- Tournament Champions: Pleasantville Secondary School claimed the top spot at the ‘Netball Fever’ tournament, defeating three other teams at the Southern Regional Indoor Sport Arena.
- Student-Led Initiative: The entire event was conceptualised and organised by Form Six students from St Joseph’s Convent, San Fernando, as part of their CAPE Physical Education School-Based Assessment (SBA).
- Standout Player: Katelyn Dukhoo of Pleasantville Secondary took home both the Top Scorer’s prize and the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
- High Praise: The President of the Trinidad and Tobago Secondary Schools Netball Association commended the students for taking their education beyond the classroom to uplift local sports and their community.
By Sue-Ann Wayow
PLEASANTVILLE Secondary School captured the top prizes at a local netball tournament on Monday.
The school went up against three other teams: Open Bible High School; St Joseph’s Convent, San Fernando; and the San Fernando-based Les Enfants Sports and Cultural Club.
The tournament, labelled “Netball Fever,” was organised by the Form Six class of St Joseph’s Convent, San Fernando, as part of their Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) Physical Education (PE) and Sports School-Based Assessment (SBA). It was held at the Southern Regional Indoor Sport Arena in Pleasantville.
President of the Trinidad and Tobago Secondary Schools Netball Association, Marsha Bedasie, praised the pupils of St Joseph’s Convent for the initiative during her opening remarks.
“To these students who conceptualised, planned, and brought this event to life, well done. This is exactly the kind of initiative we love to see. You have taken your education beyond the classroom and channelled it into something that uplifts sport and community. That is something to be proud of,” Bedasie said.
She added, “Every drill, every match, every moment of effort today is an investment in who you are becoming. Netball builds discipline, teamwork, and character… and Trinidad and Tobago needs young women who carry all three. Play hard, play smart, and play with heart.”
Under the watchful eyes of umpires Keeron McSween, Chinel Balcon-Dennie, and J’erell Martin, the girls from all four teams vied for victory.
Ultimately, Pleasantville Secondary took the top spot. St Joseph’s Convent placed second, Les Enfants Sports and Cultural Club placed third, and Open Bible High School finished fourth.
Katelyn Dukhoo of Pleasantville Secondary went home with the Top Scorer’s prize and the MVP award. Medals were distributed to the top three teams, and tokens of appreciation were given to members of the Fire Services and special guests.
Two pupils, Maya Miller and Ariel Alleyne, both of Lower Six, served as masters of ceremonies for the event, helping out their classmates even though they are not PE pupils themselves.
Upper Six student and tournament coordinator Sian Ramnarine, along with Lower Six assistant coordinator Alyssa Sookhan, shared their experience of putting together the tournament with AZP News, noting that the idea came after conducting a survey.
“We wanted to know what the people wanted, and based on those results, the netball tournament was the most desired,” Ramnarine said.
Sookhan shared that a massive amount of hard work and planning went on behind the scenes, with everyone assigned specific roles to work toward a common goal. While the day’s events went smoothly, the only complaint was the heat at the arena.
“One of the things that we would have learnt from this entire project is just how much effort and hard work goes into planning a competition,” Ramnarine noted. “This here is just four teams… imagine the bigger tournaments. We learnt to appreciate the effort.”
Sookhan expressed her appreciation to everyone involved, including the committee, the volunteers, and the officials.
When asked what advice they had for other CAPE PE pupils, their answer was simple: “Start early.”
“It is a lot of work that goes into it,” Ramnarine advised. “It is best to get all your information early, assign roles, and ensure that everyone does their work. When challenges arise, you have to stick together as a committee and as a team—as our committee did—to ensure that on the day of the tournament or whatever event you are having, it is a success.”
Now that the SBA is over, the students are looking forward to their theory exam in May. They thanked God, their PE teacher Dr. Shelly-Ann Chin Soong for her support and guidance, Principal Joanne Baker, and their sponsors.
The event was sponsored by Canboulay Restaurant and Lounge, Pooch Party Rentals, Kiss Baking Company, and Kierron Yip Ngow Photography.
