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Little Genius Champion 2019 was ‘one for the books’

Published:Monday | May 13, 2019 | 12:25 AM
The Little Geniuses showcase their prizes following a competitive evening of activities. From left: First runner-up Donovan Douglas and Little Genius Champion 2019 Danielle McLean, both of White Hall Primary, and second runner-up Christina Williams of Providence Preparatory.
The Little Geniuses showcase their prizes following a competitive evening of activities. From left: First runner-up Donovan Douglas and Little Genius Champion 2019 Danielle McLean, both of White Hall Primary, and second runner-up Christina Williams of Providence Preparatory.

The Little Genius Show 2019, which took place in Morant Bay two Sundays ago, saw 16 contestants from various primary and preparatory schools in St Thomas applying the critical-thinking skills they acquired over five months of training, as they vied for the grand title of Little Genius Champion 2019.

Hosted by NexxStepp Lifelong Educational Services, the annual competition took place under the theme ‘Leverage the Era of Opportunity; Sowing seeds of critical thinking; reaping a globally competitive future’, tying in with the social enterprise’s overall mission to help Jamaica become globally competitive by supporting individuals from the cradle to the grave.

Head of NexxStepp Tishauna Mullings told The Gleaner that on the evening of the competition, each genius laid aside their fears, took centre stage and absolutely dominated, making this year’s staging “one for the books”.

“Each showed why they deserved a spot in the finals, and they made the decision to choose the winner a difficult task. From the creative introductions to the exciting talent pieces and fiery debate face-offs, judges and patrons were consistently at the edge of their seats.

“It was evident that the training sessions were not in vain. Many patrons turned out to support all 16 contestants and were so enthused that a vast majority of them remained, even when the contestant they supported did not make the top five,” she said, adding that each contestant received certificates for participation and personalised gift tokens.

Easing the anxiety which usually comes before the announcement of the winners was a performance by gospel artiste Rondell Positive, who moved the audience completely out of their seats with his hit song Keeping Me Alive.

His performance was followed by the vibrant master of ceremonies, social entrepreneur Randy McLaren’s announcement of the Little Genius winners.

Heading the pack and securing her space as the Little Genius Champion 2019 was the outspoken 11-year-old Danielle McLean of White Hall Primary School, who was also named Best Dressed Female.

Following closely behind as first runner-up was the smooth 11-year-old, the Best Dressed Male, Donovan Douglas, also from Whitehall Primary. Second runner-up was the eloquent 11-year-old Christina Williams of Providence Preparatory School.

“Danielle McLean was very consistent throughout the night of the show. Every time she came on stage, she dominated and gave her best. She definitely showed that she wanted it, and she expressed herself well every time.

“While she was not very vocal in training, Danielle was extremely observant. I believe that as a result of this, she was able to remember what she was taught and executed, it on the stage. Danielle did her homework, made improvements where necessary, showed up and showed out. We are extremely proud of the strides she’s made and her achievement. NexxStepp is looking forward to seeing what else she has in store, because greatness is indeed within her,” Mullings said.

Danielle will be executing a school project sponsored by Nutramix to the tune of $100,000. The project is to be a year-long agricultural programme to feed those at her school.

The young genius will also be included in training sessions for next year’s Little Genius competition.

Mullings explained that though only one was crowned champion, each contestant will have a duty to carry out as ambassadors within their schools and communities.

According to her, “While the main focus will be on the year-long project for Danielle McLean’s school community, each Little Genius participant will be expected to be a part of the launch of a Transformation Club/Little Genius Academy within their schools.

Through this club, they will be expected to do public speaking, a lot of volunteering, and mentoring students into becoming critical thinkers.”