Zagora Hosts Students’ Talent Show

By Nasr-edine Ouahani

Zagora – Under the Banner “Student’s Got Talent,” Basma Association of English Language in Zagora (BALEZ) organized the second annual event of “Students’ Talent Show” on April 23–24, 2016.

The two-day event, which gathered both diligent and skillful middle and high school students, was regarded as unprecedented for its kind.

The event’s bountiful program included a diverse range of contests: spelling bee, public speaking, singing and dramatization. About a hundred contestants from nineteen middle and high schools around Zagora took part in the fierce competitions, after which the winners were deservedly awarded valuable prizes.

As a warm-up, the program started by the thankful words from the Basma Association, the director of Zagora province, the municipal chairmen, the Provincial Directorate of Education and the director of Dar Athaqafa in Zagora. The Zagora officials expressed their great joy and happiness for the two years of excellent educational and language promoting activities, study days, and meetings conducted by the association.

Later on, the association paid tribute to and honored two very special to-be-retired persons: Mr. BOUMNDIL Mohamed, head of the Educational Affairs Department at the Provincial Directorate of Education in Zagora and Mr. TABTI Mohamed, the Headmaster of Sidi Ahmed Bennacer, the oldest High School in Zagora.

The Talent Show program was kicked off by the spelling bee competition. Seven middle schools and eight high schools participated. The rivalry between the schools was fierce and all the contestants gave outstanding performances, but the first places went to Ibn Tachafin Middle School and Elmasira High School.

After the spelling bee completion the program shifted the light to another area, the singing contest. The audience was taken aback and mesmerized by the performance and strong voices of 11 young contestants; particularly a student from Omar Ibnu Lkhattab High School who got the first prize.

Continuing in like fashion, the second day of the event included drama and public speaking competitions. Students showcased their public speaking skills and displayed great competencies for drama. Nine competitors participated in the public speaking contest and six schools participated in theatricals. All the performances were charming and enjoyable. A play performed by Elmassira High School won first place in drama while Sidi Saleh High School won the public speaking contest.

It is worth noting that the two-day event was carried out in accordance with the orientations of the Ministry of Education and the objectives of Basma Association of English Language in Zagora. The association is concerned with the learning process, promotion of foreign languages -especially English, and the extension of school life to the outside environment through extra-curricular activities.