In the Kisii region, there is an annual vocational school skills competition called Bonanza. All vocational schools in the region are invited to compete. They come poised to demonstrate their MIGHT in their different trade areas. The students and teachers look forward to it all year.
This year, the competition was held on the 4th of October 2019 at Riatirimba School located an hour from Nyamboyo. The venue was chosen as a central location for all schools in the region.
We arrived to find ourselves competing against 8 schools and 160 students. NTS was the only non-governmental school, meaning we were not founded using government funding or technical assistance. NTS was founded in 2016, so as a relative newcomer, we were honored to be invited.
The rules of the competition are straightforward. Each school is divided into vocational teams and then each team has complete an assigned task from scratch during a specific time period. The teams aren’t told the task in advance. So, you’re racing against the clock to solve and implement complex problems.
Before the competition began, I gave my students a pep talk: “This is our time to show who we are. We can win those trophies because we are always capable!”
And win we did. NTS won first place in Computer Design and in Electrical Wiring! We came in second in Masonry and Carpentry, fourth in Hairdressing and fifth in Tailoring. We had competed the year before and had not done well. It was our dry run – we learned how the competition works and what type of practice we need. This year we took two months to prepare, creating mock situations where we focused on problem-solving and working in cooperative teams. We created time-sensitive tasks and developed our ability to listen to each other as well as keep a cool head under intense time pressure.
Back to the competition. Our Electrical Wiring Team had two hours to prepare a live home circuit board demo complete with a consumer unit, bulb, sockets and switches. The Computer Studies Team had to develop a 15-minute animated PowerPoint presentation starting with a storyboard, then develop it into an online design and presentation.
Every team was graded by a team of judges selected from expert teachers at each of the schools. No judge is allowed to grade their own school. The judges award marks for each step of the task, so they are evaluating process as well as product.
Ten, nine, eight – START! The Electrical Wiring competition was the most pressured and thrilling.
As the second hand raced, our main competitor was the Nyamagesa School Team. Nyamagesa is one of the oldest, most respected and better-funded government schools in our region. So there we were, a David to their Goliath, each team focused and determined. The first 45 minutes were breathtaking and agonizing as both teams scored almost identically step-by-step. Then … with students and teachers cheering us on … we pulled ahead!
It was during the most difficult part, the wire piping segment … Our opponents lost focus and time. NTS had this down – with heads bent they skillfully mounted the wires on the board, completing the circuits. We held our breaths and then … YES IT WORKED!
What a thrill for NTS students and teachers alike to see us win. And more importantly, we learned. In every category, our teams learned. Each student took home a lesson, whether about technique, focus or teamwork. Next year, those eight other schools better watch out!!