It was top-tier research and a compelling presentation that saw Mayaro Secondary School emerge as champions of the debate component of the bpTT Schools' Environmental Awareness Competition earlier this month.
In existence since 2006, the competition is endorsed by the Ministry of Education and is administered by Mayaro-based non-governmental organisation, The Black Deer Foundation, and sponsored since inception by energy company bp Trinidad and Tobago (bpTT).
The competition had added significance this year because it came a few weeks after the launch of bp’s sustainability frame which outlines how the company is pursuing sustainability through three broad areas: getting to net zero, improving people’s lives and care for the planet. Since its inception, the competition has proven to be an effective way to give children a voice in the conversation on the environment.
Given the restrictions due to the pandemic, the 2021 version of the competition was re-imagined to make it virtual and therefore accessible to students studying at home. The finals saw Mayaro Secondary pitting their wits against a strong SWAHA Hindu College. Getting a score of 92.8, the Mayaro team edged out SWAHA by a mere 1.6 points. Cowen Hamilton Secondary (91.1) and Rio Claro West Secondary (89.2) rounded up the top four spots.
[caption id="attachment_904187" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Educator and debate judge, Theophilus Nedd, right, gets some feedback on the new online platform from Michael Garcia and Nazia Rahim, who led Mayaro Secondary to victory in the debate finals in the bpTT Schools’ Environmental Awareness Competition. -[/caption]
Matthew Pierre, community liaison co-ordinator, bpTT, lauded the debate competition:
“The environment is the key focus of this competition, which meshes well with our renewed focus on the climate, including the aim to be net zero by 2050. This focus is combined with key academic skills such as research, writing, presentation and communication, while at the same time encouraging students to exercise their creativity and self-expression in a comfortable yet challenging environment.
"Although catalysed by the pandemic, the use of virtual technology this year is a much greener way to facilitate this competition. From the reduction in terms of vehicle emissions from the movement of students to increased accessibility, the creative use of technology has enhanced this already significant programme," Pierre added.
The debate competition did not follow the usual format of argument and rebuttal. Instead, it gave students the space to present their arguments utilising oral and technology-based mechanisms including online presentations.
This year the students argued the topic, “Be it resolved: There has been much talk about building a dam in the Ortoire River when dams are built on rivers, it changes the ecosystem in many ways. Dams may impact, both positively and negatively, the biodiversity of terrestrial plant communities, fish and other aquat
