World AIDS Day Southern District Slogan contest winners announced

In observance of World AIDS Day 2010, the primary school students of the surrounding Grand Bay communities participated in a slogan contest and the winners were announced on December 1st.

The grade six students at Grand Bay, Tete Morne, Bellevue Chopin, Pichelin, Petite Savanne, and Bagatelle Primary Schools took part in educations sessions facilitated by the National HIV/AIDS Response Unit in collaboration with the US Peace Corps throughout the months leading up to this year’s World AIDS Day.

The sessions were awareness based and emphasized positive ways to protect oneself from the disease. The students learned the ways in which the virus can and cannot be transmitted, specific ways to ensure you stay healthy including abstinence and safe sex, and also why we should not discriminate against those with HIV and AIDS.

All of students were then prompted to draw or write the messages they most clearly received from the sessions and submit them to the Slogan Competition. The top two submissions were printed on t-shirts and given out, along with many other prizes, to all the students.

The top prize winner was Klevaughn Fanfan from Pichelin Primary School for his brilliant slogan “A Nation that is AIDS Free Begins with You and Me.”

The second prize winner was Angelique Dorival from Bagatelle Primary School for her inspired poem about HIV. The poem was read aloud at all of the Primary Schools and will be featured on Youth Vibes on DBS this coming Saturday.

The third prize winner was also from Pichelin Primary School. Josian Stuart drew a picture of unmet dreams of becoming a doctor or scientist and wrote that “AIDS Kills Dreams.”

All of the submissions were incredible, but these three stood out as remarkable. We commend all who participated and look forward to next years submissions!