Anse Aux Pins primary wins top prize in Kiddies’ carnival |27 April 2015

Anse Aux Pins primary is the winner of the second Kiddies’ carnival and the school chose for theme ‘Sweet Sweet Hats In Bloom’.
Second to last year’s winner Bel Eau, Anse Aux Pins won the top prizes of R7,500 and a trophy for best overall presentation.

Anse Aux Pins primary linked its theme and costumes with the national theme – I Love Seychelles. The school says we not only love country but also love the flora which beautifies it. The tropical weather of Seychelles makes the hats useful to shade from the sun and this earned the school the highest points from the judges.

The floats paraded and gave a dance performance on stage in front of the panel of four judges who included the managing director of Petit Amour Villa Michel Benoit, early childhood development lecturer at the Seychelles Institute of Teacher Education Lymiah Bibi, medical officer at the Seychelles Hospital Naomi Adeline and National Council for Children counselor Thilini Upananda.

The children were full of cheers and their floats were brightly designed with attractive colours using re-cycled materials such as old-toys, clothes, gunny bags and plastic bags.

Six other prizes were dished out yesterday afternoon and they went to Bel Ombre primary (best display), Takamaka primary (best costume), Anse Etoile primary (most environmentally friendly), Montessori pre-school (best effort), Bel Eau primary (biggest group), and Beau Vallon secondary (most creative).
The three main prizes – best overall presentation, best display and best costume – were all sponsored by Desroches Island and the others by the Seychelles Tourism Board.

The other groups who took part are La Rosière primary and NRA Mont Buxton. Trophies and T-shirts sponsored by Terill Peters of the Radar Security Company from Kenya were given to all nine groups.

In the presence of tourism principal secretary Anne Lafortune, culture principal secretary Benjamine Rose, STB chief executive Sherin Naiken, Miss Australia 2014 Courtney Thorpe, Miss Tanzania Happiness Watimanywa, Miss United States Elizabeth Safrit and Miss Seychelles Camila Estico, other guests and a big and enthusiastic crowd, the Minister for Tourism and culture, Alain St Ange thanked all the management of schools who gave the children a helping hand to prepare their floats for the carnival.

Minister St Ange said “children by themselves could have all the required initiative possible but it is the schools which take the initiative and make it become a reality. We are bringing about a new culture, a culture where the children appreciate the carnival festivities. And this is a recycling programme for the country and it all begins with the children.”

He pointed out that all nine groups who took part are winners of the parade because they took up the challenge.