On Tuesday we reboarded the bus for the trip to the House of Culture. We arrived early and then had to wait for a while before all the student groups from the island joined us. Eight different schools were competing and all wore their full dress uniforms. Soon, the MC introduced all 10 competitors from Zones 3 and 4 as well as the no-nonsense panel of judges comprised of retired school teachers.
All competing students were ushered to a room out of earshot of the podium, then entered one at a time, stood on a cinder block riser and read the prescribed piece with as much effort as they could muster. Our classmate did a wonderful job reading the story about a child with a bad case of hiccups who looked to her parents for help. E read with great expression and brought a round of giggles when she replicated the actual hiccups in a high, shrill voice.
The last reader finished and the judges took time to tally their scores. My class was getting itchy after sitting for so long without moving. Finally the MC announced the 4 winners who would advance to the semi finals on Thursday. We were ecstatic to learn that E was selected. Back to school for another round of quick permission slips and talks with the principal and E’s parents to plan for the next unannounced field trip.
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