Andre Hewitt, Kimberly Rose are Mr and Miss JTA St Andrew

Shouts and screams of excitement pulsated throughout the Stephanie Hall Auditorium in St Andrew, recently, as André Hewitt and Kimberly Rose made history when they were crowned the first-ever Mr and Miss JTA St Andrew.

The two, who became early crowd favourites from the start of the JN Bank-sponsored competition, also walked away with several sectional prizes.

Mr Hewitt, a trained early-childhood specialist who teaches at Shortwood Practicing Infant, Primary and Junior High School in St Andrew, said that he was surprised, but grateful, to win the title.

“I am absolutely over the moon. I wasn’t expecting this, therefore, when I heard my name, I was shocked. I am thankful for the experience. I’m happy to win, and I’m looking forward to my year as Mr JTA,” he declared.

The 30-year-old, who also won the prize for Most Talented, quickly became a crowd favourite after his surprisingly superb dance routine to the popular Michael Jackson song, Billy Jean.

Decked out in signature Michael Jackson attire – one white glove, sequined fedora, white socks and cropped pants – Mr Hewitt skillfully moonwalked his way across the stage, and into the hearts of the audience and judges.

Rounding off the top three in the Mr JTA St Andrew competition were O’Neal Morrison, who finished third; and Marlon Richards, who was second.

Mr Morrison, representing the West Central Division, also won the Viewers’ Choice Award; while Mr Richards, from the Gordon Town Division, was Most Aware.

MISS JTA ST ANDREW

Rose, a 30-year-old home economics teacher, dedicated her title of Miss JTA St Andrew, to her students at New Day Primary and Junior High School in Grants Pen.

“This title means so much to me, because my students are here this evening; and they are realising that when you dedicate yourself to a task and commit yourself to something, you can be successful. I wanted them to see that anything they set their minds to do, they can achieve,” she said.

It was no surprise to the audience that Miss Rose walked away with the title after winning four of the nine sectional prizes, including: Most Aware, Most Congenial, Best Smile, and Best Formal Wear.

Third place in the Miss JTA St Andrew contest went to Tashana Clarke, who also won the Viewers’Choice and Most Poised awards, while Danielle Haye placed second.

Miss Clarke represented the Eastern Division, while Miss Haye was from the Gordon Town Division.

Kaydia Wilks-McCalla, president of the St Andrew chapter of the JTA and organiser of the pageant, said the aim of the contest was to showcase the talents and skills of Jamaican educators to the public.

“We wanted to show a different side of our teachers, to give more persons a chance to see our teachers outside of the classroom, and to get more educators to appreciate their talents outside of their teaching skills,” she said.

The pageant, held under the theme: ‘Promoting the Teaching Profession: A Beacon of Hope and Inspiration to Our Nation,’ included the contestants being judged on their awareness and knowledge of current affairs, creative skills, talents, and confidence.