Dominique Dina, a hard working but timid secondary four student from the English River school has not only made his school and parents proud but the whole country.

Like many other secondary students around the country and worldwide, Dominique took part in the ‘Living Rainforest’ essay competition and came out third for his effort.

It was through his geography teacher, Wendy Noel, that Dominique and his classmates got acquainted to the competition.

The ‘Living Rainforest’ essay competition encourages schoolchildren around the world to write what ‘sustainable living’ means to them, and the steps which they believe their countries should be taking in order to achieve it.

During a small ceremony held last week at the English River secondary school, Dominique presented a copy of his essay to his head teacher, Marie-Claude Morel and another to the Ministry of Education which was accepted by the director general of the Centre for Curriculum Assessment and Teacher Support (CCATS) Dr Odile De comarmond.

Also present at the ceremony were Parent-Teachers Association (PTA) chairperson Jean Raguin, officials from the Ministry of Education, representative of the Ministry of Environment, teachers and Dominique’s classmates.

His essay entitled ‘Growing up just outside Victoria’ is about different ways we can live our lives without causing any harm to our environment. It contains various propositions on water conservation, energy consumption, organic farming, and others that will ensure sustainable living.

It was those key and valid elements that made his essay worthy of third position. The first prize was won by Chinyere Ogbo from Emmaus & Ignatius Home School, Nigeria and the second prize went to Kavya Deshpande from the United World College South East Asia, Singapore.

Dominique was selected as the best among several students to represent Seychelles in the International Debate for the International Essay Competition initiated by Living Rainforest in United Kingdom. 

The debate was held from August 8-11, 2014 where Dominique was accompanied by his geography teacher. All expenses were covered by the Ministry of Education and Air Seychelles.

Speaking to the press, Dominique recounted his experience in the UK. “It was truly a great experience. There were lots of students from around the world so we were placed in different groups. We had to work together by researching a given theme then present our findings and the group with the best presentation was awarded a prize.” 

While in UK Dominique along with others who were taking part got the chance to take part in various educational trips organised by the Living Rainforest International debate and Seychelles’ tourism ambassador, Georgia Dunlop. 

They had the opportunity to visit interesting sites namely ’The Crystal’, which is a sustainable city initiative by Siemens located in London. 

They also had the chance to view interactive exhibits, films, and animations to explore a range of issues including city trends, urban planning, smart buildings, safety and security, energy, water, healthy lifestyle, environment and mobility.
As prizes, he won a medal, trophy and certificate. 

Dr De comarmond, on behalf of the Ministry of Education, presented Dominique with an Ipad mini for his outstanding performance during the ceremony held at the school.

Dominique is a very active member of the eco school club along with other sports club. Having won certificates from various environmental bodies such as ‘Eko-Ver’, ‘Sand watch’, ‘Plant conservation action group’, there is no doubt that Dominique is passionate about the environment.

He expressed his happiness to the press, saying he has been working really hard to achieve good results.

Head teacher Morel expressed how happy and proud the staff and students of the English River school are. 
“Although it was unexpected, we are so proud of his performance. Being chosen to attend the debate in UK was an achievement in itself. The fact he is ranked third is a greater accomplishment not only for the school but for the Ministry of Education as well.”

“This comes at the right time where lots of negative things are happening in the schools and many are saying that students have no interest in their studies. This is proof that there are still students who want to study and have a bright future.” 

In a press release, the Ministry of Education has congratulated Dominique and urged other students to follow suit. 

Dominique expressed how lucky he was to have two of his teachers helping him. “I would like to say a very big thank you to my two teachers, Anet Nagadya and Wendy Noel. I got some information from the internet but my two teachers have been by my side all along,” he concluded.

Forrás: www.nation.sc