already clear, however, is that the veteran politician and former premier is guilty of conduct unbecoming his office. He has not denied that an “incident” took place and that he “reacted badly” to staff at the bar who came to his aid after he fell. He has even issued a public apology, though he notably steered clear of directly acknowledging an assault. While his descriptions of events make it difficult to determine precisely what he is apologising for, his admissions are alarming. The Speaker acknowledges that he passed out in a public space and lost recollection of events, that he needs professional help and that he has an unhealthy relationship with alcohol. He went on to name his alleged victim, who, unlike a publicly elected figure, had a reasonable expectation of anonymity. It has long been the accepted standard to shield the identities of victims of violent crimes, especially when the individual is a private citizen. As Bush knows, public opinion can be a harsh judge and it was unfair to subject this woman to unwanted and uninvited scrutiny. The rest of his public statement details his personal struggles to deal with grief following the death of his daughter nine years ago and the more recent loss of his mother. He also pledged to “cease any use of alcohol” and seek “long-term professional help” for the “emotional pain” he is dealing with. While we sympathise with the Speaker over his personal losses, citing them in an ‘apology’ over an alleged assault on a woman seeks only to deflect from the severity of his actions. There is an old adage that one should never ruin an apology with an excuse. As a public figure, Bush has an opportunity to demonstrate what it looks like when an adult sincerely acknowledges that he has done wrong. He assumes responsibility. That said, we hope the Speaker gets the help he needs to deal with his personal problems. Whether he should do so while maintaining one of the most important roles in government is another matter. Ezzard Miller, one of the few politicians to come out with an unequivocal response to the incident, rightly points out that Bush’s comments raise “inevitable implications for his ability to sustain the confidence, trust and respect essential to his role at the apex of government”. For his own sake, as well as for the country, it may be time for the Speaker to take some time away from the spotlight. A temporary “leave of absence” is not enough and, as Miller points out, does not appear to be a constitutionally viable option. Whatever the underlying causes, politicians and public figures should rightly be held to high standards of personal behaviour. From his own account, Bush fell well short of those last weekend. While due process must take place in terms of any legal accountability, we should not have to wait so long for personal or political accountability. We call on the honourable Speaker to do the honourable thing: Resign from government. cartoon Jake Fuller It’s time for Bush to resign My wife and I had our honeymoon in Grand Cayman in 1979. We returned after a long hiatus in 2006. We were so enchanted with the place in which we were staying on Seven Mile Beach, we returned the next month for another week. The next year, after Dart closed the suites where we stayed, we went to a nice two-storey condo on the beach further toward town. We had such a pleasant, quiet time. We returned again that year. The next year we rented side-by-side condos for the week and brought the whole family. We did that in 2018 and 2019. We averaged total daily expenditures of around $1,000 per day per condo. As I loved the experience of the island and its culture, early on I became a daily reader of the Cayman Compass, which I still am to this day. By following local events through the paper, though, I have noticed a very pronounced trend to put as many cruise tourists and high rises on the island as possible. Crime is up. Corruption is obvious in government and the traffic has become absolutely terrible. Where is the charm in all that? We can’t see it. We are going to pass on coming back for a while until all this plays out. We have two weeks planned at a more peaceful and less-crowded spot in the Caribbean for this year. I’m sorry to see the direction of the island and where it is leading. I hope this government can shed itself of its ties to developers long enough to say enough is enough. John Wilson Birmingham, Alabama, USA Story of a stayover tourist Letter to the editor cayman compass 4 news N news FRIDAY, 28 FEBRUARY 2020cayman compass 5 FRIDAY, 28 FEBRUARY 2020CAYMAN ORTHOPAEDIC GROUP DR. IVAN WONG, M.D., F.R.C.S.C. Hip & Shoulder Arthroscopy & Sports Medicine Specialist will be at Unit #1, Smith Road Plaza Monday, 2nd March 2020 to Friday, 13th March 2020 PLEASE CALL 945-8380 FOR APPOINTMENTS RESHMA RAGOONATH rragoonath@compassmedia.ky In the face of mounting public pressure, House Speaker McKeeva Bush has taken a leave of absence from his post with immediate effect. In a brief statement issued to the Cayman Compass Wednesday evening, Bush said, “After careful thought and advice, I will take an immediate leave of absence from the duties of speakership. “I will be doing the grief counseling and emotional stress management sessions that I spoke about and that I should have done a long time ago.” Bush’s announcement followed a meeting with Premier Alden McLaughlin in London in the