IN an extension of the thrust to utilise the game in the uplifting of educational standard in youths around the island, the National Association of Domino Bodies (NADB) closed out their 2018 Mobile Summer Programme at the College of Agriculture Science & Education (CASE) in Passley Gardens, Port Antonio, Portland on Monday.

The NADB latest initiative programme “Decode” was the focus at the summer programme. At the end of the one-day programme, NADB held a domino tournament which saw 16 pairs, made up of students from CASE, competing for the Decode trophy.

At the end of the tournament, the pair of Lucas Hamilton and Akeem Pinnock came out on top in inaugural stating. All students participating were awarded with tokens and incentives as well as exercise books and eyepad printers.

Humbert Davis, first vice-president of NADB, who was the lecturer at the Programme, spoke about the relationship between culture and agriculture and highlighted the connection with dominoes and the importance of proper play.

Davis also noted a proverb and its relation to art, social studies, mathematics and comprehension.

“This is a part of our 2018 camp, we call it mobile camp and it is about Decoding. So there is a relationship between culture and agriculture and the bottom line is that our culture means ‘Di olda di moon di brighta it shine, so whenever you decode that it would be ‘old moon shines brighter’ and that would be comprehension.

“Then mathematics of it would be quarter plus quarter which is a half, and half plus quarter is three quarters, and three quarters plus quarter which is the whole. The art would be quarter moon, half-moon, three quarter moon and whole moon. The Social Studies part would be spring, summer, autumn and winter”, he explained.

“The concept of that would be how, when, where and why and so that relationship works with domino. How do you play with your partner, why do you play like that and where do you play like that and that relate to agriculture as the students have to know how to plant their crops, when to plant their crops and when to plant their crops.

“So, it is so important for us to decode or else we will reach nowhere. Decode means that you now have to start to think, we are going for a more critical thinking and so we are linking the game of domino with it and once these students can learn the concept then it will help tremendously in their development”, Davis told the Jamaica Observer.

Caseta Nelson, dean, Faculty of Education at CASE, welcomed the initiative from NADB and thanked the association for a job well done with the students.

“I would like to thank the NADB for being at CASE with their summer camp. The students participated in the game and they were loving the fact that they were able to showcase their talent as well as being able to enjoy themselves.

“As my mother would say ‘All work and no play makes jack a dull boy’. It was well worth it, the summer camp was worth it, every minute of it . The social side of the students is something that we are channelling. The Government has this thrust for youth at risk and we are happy to have domino because it is a way to get them out of trouble.

“It is the first in the college. First of all, it gets the team spirit going because they [students] have to work together when they go on the farm, as each one has to have the other back and this is really a way for them to be a good team player”, Nelson said.