Rotary Sunset Celebrates Emily Wathey-Juricka as Butterfly Story Winner | SOUALIGA NEWSDAY

SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) – The Rotary E-Club of the Caribbean, District 7020 announced their winners, with much appreciation to our local young authors. The Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset received a total of eleven stories, with three being submitted to the Rotary E-Club for consideration to be published in this year’s Butterfly Storybook. The club congratulated Emily Wathey-Juricka for emerging as the overall winner.

Emily Wathey-Juricka from The Sint Maarten Montessori School wrote a story titled “The Magic Sketchbook”; Genaai Brooks-Gibs from the Helmich Snijders Hillside Christian School wrote a story titled “Oh, How I Love My Belly!”; and Soham Asrani from the St. Dominic Primary School wrote a story titled “A Checkmate of Friendship”. These participants were selected as the three best stories from the eleven stories that were submitted to the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset and sent to the Rotary E-Club of the Caribbean.

This year, the participating schools and students included Anne Jasmijn de Vries and Philou Bons from the Sint Maarten Montessori School. From the Caribbean International Academy , the participant was Lyla Petit. From the St. Dominic Primary School were Valente Cathalina; Sebastian Lee; and Elianah Browne. From the Asha Stevens Hillside Christian School, the participants were Arianna Gordon and Tara Jourdan.

The Butterfly Story Book writing contest challenges creative young writers aged 7-11 to tell their stories. The students were asked to write a story reflecting acts of kindness, friendship, leadership and/or respect. This could involve friends, family and/or pets and specifically illustrate the Caribbean culture, consisting of 300-750 words. The contest was open to students residing in the Caribbean as an opportunity to become published young authors.

All participants were invited to the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset’s General Meeting for a time of celebration. All participating schools and students received certificates for their contribution. The winner, Emily Wathey-Juricka, received a cash price of $100.00 from the Rotary E-Club of Caribbean and a $50.00 gift card from Amazon compliments of the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset. The winner will also have her story published in the 2025 Butterfly Story Book alongside winners from other Caribbean countries. The general public is encouraged to purchase a book sold on Amazon by searching: The Butterfly Storybook (2025): STORIES WRITTEN BY CHILDREN FOR CHILDREN: A project of The Rotary E-Club of the Caribbean 7020.

President Franklyn of the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset thanked all participants for submitting exceptional stories and encouraged them to continue writing. He also thanked the principals, teachers, and parents for supporting this endeavor and encouraging participation of their students.

The Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset meets on the second and fourth Monday of the month at Carl N Sons Unique Inn and Conference Facilities in Colebay at 7:30 pm. The club can be contacted via email at rotarysxmsunset@gmail.com or via the official Facebook page at facebook.com/rotarysxmsunset