Wed | Nov 29, 2023

TVJ Junior Schools’ Challenge Quiz finalists donate tablets

Published:Sunday | February 27, 2022 | 12:08 AM
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Students of the Creative Kids Learning Academy Junior Schools’ Challenge Quiz team stand with students from Tivoli Gardens after presenting them with a tablets. From left: Addison Morgan, Suriyatej Gali, Dhalista Hibbert, Glenaldo Foster, Nicholas Johnso
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Students of the Creative Kids Learning Academy Junior Schools’ Challenge Quiz team stand with students from Tivoli Gardens after presenting them with a tablets. From left: Addison Morgan, Suriyatej Gali, Dhalista Hibbert, Glenaldo Foster, Nicholas Johnson, Tishell Groves, Nathan Stultz, and Malik Campbell.
From left: Dhalista Hibbert, Glenaldo Foster, Tishell Groves, and Nicholas Johnson of Tivoli Gardens with new tablets in hand donated by the students of the Creative Kids Learning Academy Junior Schools’ Challenge Quiz Team.
Contributed
From left: Dhalista Hibbert, Glenaldo Foster, Tishell Groves, and Nicholas Johnson of Tivoli Gardens with new tablets in hand donated by the students of the Creative Kids Learning Academy Junior Schools’ Challenge Quiz Team.
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As some students battle to stay focused during online classes, others simply need access to the technology for online classes. The Ministry of Education estimates that over 120,000 students were unable to take up online instruction in the last academic year since the COVID-19 pandemic closed schools.

The impact that this has on students is not lost on 11-year-old Addison Morgan, head girl of Creative Kids Learning Academy in Kingston. Addison represented her school in TVJ’s Junior Schools’ Challenge Quiz, and was concerned when she heard how many teams islandwide didn’t perform well because they didn’t have the resources to access Zoom sessions for online school and Quiz practice.

“I knew from the day we reached the finals of Junior Schools’ Challenge Quiz that I would be donating one of my prizes to a student in need” the Head Girl shared. With her fellow quiz teammates- Nathan, Malik and Suryatej in agreement– they plan to donate their tablets .

Addison asked her mother Sharon to reach out to Junior Schools’ Challenge Quiz host TK Dawkins to assist in identifying possible recipients. Improvement Movement JA, an entity founded by Dawkins, facilitated the request.

Addison, quiz team members, parents, quiz coaches and the principal from Creative Kids Learning Academy went to Gladys Bailey Learning Centre in Tivoli Gardens with the tablet computers. These were given to four children from the community and one given to the Gladys Bailey Learning Centre which will facilitate other students’ use of the device. “This experience has been eye opening for the students and myself and I am looking forward to going back to our school and discussing how we can further help students within the Tivoli Gardens community,” said Principal of Creative Kids Learning Academy Haedi-Kaye Holmes.

As he received his tablet Glenaldo Foster, spoke on behalf the other recipients, “We are so grateful for these tablets and even more grateful to see that it is coming from fellow young students who I didn’t know even thought about students like us”. Kareece Lawrence, director of community programmes at Improvement Movement JA noted: “It was really warming to see children who have only heard of Tivoli Gardens get to experience the space and see that it isn’t like what they’ve heard. Witnessing the youth residents interacting with visiting peers and getting to see for themselves that ones who are more privileged can be kind and thoughtful despite what they have heard was truly a joy. Everything about this moment in time has been a true blessing”

Improvement Movement Ja connects Jamaicans of all ages to practical education on wealth, human behaviour, spirituality and holistic health through online classes and workshops where internationally acclaimed books are studied. Programme participants go through books like Think & Grow Rich, How to Win Friends and Influence People, the biographies of the likes of Marcus Garvey, Nelson Mandela and Haile Selassie.