wake of allegations that the West Bay West MLA was involved in the assault of a female bar manager on Friday night. McLaughlin, in a statement to the Compass Wednesday night, said he welcomed the Speaker’s decision. “This will enable him to deal with the personal issues he identified in his previous statement and also allow the investigation currently underway to be completed unhindered by perceptions,” the premier said. McLaughlin added, “I wish Mr. Bush the very best as he seeks to resolve his personal issues.” Bush, who is deputy chair of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Small Branches Executive Council, was in London for a previously arranged CPA meeting. McLaughlin, who is also in London on official business dealing with the European Union’s blacklist, met with the Speaker to talk about the allegations. There was no immediate word on how long Bush’s leave of absence will be or who will act as Speaker in his absence. Usually, the Deputy Speaker would temporarily take up the role, but the current deputy, Bernie Bush, has announced that he has resigned from the position. Miller: ‘Leave of absence’ not constitutional In a statement Thursday, Opposition MLA Ezzard Miller questioned the constitutionality of McKeeva Bush taking a leave of absence, and he maintained his call for Bush to resign as Speaker. “The only immediately available constitutional provisions that would allow him the time he needs is carried in section 65 (2) b. [of the Constitution] – that he resigns his position as Speaker. Otherwise, the only other provision [Section 65 (2) f.] is removal by a two- thirds vote by the elected Members of the Legislative Assembly pursuant to a vote of no confidence,” Miller said in his statement. Section 65 (1) deals with who can be Speaker and how a Speaker is elected. Section 65 (2) deals with how the Speaker’s post can become vacant and how the Speaker can be removed from office, and Section 65 (3) deals with how a vacancy in the office of Speaker can be filled. “The only section of the Constitution that deals with mental issues is section 62 that deals with disqualification for elected membership of the Legislature. Specifically, section 62 (1) d. states that disqualification applies to “a person certified to be insane or otherwise adjudged to be of unsound mind under any law in force in the Cayman Islands.” For clarification purposes, this is not to be taken that I am suggesting that this section be invoked in this matter with the Speaker,” Miller said. Miller claimed that while the premier’s decision to grant the Speaker a leave of absence “may be an acceptable political solution to some”, questions still remain. “Who has granted the Speaker a ‘leave of absence’ – surely the Speaker cannot grant himself a leave of absence. What section of the Cayman Islands Constitutional Order 2009 authorises or enables anyone to grant the Speaker a leave of absence?” he asked. However, the premier, responding to Miller’s statement Thursday, told the Compass, “Mr. Bush has taken a temporary leave of absence for a yet undetermined period to deal with the personal issues he has mentioned in both his statements. He has not vacated the office of Speaker. There is nothing unconstitutional or unprecedented in the Speaker taking a leave of absence. This is exactly what would be done if he was physically ill and unable to carry out his duties as Speaker.” He added that, as premier, he has no authority to grant Bush leave. “Indeed, the Constitution does not make provision for anyone to grant the Speaker leave. But it does make provision for who presides in the Speaker’s absence.” Section 72 of the Constitution 2009, McLaughlin said, mandates that “a) Speaker shall preside at Legislative Assembly sittings, or b) in his absence the Deputy Speaker, or c) in the absence of both Speaker and Deputy Speaker, such as one of the other elected MLAs (other than a Minister), as may be elected by the elected MLAs.” He added that under Section 65 (2) of the Constitution, a person shall vacate the office of Speaker or Deputy Speaker if he or she informs the Assembly in writing and addresses to the Assembly that he or she has resigned. House Speaker takes immediate ‘leave of absence’ RESHMA RAGOONATH rragoonath@compassmedia.ky West Bay North MLA Bernie Bush has resigned as Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. His announcement came less than 24 hours after House Speaker McKeeva Bush said he will be taking an immediate leave of absence in the wake of allegations that he was involved in the assault of a female bar manager Friday night. Bernie Bush, in a statement released Thursday, said, “The Speaker of the House has admitted that he will be seeking the help he needs, and I wish him and his family well in what will be a long and difficult process. But with great powers, come great responsibilities, and as a representative of the people I must always strive to lead by example. I therefore in good conscience cannot step up to fill a role that has been tainted by the weakness of the Unity Government to take the morally right, rather than politically expedient, course of action.” He said the recent alleged assault incident which resulted in a female member of the public being injured, “only to be followed by the Speaker taking a temporary leave of absence, leaves me in an untenable situation when considering the severity