Form 4 and 5 students participated in the “RiverSpeak 4” competition, established by “Adopt a River Programme”. This year, the fourth installment of the annual competition’s theme was “People’s Solutions to Plastic Pollution” where students had to compose an original spoken word piece and then perform it. The final round of the competition was held on Friday 22nd September 2023, just in time to commemorate World Rivers Day on the 24th September.
Under the mentorship and guidance of our very dedicated and motivating teacher Mrs. Lall-Soobrattee and some Form 6 Performing Arts pupils, the students comprised two competing groups and were able to create award-winning pieces to perform at the Mt. Hope Community Centre on Friday.
“The River’s Woe”, a spoken word piece by Siri Vadlamudi and Kaelyn Dipchand copped the first place position, with its strategic use of costumes and props that complemented the thought-provoking script. They were able to shed light on the river’s plight and the extensive role of human opportunism in creating this monstrosity of pollution. It was an emotional and impactful message emphasizing the dire necessity for unification of people globally to address this crisis and save our planet.
Following closely in second place was the entry entitled “Protect Our Rivers, Protect our Future”, a chilling piece written by Maikhailanne Dyer, Jaeda Ar-Razi and Samantha Acosta. The piece aimed to strike a somber chord within the hearts of the audience, through characterisation of different natures surrounding the issue of river pollution. These included the human conditions of selfishness and over-consumerism.
Undoubtedly, these students of Naparima Girls’ High School have shone brightly in this competition and are thankful to their teachers, Adopt a River Programme and its affiliates WASA, WRA and The Green Fund and Mrs. Alicia Perez and her team for this opportunity to showcase their creative sides.
