CUSHION CLUB

Shon-te Smith collects her prize, Tragedy on Emerald Island, the S. E. James book set on the island of Montserrat.

The Cushion Club would like to congratulate 2009-2010 winners of its annual prize, Andrew Forbes and Shon-te Smith, as well as the entire graduating class of the Buckley’s Primary School.

Since the kids’ reading club began the relationship with the Buckley’s Primary School, it has gifted prizes each year to students who’ve shown strength and consistency in the humanities – i.e. subject areas ranging from history to language arts to social studies. The students, selected from the grade six class, are selected by their teacher and the prize presented sometimes at term’s end and at the annual graduation ceremony.

That ceremony was held recently, and though both students have since gone on to secondary school – Forbes to Antigua Grammar School and Smith to Antigua Girls High School – they were both on hand for their graduation and to collect their prizes. Forbes delivered the valedictory address.



Cedric Holder presents a signed copy of The Boy from Willow Bend to prize winner Andrew Forbes.

Cushion Club leader, Cedric Holder, also spoke at the graduation, on the event theme, ‘Success is a Journey, not a Destination’. He made the presentation to the lucky students.

The relationship between Buckleys Primary and the Cushion Club goes back about several years. Past winners of the prize include Alicia Henry, Showmein Lewis, Jenica Williams, Lashoye Wayne, Colleen Berridge, and Anna Kay Chowers.

This year’s gift included – from the Club – a contribution of Joanne C. Hillhouse’s The Boy from Willow Bend to Forbes and a copy of S. E. James’ Tragedy on Emerald Island to Smith. The school, meanwhile, received a handful of Macmillan’s Reggae Readers, including workbooks and teacher guides, contributed to the Club by the Best of Books. The Best of Books and the Cushion Club have also enjoyed a lengthy relationship.



Principal Simon with the gift of Reggae Readers contributed by the Best of Books.

In fact, the store’s Friars’ Hill Road branch is the Club’s current Saturday morning meeting place. Club members are reminded that the Club has relocated there from its previous location, and will continue regular sessions after next weekend’s iterary festival. Members are encouraged to stop by the Festival Village at Anchorage Inn on Saturday, when Club volunteers will be offering lots of reading fun at the Children’s tent. For more on that or other Club activities, email cushionclub@yahoo.com or call 772-0701.