Parvati Girls’ Hindu College emerged the first place winner of the Hodder World Poetry Day (WPD) Competition. St George’s College got second place and San Fernando West Secondary, third. The Finals of the competition were held on March 21, designated WPD by the United Nations, at the National Library.

The competition, which targeted form one students, was hosted by the National Library and Information System Authority’s (Nalis) Educational Library Services Division (ELSD) in collaboration with Hodder Education and the Ministry of Education.

The goal of the competition was to encourage a return to the oral tradition of poetry recitals; promote the teaching of poetry; restore dialogue between poetry and the other arts; foster an appreciation of Trinidad and Tobago’s rich national and cultural heritage; support the curriculum, and contribute to the learning process.

Other participating secondary schools included Arima Central Secondary School, Bishop Anstey High School East, Corpus Christi College, Holy Name Convent, Point Fortin, Siparia West Secondary, and Toco Secondary.

The students dramatised and performed poems taken from Hodder Education published books, namely, SunSong 1 by Pamela Mordecai and Grace Walker Gordon, and West Indian Poetry New Edition by Kenneth Ramchand and Cecil Gray. The poems included Colonisation in Reverse by Louise Bennette, The Hammer by David Rudder, The Village by William S Arthur and The Old Wife and the Ghost by E.V. Rieu.

The Hammer by David Rudder was the poem of choice by the winning schools. Judges for the competition were Che Rodriguez, Thora Best and Mala Morton-Gittens. Prizes were sponsored by Caribbean Airlines, Hodder Education and The Price Club Supermarket.

First place winners from Parvati Girls’ Hindu College

Second place winners from St George’s College

Third place winners from San Fernando West Secondary