and seriousness of this incident and the implications of the Speaker’s planned leave”. His resignation now leaves the Speaker’s chair open for a new Deputy Speaker to preside in the absence of McKeeva Bush, who despite taking a ‘leave of absence’, officially remains as the Speaker of the House. Bernie Bush left the Unity Government backbench last year during the port referendum debate. With this latest development, Premier Alden McLaughlin now has to name a new Deputy Speaker from among the elected MLAs. According to the Constitution, the Speaker of the House can be chosen from outside the pool of elected representatives, but a Deputy Speaker must be an MLA who is not a government minister. McLaughlin, in a comment to the Cayman Compass said he was not surprised by Bernie Bush's resignation. “Mr. Bernie Bush and I discussed his resignation as Deputy Speaker during the last meeting of the House in January. At the next meeting of the House, members will proceed to elect a new Deputy Speaker.” He said the member to be offered for election in the House will be announced in “due course”. No date has been set for the next sitting of the Legislative Assembly. Bernie Bush said he cannot condone violence against anyone, and “as an elected leader, I certainly expect to be held to a higher, not lower standard, of conduct”. “Caymanian women have always had a strong role to play; they were the backbone when our grandfathers and fathers went off to sea and through nature, remains our first nurturers and teachers,” he said. Bernie Bush resigns as Deputy Speaker Bernie Bush Speaker of the House McKeeva Bush 6CAROLINA LOPEZ clopez@compassmedia.ky Protesters are set to hold a demonstration outside the Government Administration Building on Friday, 28 Feb., to show their support for the woman assaulted in an incident allegedly involving Speaker of the House McKeeva Bush last weekend. The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service has approved the protest, but as of press time organisers were still awaiting approval from government to use the steps outside of its building. The demonstration is set to run from 7:30am to 9:30am. Amid the outcry over the alleged assault on 21 Feb., a social media movement with the hashtag #sheissupported has been launched. Angela Pretorius, the organiser of Friday’s protest, said she hopes the demonstration will highlight violence against women. “At first, I was very hesitant and scared to post the idea of a protest regarding the issue. I wrote out my post on Facebook on Monday, cut it and saved it to a Word document, and slept on it,” she said. “Then, on Tuesday morning, I decided it was too important to not post, so I then posted it on a local Facebook group and got tremendous support for the idea.” After news of the alleged assault at the Coral Beach bar on Seven Mile Beach emerged, Bush released a statement saying that he had passed out and fallen down at the bar on Friday night, 21 Feb., and was told that he “reacted badly” to people who tried to help him. He said he did not remember falling down, but apologised in his statement to the female manager, and other staff. He subsequently announced that he would take a leave of absence as Speaker of the House, but would remain as an MLA. The RCIPS, which has not named Bush in the incident, said in a statement that a female had suffered minor injuries during an assault at the bar. Pretorius said she wants to demonstrate the Cayman community’s unity against violence to women. She said she believes that government needs to see how passionate the community is on this issue and, while she understands that police are still investigating the incident, the people’s voices needed to be heard. “We want the government, as well as the community of Cayman, to see that this type of behaviour is not acceptable, and we will not stand by while it occurs,” Pretorius said. “We are happy to see that yesterday the politician announced that he will be taking a leave of absence. We hope that this is a permanent leave....” Pretorius said violence against women is a subject that is swept under the rug, not only in Cayman, but also globally, and that women often are afraid to speak out. “By uniting together in peaceful protest, we hope to demonstrate that this kind of behaviour is not acceptable and women who are subjected to violence are supported and can speak out,” she said. The Cayman Islands Crisis Centre’s board of directors on Thursday issued a press release about the Coral Beach incident, stating that the organisation shares concerns expressed by the community and welcomes open dialogue on the matter of violent acts against women. “When a situation like this happens, involving a public figure in a public place, the violence issue, way too long on the back burner, is brought into a sharp relief,” the Crisis Centre said. “The Centre also encouraged the survivor of last weekend’s attack to call the Crisis Centre if she needs anything at all, someone to talk to, or to just sit with people who have been in a similar situation and understand.” The Crisis Centre ended its release with the hashtag #sheissupported. ‘She is supported’ protest planned A demonstration is scheduled to be held outside the Government Administration Building on Friday. 