TRELAWNY, Jamaica-Falmouth All Age School came out on top in the Trelawny Municipal Corporation’s (TMC) Primary Schools Poetry Competition, held in the parish capital Falmouth, as part of Local Government Month celebrations earlier this week.

Daniel Town Primary and Hastings Primary emerged as first and second runners-up, respectively.

Mayor of Falmouth, Councillor Junior Gager lauded all the students from the seven schools that participated in the competition.

“The students of Falmouth All Age were exceptional but all the seven schools gave a good account of themselves. I am impressed by their overall knowledge of the responsibilities of the municipal corporations,” Gager told reporters.

Nardia Malcolm Witter, cultural agent at the Falmouth All Age School revealed that after her recent return from maternity leave, the students had a short time to rehearse the poem, titled Good Governance, which she composed. The piece was delivered in dub poetry style.

“To be honest we had a little over a week to prepare so I had to drill them because I was on maternity leave and just got back,” Malcolm Witter shared.

“The curriculum speaks to local government so I collaborated with the teachers of the upper school; the grade five and four teachers, got their text books and read through the information. I also looked online for some information as well and put everything together in the poem within one day,” she added.

She was hopeful that having performed the poem the students will now have a better knowledge of local governance.

“It’s important for them to know… and the fact that they have performed it in the poem I hope it will help them to remember the information,” an elated Malcolm Witter said.

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