World Diabetes Day will be celebrated on Sunday and students of the 16 Government primary schools and one private school in the north of the island are already fully aware of the health concerns associated with the disease.
Today, at the prize-giving ceremony for the 6th annual Maurice Byer Polyclinic Diabetic Poster And Poetry Competition, Gordon Greenidge Primary was declared the winner out of the 17 schools that participated.
Participants were asked to use various means to research the topic and by poster or poetry, represent what they had learnt about the causes, control, treatment and complications of diabetes.
Senior Health Sister Marcia Beckles-Moore, coordinator of the competition applauded the efforts of the children noting that the competition was instrumental in imparting to the children, knowledge of what foods to eat, what to avoid and the importance of exercise.
Beckles-Moore said that the increase in diabetes in young people has helped them to realise the importance of the exercise which contributes to the children’s awareness of diabetes.
She noted that for the first year of the competition the participation by the 17 schools in the zone was at 100 per cent but it had dropped to 64 per cent this year and the reason given for the decline was the focus on scholastic achievement.
“With the depth of education, potential will not be maximised if ill health prevails, especially if that ill health could have been prevented,” Beckles-Moore said.
Second place in the competition went to Half Moon Fort, while St James Primary placed third. The first place prize in the poster competition went to Raquel Gilkes of St Silas Primary, while Roland Edwards placed second, with Ignatius Byer and All Saints Primary tying for third place.
In the poetry competiton Roland Edwards claimed first place with a poem entitled In Denial. Gordan Greenidge Primary placed second, Jessica Cummings of All Saints Primary placed third and Kameisha Jackman of St Silas Primary placed fourth.
Here, Gordon Greenidge Primary School’s Ebony Ramsay-Maynard (second left) and Zharia Springer collecting prizes from Senior Health Sister Marcia Beckles-Moore and marketing manager of Sagicor General Roger Spencer.