7While Wednesday’s Agriculture Show showcased the best of what Cayman has to offer in livestock, plants, fresh produce, and arts and crafts, one corner of the show was given over to a competitive cook-off among some of the islands’ best young chefs. By the end of the day, Bodden Town’s Bradley McLaughlin, 17, and Joshua McLean, 16, were named winners in the finals of the National Youth Cook-Off, when they scored 130 out of 160 points. They will go on to represent the Cayman Islands at the Regional Caribbean Junior Dueling Challenge in Barbados in August. In the competition, the top six district cook-off teams in the 16-25 age category showcased their skills before a panel of culinary experts. “I am quite impressed with the quality of dishes that were presented today,” judge Frederic Morineau, executive chef at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, told the competitors. “Congratulations to all of you for an amazing job.” The other judges were chefs Doran Zimmerman from Sandbar, Jessica Moore of Taste This Life, and Keith Griffith, vice president of the Cayman Culinary Society. McLaughlin said of his team’s win: “For the past two years, I had placed third in this competition. I am thrilled that Joshua and I have emerged today’s winners.” Their winning dish was a chicken roulade on a sweet potato puree, served with a callaloo cream, grated fried cassava, pickled beets and slaw, with a sprinkling of callaloo dust. George Town district champions Kristofer Mason and Elizabeth Burey placed second, scoring 126 points, while University College of the Cayman Islands School of Hospitality’s Jodianna Reid and Keimarnie Bogle were third, with 121 points. The other finalists were Team Clifton Hunter, scoring 120 points; Team Kaibo (North Side district champions) with 119 points; and Team Bro Gad (West Bay district champions), who scored 112 points. Young chefs bring the heat in national cook-off CAROLINA LOPEZ clopez@compassmedia.ky The Rotary Club of Grand Cayman took in more than $6,000 at its ‘Go for Gold’ fundraiser last week for Special Olympics Cayman Islands. The event, held at A.L. and Melissa Thompson’s home on Thursday, 20 Feb., included backyard games such as giant Jenga, Connect 4, Twister and Cornhole. The emcees at the fundraiser were Alanna Warwick- Smith, who represented Rotaract Blue, and Chris Bailey, from the Rotary Club. Warwick-Smith said the games were inspired by sports in which Special Olympians compete. “The Rotary Club of Grand Cayman wanted to come up with an event that would allow people of all ages to join in on, have fun together and raise funds without being super expensive to attend,” she said. “We knew that one of the sports that the Special Olympians compete in was bocce, and that led to the idea of a friendly backyard games competition.” At a 2019 Rotary Club community service meeting, Warwick-Smith said it was brought to members’ attention that Cayman’s Special Olympics team was short on funding to pay for their trip to the World Games in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. “We wanted to do something to help raise funds where the athletes could be involved, and the various service clubs across the island could come together to support the cause,” Warwick-Smith explained. She said the Rotary Club teamed up with Rotaract Blue, as one of their service platforms is special needs, and they focus on promoting inclusion in the Cayman Islands. ‘Go for Gold’ event raises money for Special Olympians Bocce ball is an Italian game similar to lawn bowling but played on a shorter, narrow dirt court . CAROLINA LOPEZ clopez@compassmedia.ky The Spanish department in John Gray High School held its inaugural Spanish competition finals earlier this month. Kerita Levermore-Stewart, head of Spanish at the school, said this competition reflected the students’ enduring quest to find innovative ways to invigorate learning experiences at the high school. “This is a truly collaborative effort resulting in a phenomenal outcome. We were joined by teachers of the Spanish Department at Clifton Hunter High School, who served along with our staff and other community members in varied capacities,” Levermore- Stewart said. She said that the Spanish quiz, which was held on 11 Feb., was open to all grades and each team had a representative from Years 7 to 11. The competition, which was themed ‘Saber es Poder’ (Knowledge is Power), was won by Team Tarpon. Year 11 student De’Neil Watson said he is already anticipating next year’s event. “This was truly a great experience for me and even though I am in Year 11, I would like to return next year just for this, and maybe as a judge, because I will continue my Spanish,” Watson said. Principal Jonathan Clark said he was proud of the school’s Spanish team, adding, “We are always looking to extend and enrich our curriculum, and our inaugural Spanish quiz provided some of our stronger students with an opportunity to compete across our academies and also to inspire their peers.” John Gray holds inaugural Spanish quiz John Gray High School inaugral spanish quiz champions, Team Tarpon, with the championship trophy. Among the games on offer at the fundraiser was mini golf. From left, Miss World Cayman Islands Jaci Patrick, judge Chef Frederic Morineau, winning coach Chef Jason Ao, with National Youth Cook-Off winners Joshua McLean and Bradley McLaughlin, and Miss Teen Cayman Islands Ashley Gooden. The winning dish - chicken roulade. 8 newsnewscayman compass 9 FRIDAY, 28 FEBRUARY 2020Next >