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THE FREEPORT NEWS, Thursday, April 24, 2008
FINAL ROUND — Herbert Marshall, senior science officer for
the Ministry of Education, moderates the third and final round of the second
annual Master Mind Junior High Science Competition yesterday at the St. Georges
High School gymnasium between St. Paul’s Methodist College and Grand Bahama
Academy. (Photo by JENNEVA RUSSELL)
GB Academy wins
Master Mind competition
By K. NANCOO-RUSSELL
Freeport News Reporter
Grand Bahama Academy emerged
victorious over seven other schools at the second annual Master Mind Junior High
Science Competition yesterday. The team — comprised of students Gabrielle Hanna,
Alicia Rahming, Tia Mackey and Daniel McKinney — lasted through several rounds
of tough competition at the St. Georges High School gymnasium and walked away
with the coveted large trophy and bragging rights. A junior version of the
Battle of the Brains science competition, Master Mind was designed to test and
sharpen the academic prowess of the competitors. The questions are taken from
past BJC biology and chemistry tests. Yesterday’s competition,
which was hosted by the Grand Bahama Science Teachers Association, also featured
teams from St. Paul’s Methodist College, who took home second place; Grand
Bahama Catholic High; Sunland Baptist Academy; Tabernacle Baptist Academy; Jack
Hayward High; St. Georges High and Bishop Michael Eldon High.
Of the 10 high schools on the island two did not participate in yesterday’s
competition: Alpha Omega Christian
School and Eight Mile Rock High, who were the 2006 winners.
Senior science officer for the
Ministry of Education Herbert Marshall noted that competitions such as the
Master Mind and Battle of the Brains, have over the years proven to be a very
good method of improving students’ performance. “If we allow our students
opportunities to compete with each other they get a chance to see how other
students perform and if they find themselves behind they know that they have to
do more to pick up,” he said.
“It also provides a venue for teachers to see how other students are doing, so
if teachers recognize that their students are not performing at the level of the
others, then they know that they have to do some more teaching or
improve the methodology.”
Marshall said the tremendous impact
such contests have on the interest level shown by students for the field of
science must also be noted. Educators from various schools, he said, have
commented on how many more
students appear to be drawn to the science subjects at school as a result of the
advent of these competitions.
“These competitions have impact. They provide healthy competition for the
students and also allow the students
who are performing at these high levels in science to get to know each other,”
he said.
“We have to get into the habit of sharing practices. Teachers who have been very
successful, they need to share their best practices with others. That should all
translate into better performance among our students.”
President of the Grand Bahama Science Teachers Association and founder of the
Battle of the Brains competition
Quinton Laroda explained that the competitions do a good job in displaying to
the country the excellent work being done by teachers and students in the high
schools. “The competition really is designed to get kids more interested in
science and I think it is essential in helping kids prepare for the BJC
examinations in general science and health science and to set the kids on a path
to success in science in the upper grades,” he said.
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