School Calypso Competition – Another great year

Mongu United and Dame Ella Simmons are the champions of this year’s National Schools Calypso Competition, with the latter taking the title for the second year in a row.

“Yandi J”, representing Dame Ella Simmons, once again dominated the secondary school category after crushing her competition in last year’s competition.

“Ti Keno” came fourth in last year’s competition and this year he won the title for the Mongols Combine, much to the delight of supporters.

This year’s “Calypso in Schools” was another memorable event, with 20 schools participating in the competition held at the Sab Sports Ground in Vigie last Friday.

This year, Ave Maria Girls’ Primary School, Les Etangs RC Comprehensive School, Morne Du Don, Augier Comprehensive School, Mongouge Comprehensive School, Carmen Rene Memorial School, Ciceron RC Comprehensive School, RC Boys’ Primary School, Anglican Nursery School, Vieux Fort Nursery School, Sir Ira Simmons, Corinth Secondary School, Castries Comprehensive School, Bocage Secondary School, Patricia D. James Secondary School, Ciceron Secondary School, St. Lucia Sports Institute, Vieux Fort Comprehensive School, Micoud Secondary School and St. Joseph’s Convent were among those participating.

📷 Check out some of the scenes in the gallery below (photos from Santa Lucia Carnival)

However, according to coordinator Jason C. Joseph, 40 students auditioned for the event, the highest number ever, including many from the southern part of the island.

The latter is a “personal goal” for Joseph, who said he hopes to gain more Southern participation.

“I was responsible for getting the schools ready, making sure they were prepared, had their songs written in advance… so the judges could select 10 primary schools and 10 secondary schools,” Joseph said.

He explained that although timing remains an issue, preparations for the event have already begun well in advance.

“We always start in September, which is when the school year begins. We send out messages to schools and those who need it start looking for writers. The problem always drags on, however, the (Carnival Planning and Management Committee) sent out official messages to the principals and district education officers and we did get more people on board compared to last year,” Joseph stressed.

In an interview last week, Joseph said he was looking forward to the students’ performance, noting that the quality of this year’s competition was better, “if not the same as last year.”

“We have a workshop to prepare the students and have them practice their stage presence because it’s very important. You can have the best songs (and) the best writers, but the most important thing is your performance, so (we’re) trying to get the students to improve” in that area, Joseph said.

The seminar also emphasized the importance of communicating with the audience and using the microphone correctly.

While the audition process is going well, Joseph said some schools “are still not ready and can’t participate — we’re continuing to work on that.”

Chelsa Jongue, public relations officer of the Carnival Planning and Management Committee (CPMC), recently pointed out that the CPMC is building a sustainable festival and creating space for young people to grow.

“Their talent is amazing, so we are really encouraging key partners to do their best to raise their profile and encourage them to engage from a youth perspective rather than from a CPMC perspective. They need to know that they have the support of Saint Lucia,” Jongue said.

Although all the contestants this year were determined to win, in the end Mongouge Combined’s “Take Your Time” and Sir Ira Simmons’ “Number 1” won the judges’ favor.

The full results of the competition are as follows:

Primary School Category

First Place: Mongolian Union

Second place: St. Mary’s Girls’ Primary School

Third Place: Carmen Renee Memorial

fourth place: RC Boys Primary School

Secondary School Category

First Place: Sir Ella Simmons School

Second place: Miku Middle School

Third Place: Castries Comprehensive High School

fourth place: Boca Chi Secondary School