March 7, 2003 – Taking its cue from school academic contests such as the Quiz Bowl, Science Bowl and Math Counts, the V.I. Public Defender's Office will hold its first Prevention Through Education Competition next week. It's a kind of civics bowl.
"Our office has too frequently come into contact with Virgin Islands youth as clients instead of students," Theron Richards, who is coordinating the event, said in an Education Department release.
The local Prevention Through Education program, aimed at helping students stay on a productive path, got started last August.
There will be preliminary contests for each district — Wednesday in the Charlotte Amalie High School auditorium on St. Thomas and Thursday in the Educational Complex auditorium on St. Croix. Both are to start at 4 p.m.
The winning district teams will face off in the territorial finals starting at 9 a.m. March 15 at Gertrude's Restaurant on St. Croix. These Saturday finals will be broadcast live on WSTA Radio. At later times to be announced, the competitions are to be televised on public access Channels 5 and 10.
Juel Anderson, Education Department public information officer, said the students will have to answer questions on Virgin Islands history, civics, geography and juvenile rights. She said they study all of those subjects as part of the territory's history curriculum. There will be separate high school and middle school competitions.
Five-member teams from All Saints, CAHS, Ivanna Eudora Kean and Sts. Peter and Paul Schools will meet at the high school level on St. Thomas. Similar teams from Bertha C. Boschulte Middle School, Addelita Cancryn Junior High School and All Saints Cathedral School will face off in the middle school competition for the district.
On St. Croix, teams from Central High, Educational Complex, Good Hope, Manor and St. Joseph's High Schools will compete. And teams from Arthur A. Richards Junior High, Elena Christian Junior High, Good Hope, John H. Woodson Junior High, Manor, St. Mary's, St. Patrick's and the Seventh-day Adventist Schools will send meet in the middle school competition.
Members of the winning teams will each receive a Palm Pilot, and their school history departments will each receive a computer system.
In conjunction with the competition, the Prevention Through Education program sponsored art and jingle contests. The winning logo will appear on T-shirts and program materials. The winning jingle will be broadcast in public service announcements.
The art and jingle contest winners also will receive Palm Pilots. They will be announced at a noon awards luncheon on Saturday that will follow the final round of competition.
The Public Defender's Office falls under the Territorial Court umbrella. Throughout this year's Prevention Through Education program, it has funded books, materials and travel among other program initiatives, Richards said in the release.
Richards did not return telephone calls requesting further information.
Publisher's note : Like the St. John Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
