History, culture, flora and fauna, and V.I. history makers were on the minds of 28 first- through third-grade students competing Tuesday in the annual V.I. Heritage Quiz Bowl at Pearl B. Larsen Elementary School.
The bowl is held in honor of local retired teachers Violet Connor and Rae Armstrong, who have always promoted and encouraged academic excellence in V.I. culture and history.
“It is important for children to know where they come from, where they are at, and where they are headed in the future,” said Connor, who retired from Juanita Gardine Elementary School in 1992. “This encourages an understanding of their history and culture.”
Armstrong, who retired from Pearl B. Larsen in 2001, said the activity ties everything together, with the students learning about local leaders, history and culture.
The youngsters were on stage seated around little tables covered in madras. There were four teams, each made up of six students and an alternate. The teams were the Arawaks, Caribbean Conquerors, Crucian Mocko Jumbies, and Dumpling & Saltfish.
The competition started with 24 general V.I. information questions in team rounds where the students could confer with each other.
The questions, that were studied during the past month, ranged from what act gave Virgin Islanders the right to vote to what fruit-filled desserts are called.
Next were 72 individual questions on people, places, and events that began the elimination of students. Questions were asked about who the first inhabitants of St. Croix were to who the present lieutenant governor is. During this elimination round there were tears when questions were missed, and cheers rang out from the crowd of parents and students when a favorite contestant got it right. These were questions such as the names of teachers, librarians, secretaries, janitors and the V.I. first lady.
The last round was the tiebreaker, quickly narrowing the remaining field of 14 all the way down to two: LaMonique Berrios and Kerbassi Augustin. In the end, the pair tied for first.
In the team category, first place went to Dumpling & Saltfish with 78 points, second was Arawaks (72), while Crucian Mocko Jumbies and Caribbean Conquerors finished with 48 and 44 points, respectively.
Trophies were awarded and each contestant got a gift bag with educational supplies. The Pearl B. Larsen Quadrille Dancers did two numbers, and “Where is the Love?” was sung by the kids from Room 107.
“The quiz bowl really helped me learn a lot more about my culture and my school,” said Tiara Newton, from the Arawak team.
Tuesday’s festivities also helped broaden the children’s knowledge of local foods. On display in the hall outside the cafeteria were familiar and not-so-familiar fruits, nuts, vegetables and herbs, still on the branch or vine.
Connor, a gardening enthusiast, said the children know what a store-bought apple or grape is, but they don’t know what a sugar apple or goose berry is.
“The students learn science, math and social studies, while learning the value of healthy local food,” she said.“This is a whole cultural extravaganza of unusual edible fruits and vegetables the children need to know,” said Janice Tutein, science teacher and storyteller. “They need to know everything doesn’t have to come from the supermarket.”