Twelve-year-old Zimeena Rasheed expected to do well at the recently-concluded Champion Readers’ Competition. What she didn’t expect was to walk away the winner.
Zimeena, a member of the Anna Regina Library, gained 94% in the 12 to 14 age group and the highest percentage overall in the competition, which was launched by the National Library in April. She won for herself $50,000 along with a trip to a local tourist destination, a trophy and, of course, a book.
The well-spoken Zimeena, who popped into Stabroek News for an interview last week, said she invested hours of hard work in reading and working on her oral presentations, to ensure she was fully prepared for her competitors. She added that while she was confident of doing well, her victory came as a surprise.
Zimeena, who hails from Queenstown, Anna Regina, where she is a first former at the Anna Regina Multilateral Secondary School, is an aspiring structural engineer. She listed reading as being her favourite hobby for as long as she could remember, while attributing her success to this passion. Though she said that the competition was challenging, she called it an enjoyable and memorable experience, adding that it has contributed greatly to building her vocabulary and expression skills.
When asked what encouraged her to be a part of the competition, Zimeena replied, “That’s just my area. I like reading, debating and taking part in dramatic poetry and things of that nature.”
When she is not hitting the books, Rasheed enjoys watching selected TV programmes, playing basketball and cricket and spending time with her family.
She expressed gratitude to her family and teachers Judy Lall and Diane Henry, whom she said have all played a significant role in her success.
Zimeena told this newspaper that she wanted to encourage young persons like herself to develop a love for reading, since it helps with expression and is also very enlightening.
The four-month competition saw some 53 individuals advancing from the preliminary rounds of the competition to the finals, which ended at the Central Library on August 7. The competition catered for contestants in the 12 to 14, 15 to 17 and 18 to 25 categories from the Central Library and the branch libraries which include Ruimveldt, New Amsterdam, Linden, Corriverton, Bagotsville and Anna Regina.
Two books were selected to be read in each category of the contest. The books, all literary works, were selected by a panel of judges appointed for the competition. One week was allotted to each book, and participants were given a two-week period in which to read their respective books before been given both oral and written assessments on them. The books were taken from the collection of the Central Library and the branch libraries.
The Central Library, in a press release, said that its objectives were to encourage reading as a stimulating pastime among children and youth; stimulate a thirst for information through the printed medium; nurture a lifelong love for reading; develop the participants’ reading and comprehension skills; and assist in the promotion of literacy in Guyana.
There were seven preliminary rounds at the branch libraries in round one; three semi-finals at the New Amsterdam, Linden and Bagotsville branches in round two; and one final round at the Central Library.
