20 school bands battle for pan supremacy on Sunday

AFTER two weeks of intense competition, 20 schools have advanced to the finals of the Ministry of Education National Schools Panorama competition.

The competition, hosted in collaboration with the Pan in Schools Coordinating Council and Pan Trinbago, will take place at the Queen’s Park Savannah on Sunday.

Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly said in a release that having had the opportunity to visit one of the schools during the preliminary round, she concluded “the future of our national instrument is alive and well. The passion of these young people is infectious.”

The release said that every year, the Visual and Performing Arts Unit (VAPA) of the Curriculum Planning and Development Division of the ministry, plans, manages and successfully executes this landmark event.

“The goal is to provide a national platform to show off the best of our students’ musical and artistic talents on the national instrument.”

In the Secondary Schools category, the competition kicked off in the south with three schools competing and two advancing to the finals.

Five schools competed in both the north and east zones.

All ten bands which registered for the Primary School competition, have moved on to the finals.

Drawing for positions for Sunday will take place at Education Towers, Port of Spain, on Friday.

The ministry’s involvement in school-related Carnival events is not only limited to pan. Calypso, chutney-soca, tassarama and mas are all part of its programme.

Preliminaries for the Intellectual Carnival National Schools Chutney-Soca competition is scheduled for Saturday at Saith Park, Chaguanas, from 10 am. The venue for the final is the Queen’s Park Savannah on February 15 at10 am.

A venue is yet to be announced for the selection of both primary and secondary schools entering the Carnival Tassarama Competition. Prelims are scheduled for February 1 and 2 respectively.

The finals will take place on February 8 at Skinner Park, San Fernando, from 10 am to 3 pm.

The Junior Calypso Monarch competition is also on the cards, and the final is also scheduled for the Queen’s Park Savannah on February 13 from 10 am to 3 pm.

The competition shifts to Government Plaza, Richmond Street, Port of Spain, on February 14, for the Junior Soca Monarch competition.

The Queen’s Park Savannah is also the venue for the Junior Extempo competition on February 16 from 10 am to 3 pm.

On Carnival Friday – February 17, the streets will come alive as school children involved in the masquerade will participate in the traditional Carnival characters parade from City Hall in Port of Spain.

Final competitions for the schools will take place on February 18 when the Red Cross Junior Parade, Conventional Costumes/Band parade takes place at the Queen’s Park Savannah

SECONDARY SCHOOL FINALISTS (PAN)

* Bishop Anstey, PoS

* Bishop Anstey College/Trinity College East

* Naparima Combined

* South East PoS

* St Francois College

* St Joseph’s Convent, St Joseph

* QRC Providence

* El Dorado East Government Secondary

* Pleasantville Secondary

* Holy Cross College.

PRIMARY SCHOOLS FINALISTS (PAN)

* Success Laventille RC

* Couva Anglican

* St Gabriel’s Girls RC

* Guaico Presbyterian

* Tamana RC

* Santa Maria RC

* Febeau Government

* St Mary’s Government

* Vance River RC

* Carenage Boys’ Government.