Local News
Team BVI Joins the Festivities at Carifta Games Opening Ceremony

With flags raised high and spirits even higher, the 52nd CARIFTA Games officially opened this afternoon at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain. The British Virgin Islands (BVI) delegation joined over 20 participating nations in a vibrant and colorful opening ceremony that signaled the start of three days of premier youth athletics in the Caribbean.
Team BVI, who departed the Territory on Thursday, April 17, arrived eager and ready to compete for podium finishes, national records, and personal bests. Accompanying the team are Minister of Education, Youth Affairs and Sports, Hon. Sharie de Castro, along with coaches, officials, BVIAA executives, and proud parents.
The BVI Delegation includes:
Athletes: Antuan Maduro, Andre Allen, Sam’Asia Leonard, Macayla Logan, McKenzie Crabbe, Jameila Chambers, Shyra Stoutt, Ty’Rique “TyTy” Charles, J’Den Jackson, Othniel Gillings, A’Sia McMaster, Kijana Callwood, Makeda Christopher, Romeena Davis, Jahrime Allen, Latriel Williams, Jah’Kyla Morton, Deneil Clarke, Tiondre “Dre” Frett, Jabari Pemberton, Mario Carter, Jaheem Lennard-Joseph, Lashawn Gibbs, Shannia Johnson
Officials and Support Staff: Minister Sharie de Castro, Coach Winston Potter, Shaumal Donovan, BVIAA President Steve Augustine, BVIAA General Secretary Stephanie Russ Penn
The 2025 Games, running from April 19–21, mark the return of the competition to Trinidad and Tobago for the first time since 2005. Expectations are high as the region’s top junior athletes gather to compete in track and field events, with powerhouses like Jamaica, The Bahamas, and Barbados already making strong impressions in preliminary sessions.
This year’s campaign builds on Team BVI’s impressive showing in 2024 at the CARIFTA Games in Grenada. M’kenzii Crabbe made headlines with a 12.40-second finish in the Girls U17 100m heats, while Tiondre “Dre” Frett captured bronze in the Boys U20 200m with a time of 22.18 seconds—highlighting the BVI’s growing strength on the regional athletic stage.
Team BVI is ready to make their mark on Caribbean athletics once again.
Local News
Minister Rymer Briefed on Airport Infrastructure Enhancements

Minister of Communications and Works, Honourable Kye Rymer, has received a briefing on recent infrastructural upgrades completed at the Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport.
The update was provided by Mr Kurt Menal, Managing Director of the BVI Airports Authority (BVIAA), who highlighted key improvements designed to enhance passenger experience and operational efficiency at the Territory’s main airport.
Among the completed upgrades is the installation of a new luggage conveyor belt and expanded baggage collection area. The upgraded system has a greater capacity than the previous setup, aimed at improving the flow of passengers through the arrivals process.
Mr Menal also pointed to the commissioning of a modern sewage treatment plant, which has the capacity to accommodate up to 500,000 passengers annually. The environmentally sustainable system supports the BVIAA’s broader objectives of expanding airport capacity while meeting international environmental standards.
“The BVIAA continues to meet the safety and regulatory requirements outlined in the Air Navigation (Overseas Territories) Order 2001 and other applicable instruments,” Mr Menal said. “We are also focused on maintaining an environment that fosters employee excellence and high standards of service.”
The infrastructure enhancements form part of the government’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the Territory’s transportation network and prepare for anticipated increases in passenger traffic.
Education
Twelve Primary Schools Advance to Final Round of 2025 Spelling Bee

Twelve primary schools in the Virgin Islands have secured places in the final round of the Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs and Sports’ 2025 Spelling Bee Competition, scheduled to take place on 4 June.
The finalists were selected from a group of 17 schools that participated in the preliminary round, which featured a total of 34 students. Competitors prepared by studying a word list comprising approximately 3,000 words ahead of the event.
The final round of the competition will be streamed live on the official Facebook page of the Government of the Virgin Islands.
A recording of the preliminary round is also available for viewing on the same platform, at BVIGovernment.
Local News
BVI Officials Host Panel on Early Childhood Development Challenges and Solutions

Officials from the Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs and Sports in the British Virgin Islands recently convened a panel discussion addressing the challenges and opportunities in early childhood development across the Territory.
The panel brought together voices from education, health, and the private sector. Participants included Chief Education Officer Mrs Orlandette Crabbe; Consultant Paediatrician in the BVI Health Services Authority (BVIHSA) Dr Natasha Frett; Founder of Imagination Academy VI Ms Sharia de Castro; and Education Officer responsible for Early Childhood Development Ms Kimberly George.
The session focused on the importance of early childhood education and the need for strategic approaches to prepare young children with both academic and non-academic skills.
Chief Education Officer Mrs Crabbe emphasised the value of foundational skills in preparing children for formal schooling.
“In formal schooling we start from the very beginning, but let me tell you what we want,” Mrs Crabbe said. “We want a child that can listen, and follow instructions, who can relate to their peers without throwing a tantrum and falling down because they have to share a pencil or crayon.”
She continued, “We want our centres to be empowered to focus on what matters, and those are those non-academic skills that come about through engagement in a child’s natural environment, which is play.”
Education Officer Ms Kimberly George echoed this sentiment, reinforcing the Ministry’s focus on long-term impact.
“In the Ministry, we worked to add the tagline ‘Early Learning, Lifelong Impact’ because we believe that early learning does have a lifelong impact on our children in the future,” she said. “As a Ministry, we are committed to ensuring that students receive the quality learning experience that they deserve at that level.”
From the health sector, Dr Natasha Frett provided insight on brain development in early childhood and its connection to future learning.
“I am sure many of you would have heard that in the first five years of life, it is very critical for mental and brain development,” Dr Frett stated. “It is during that time that about 90 percent of the brain is being developed, under the age of five. Here we have this opportunity where you have all these neural pathways and connections being formed.”
Dr Frett described this period as “a perfect opportunity to develop certain learning skills—cognitive learning skills, social learning skills—all of these are very important for the age of five because the brain is maturing.”
Founder of Imagination Academy VI Ms Sharia de Castro contributed her perspective from the private education sector, calling for a shift from traditional instruction to more interactive, skill-based learning.
“I think we have to move away from the culture that is quick to put a pencil into their hand and give them a worksheet,” Ms de Castro said. “Instead, give them interactive experiences where their whole body is engaged.”
She explained, “For example, if we are focusing on letter identification or formation, instead of giving them a pencil and asking them to do that, we give them some playdough and ask them to form it instead—because we are building finger muscles and everything that we need for later learning.”
The panel discussion was part of Early Childhood Awareness Week. The full video is available for public viewing on the Government’s official Facebook page at BVIGovernment.
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