Outstanding Student Gardeners Honored at National Awards Ceremony

By Brent Simon

Today marked the grand finale of the 2025 Inter-school Gardening Competition as students, educators, parents, well-wishers and officials gathered for the awards ceremony hosted by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture.

This year’s theme being “sustainability and youth empowerment, the event celebrated weeks of hard work and creativity” perked students from schools across the island. After months of toiling they met at the Botanical Gardens in St. John’s, to enjoy a variety of experiences and exhibits centered on the agriculture and the agro-industry Industry from 9:30 am.

The award ceremony began at 11 am with the students assembly and the arrival of esteemed guest, including the Honourable Gaston Browne /Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Honourable Daryl Matthew/Minister of Education, Honourable Anthony Smith Jr. /Minister of Agriculture, Lands, Fisheries and the Blue Economy, Mr. Clare Browne /Director of Education, Mr. Gregory Bailey/Director of Agriculture. The Master of Ceremonies was Mrs. Nicolette Francis/Education Officer Agricultural Science Department.

Before the official results were announced, Ms. Carol-Faye Bynoe-George/Head Judge of the competition commended the students from twenty-six (26) schools, for their creativity, discipline, and commitment to agriculture. She also remarked on the increase in competing schools, noting a 138% increase in participation from schools across the island and extended an invitation for more schools to come on board for next year’s competition. “I want to send a warning to the Secondary Schools, they need to be watchful and mindful of the pre and primary schools because during the adjudication we observed the enthusiasm, hard work and determination exhibited from those levels of the academia, and a word to the wise is enough”, advised Bynoe-George.

Mill Academy emerged as the standout academic institution of the day, earning the Prime Minister’s Award as the Overall Winner with a near-perfect score of 43.8/50. The school also claimed First Place in the Primary School category and took home the Pinnacle Feeds Award for Best Record Keeping, scoring a perfect 10/10.

Other notable winners included:

Simon Bolivar Preschool, awarded First Place in the Preschool category (41.6/50)

Sir Novelle Richards Academy claimed First Place in the Secondary School category (41.8/50)

R. Olivia David Primary School(formerly Bolans Primary and first time participating) awarded second place and also received the Best Garden Layout award (8.6/10)

Second place and Third place awards across all school levels recognized the consistent quality of garden projects, including:

Sir Luther Wynter Preschool, Second Place in Preschool category (36.5/50)

Jennings Secondary School, Second Place in Secondary Schools (38.6/50)

Villa Preschool, Third Place in Preschools (35.6/50)

Glanville’s Secondary School, Third Place in Secondary Schools (37.4/50)

Jennings Primary School( first time entering), Third Place among Primary Schools (36.6/50)

Prizes and tokens of appreciation were presented by the Hon. Prime Minister, the Minister of Agriculture, the Minister of Education, and the Director of Education.

The Inter-school Gardening Competition continues to be a powerful educational tool, teaching students about food sovereignty, food security, environmental care, and sustainable living-skills that will serve them and their communities well into the future.

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