As part of the Elections System of the Virgin Islands’ 60th anniversary celebration, ESVI introduces “Civics Matters,” Caroline F. Fawkes, supervisor of Elections, announced.
Civics Matters is an exciting and engaging quiz show produced by the Elections System of the Virgin Islands, exclusively for Virgin Islands’ high school students. The show aims to test their knowledge of various social, political, and historical topics, according to the press release.
“ESVI felt that we needed to do more to help students understand their civic obligations and the importance of not just registering to vote but to prepare them to be better citizens. This helps them to expand their knowledge of civics and history across the territory, the nation and globally,” stated Board of Elections Education Chairwoman Lisa Harris-Moorhead. “Our goal is to empower, engage, evolve the students with this Civic Awareness program,” stated Supervisor of Elections Caroline F. Fawkes.
The Civics Matter Preliminary Round was held on Sept. 19 on St. Croix and Sept. 20 on St. Thomas. The following schools participated in the bowl:
Five of the teams had to compete in a Preliminary Run-off. Even after adding bonus points, the Preliminary Round had ties in both districts. On Sept. 26, Free Will Baptist School and St. Croix Educational Complex High School reappeared on St. Croix, and on Sept. 27, All Saints Cathedral School, Charlotte Amalie High School, and Ivanna Eudora Kean High School reappeared on St. Thomas, the press release stated.
On Oct. 28 at the University of the Virgin Islands Albert A. Sheen Campus Great Hall, The Election System of the Virgin Islands will host the 2023 Civics Matters Championship between the finalists from the Charlotte Amalie High School and the St. Croix Educational Complex High School, the release stated.
These two schools persevered through a tightly contested preliminary round and run-off. Team members from the Charlotte Amalie High School include Ajeune Willett Tyson, Micah Crawford, Abigail Jaboin, and Nemaia Lubruin. Their coaches are Natasha Penn and Eleanor Francois. Team Members from the St. Croix Educational Complex include Yadayyah Leo, Xaire Simmons, A’Nyra Richards, and Safiya Prasad. Their coaches are Diana Garcia and Nichelle Stanley.
According to the release, the students were amazing. Forty-four students put in the extra work of preparing for the “Civics Matters” Quiz Bowl. Their performance was exemplary. ESVI congratulates the students for helping demonstrate Civics Matters. These students have helped to focus the community’s attention on the essential role civics plays in developing more informed Virgin Islands citizens who will shape the local community as well as the global community.
Education Chairwoman Lisa Harris-Moorhead stated, “We are extremely grateful to the coaches who added to their responsibilities and accepted the additional task of motivating and guiding our students. Thank you for serving as ambassadors of Civics Matters!”
