As a
conclusion to GHEI’s month long Read-A-thon, some of Humjibre’s brightest
primary and junior high school students faced off in a Quiz competition this
past Friday.
The
students had been preparing for this big day for the whole month and were
filled with anxiety at the prospect of sitting in front of their fellow
students and families to be tested on their comprehension of selected texts. The
presence of the Chief of Humjibre, Nana Kwadwo Twum II, and other town elders
only added to the young pupils apprehensions.
The quiz had the different schools competing against each other in answering a series of questions regarding the content of a storybook. Participants had to think on their feet, as their response time was limited. The students’ nervousness was visible and understandable. Every one of their answers could either cost their school the competition, or lead them to victory, propelling them into the upper echelons of schoolyard adulation.
As soon as the master of ceremonies revealed the first jersey the room broke out in pandemonium. The children screamed at the top of their lungs in jubilation while jumping up and down, bumping into one another in a mosh pit more befitting of a metal concert. The next several minutes were spent controlling the enraptured crowd and continuing the presentation of the various jerseys. The crowd shouted with glee at the sight of each jersey, but the best was saved for last.
The overall
winner of the Read-A-thon was to be given a particularly special Chelsea
jersey. The jersey was held up for
the audience and turned around to reveal the name of every Ghanaian football
fan's pride and joy, Michael Essien.
At the sight of this the room once again broke out into a small
riot. The winner was quickly
announced, and one very proud Ebenezer Apemchom emerged from the crowd. With a heartwarming smile and misty
eyes he accepted his prize as the crowd let out a roaring applause.
GHEI would like to thank all those who made the Read-A-Thon and Quiz Competition possible, including staff, our international volunteers, and in particular Mr. Francis Gardler, who along with his family and friends donated the soccer gear that became wonderful prizes for our top readers. And of course, we can’t forget the Read-A-thon participants themselves. We are proud of their dedicated reading for the past month. Well done!
The
students had been preparing for this big day for the whole month and were
filled with anxiety at the prospect of sitting in front of their fellow
students and families to be tested on their comprehension of selected texts. The
presence of the Chief of Humjibre, Nana Kwadwo Twum II, and other town elders
only added to the young pupils apprehensions.The quiz had the different schools competing against each other in answering a series of questions regarding the content of a storybook. Participants had to think on their feet, as their response time was limited. The students’ nervousness was visible and understandable. Every one of their answers could either cost their school the competition, or lead them to victory, propelling them into the upper echelons of schoolyard adulation.
Their
voices trembled as they delivered their responses and the silence as they
waited for the Quizmaster’s verdict, correct or incorrect, must have seemed endless to our young contenders. But as with all competitions one group
stood out from the rest, and this was Anglican Primary School. They proved to have studied the
hardest and to have worked closely with their teachers to know the material inside and
out.
Speaking
with the Chief after the ceremony he made it clear that he was very pleased
with the competition: “This is the
first Quiz Competition we’ve held in Humjibre, and it went very well. I’m happy with the students, and now they
will know how hard they will have to study to win next year.”
As if this
was not enough excitement for the students of Humjibre, the following night GHEI
held the highly anticipated Read-A-thon Awards Ceremony. Our staff had tallied up the
participants' reading points and the time had come to award the readers for
their dedication. Students with a
moderate score were given colourful storybooks, while high scoring readers had
something more in store for them.
Our “Read and Play” volunteers had brought an assortment of soccer
jerseys to be awarded to the most studious readers.
As soon as the master of ceremonies revealed the first jersey the room broke out in pandemonium. The children screamed at the top of their lungs in jubilation while jumping up and down, bumping into one another in a mosh pit more befitting of a metal concert. The next several minutes were spent controlling the enraptured crowd and continuing the presentation of the various jerseys. The crowd shouted with glee at the sight of each jersey, but the best was saved for last.
The overall
winner of the Read-A-thon was to be given a particularly special Chelsea
jersey. The jersey was held up for
the audience and turned around to reveal the name of every Ghanaian football
fan's pride and joy, Michael Essien.
At the sight of this the room once again broke out into a small
riot. The winner was quickly
announced, and one very proud Ebenezer Apemchom emerged from the crowd. With a heartwarming smile and misty
eyes he accepted his prize as the crowd let out a roaring applause.GHEI would like to thank all those who made the Read-A-Thon and Quiz Competition possible, including staff, our international volunteers, and in particular Mr. Francis Gardler, who along with his family and friends donated the soccer gear that became wonderful prizes for our top readers. And of course, we can’t forget the Read-A-thon participants themselves. We are proud of their dedicated reading for the past month. Well done!
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