Students from the Valley Primary School, Morris Vanterpool Primary and Destiny Academy were present on Friday 20th March to collect their awards after claiming top places in the National Commercial Bank of Anguilla (NCBA) “How I’ll Grow My Money” Financial Information Month (FIM) Book Writing Competition.
The NCBA had kicked off its 10th anniversary celebrations on Friday, 20th March 2026 by hosting its “How I’ll Grow My Money” Financial Information Month (FIM) Book Writing Competition Awards Ceremony. The event brought together students, educators and bank representatives to recognise the creativity and financial awareness demonstrated by primary school participants across the island.
Delivering an overview of the competition, Mr. Shamar Gaskin explained that Financial Information Month, observed annually across the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union each October, aims to promote financial literacy among citizens. In 2025, NCBA embraced the initiative with a series of outreach efforts, including the book writing competition tailored specifically for primary school students.
Mr. Gaskin noted that the initiative began with interactive financial literacy sessions in schools, equipping students with the foundational knowledge needed to explore the concept of money management. From there, students were invited to create original pictorial storybooks, each no more than ten pages, illustrating their ideas on how to grow money. The competition was open to both public and private primary schools, with each institution permitted up to two group submissions.
“The students produced books filled with imagination and insight,” Mr. Gaskin said, adding that all participants would receive special recognition from NCBA, alongside prizes for the top three entries.
Offering a glimpse into the judging process, Dr. Timothy Hodge, one of three judges alongside Ms. Farrah Banks and Tr. Patricia “Patsy” Adams, described the experience as both challenging and inspiring. He explained that the judges were tasked with evaluating each submission independently, considering adherence to rules, quality of writing, creativity and the effectiveness of illustrations.
“It was not an easy task,” Dr. Hodge remarked. “At the end, we come together to determine the final placements. But what stood out was the remarkable creativity of our students.”
He highlighted the diverse approaches taken by participants, from hand-drawn illustrations crafted with crayons and coloured pencils to digitally produced artwork and even AI-assisted designs. Some submissions, he noted, were of such quality that they appeared ready for publication.
“The theme was simple — ‘How I’ll grow my money’ — yet the responses were incredibly varied,” he said. “If you asked ten people that question, you would likely get ten different answers, and that is exactly what we saw reflected in these books.”
Dr. Hodge praised the initiative as a meaningful exercise in both literacy and life skills, encouraging educators and students to continue such creative pursuits beyond the confines of competition.
The ceremony then moved to the distribution of awards, with assistance from Mr. Jerrick Evangelista, Ms. Marisa Gumbs and Dr. Aidan Harrigan. Participatory awards were presented to a number of students, including Ky’Andre Connor and Isaiah Bakrim of the Vivian Vanterpool Primary School; Keimara Rogers, Jonathan Willock, Xahra Linton, C’Meah Carty, D’morie George and Eduardo Carty of the Omololu International School; Oluwaseun Grant and Younique Stott of the Adrian T. Hazell Primary School; Cynfanie Liburd, Destiny Hayles and Shaiquoi Ruiz-Ozoria of the Morris Vanterpool Primary School; and Sophia Jordyn C. Richardson, Mikayla Brooks and Rannelys Mota-Alfonsec of the Valley Primary School.
Each of these participants received an education savings account at NCBA valued at EC$100.
Meanwhile, third place overall was awarded to Joanna Lloyd, David Lloyd, Zane Burton, Zuri Burton and D’marie Alfred of the Destiny Academy, who each received an education savings account valued at EC$200. Second place went to Ricquoi Richardson, Antoine Codlyn and Messiah Baptiste of Morris Vanterpool Primary, each earning an account valued at EC$300.
Top honours were awarded to Elyssa George, Castiel Lomasoc and Deandre Duke of Valley Primary, whose winning entry secured an education savings account valued at EC$500 for each of them. Their book, entitled The Man Who Saved His Money, drew particular praise for its creativity and presentation, with its cover art notably hand-drawn.
As part of their prize, the winning book will be professionally published and illustrated, with plans for it to be made available through an online store – to be determined. Proceeds from its sale will also be directed to the winning school.
More than a competition, the event stood as a testament to the power of early financial education, proving that even the youngest voices can offer meaningful perspectives on building a secure future.
By Janissa Fleming
