Everything was set up inside and the students were prepared. And then the rain came. What made this rain different was that the roof of the building in Bainet where the setup was had holes in it! But that didn’t stop students from 10 schools across the region traveling to Bainet to complete in an academic competition sponsored by our school in Zorangé (the first of its kind for this region) in preparation for the state exams. After quickly covering all the equipment, the rain passed over in about 20 minutes and the competition continued as planned.
The theme was “For a Better Haiti,” and the focus was on the town of Bainet. Students answered a variety of questions in a Jeopardy style format using a clicker system to buzz in for their answers on subjects such as math, science, language arts, and social studies. At the end of three elimination rounds, there were three schools left and a student was picked from each school to give a speech on one of three questions:
- Vandalism has become widespread throughout Haiti. Even a small town like Bainet is not immune to its effects. If you were the mayor of Bainet, what would you do to ensure the security of your citizens?
- The Secretary of Environment has asked for your opinion on the effects of deforestation in Bainet. State the effects of deforestation and present him a plan of action that would lead to a solution.
- The Secretary of Education has asked for your opinion on the biggest problem that exists in the educational system in Bainet. Elaborate on the problem and present a plan for a solution.
Ecole Nationale de Bainet was the winner and received a variety of prizes including a trophy, a new Toshiba laptop for their school, and a backpack full of supplies for each participating student. Hope for Haiti would like to thank Ms. Paige Baker of Dallas Independent School District for the financial assistance in providing the prizes.
Competitions like these are ways to sharpen critical thinking skills and promote education; they fit right in with Hope for Haiti’s main focuses to help build the next generation of leaders in Haiti. We would like to thank all the teachers and students for their participation and the donors that made this possible. We’ll be looking for LIJAS to take home the trophy next year!