RHONDOR DOWLAT
Presentation College, San Fernando, student Marcus Mc Donald won this year’s TUCO Junior Calypso Monarch competition with his rendition Don’t Spoil Them.
The final leg of the competition was held at the Queen’s Park Savannah, in Port-of-Spain yesterday.
Guardian Media was told that the principal, teachers and students are ecstatic over the victory as it came after 20 years.
Armed with banners and school flags, scores of students from the school chanted “Marcus, Marcus” even before he took to the stage.
During his exuberating performance the students danced throughout the grand stand among the crowd and other students from competing schools—Their support of chants and waving infectious.
When the announcement was made of Mc Donald’s win, Mc Donald was overwhelmed with tears, his schoolmates ran up on the stage to greet him jumping and screaming for joy.
As he posed for a group picture with his schoolmates Mc Donald cried as he was again overwhelmed with joy.
Speaking with members of the media, Mc Donald said he felt great as it was something he has been working on for the past two years, five years by extension because the last time he made it to the finals was in 2018 when he performed the song Mother Trinbago.
“My song Don’t Spoil Them was written and composed by my grandfather Mister Mac, Victor Mc Donald and cultivated and brought to life by me and my parents. The song came about after something I saw,” Mc Donald said.
“I went to a Father’s Day event and there was a boy who wanted a soft drink from a vending machine and when the boy was told no he could not have one he threw a bad tantrum and the father decided to buy it for him and he went back to normal. This shocked me,” he added.
Mc Donald’s message to the youth of the nation is to “always work for what you need and want...never stop believing in yourself...exceed boundaries and be something great.”
Mc Donald said he always admired the late Black Stalin.
He said, “For the way he executed. What he had to say. His emotions he put into his song. I take styles from different artistes and make my own style, for example Machel Montano and Kes. These two also provide inspiration for me when I’m deciding to perform a song.”
TUCO Juniors Monarch Calypso Competition
Finals Results
1 Marcus Mc Donald - Presentation College, San Fernando - Don’t Spoil Them
2 A’Janae King Fraser - St Francois Girl’s College - A Visionary
3 Josiah Jordan - Morvant Laventille School - The Mask We Doh See
4 Koquice Davidson - Bishop High School (Tobago) - Rally Around The Children
5 Zachary Ransome - Montrose Government Primary - Do Yuh Thing
6 Kai Anthony Salazar - St Benedict’s College - My Future Plans
7 Jimecya Burnett - Cedros Secondary - Lester for Carnival
8 Kerlise Bentham - University of T&T - Three Words “We Must Unite”
9 Alaeja Gould Ferguson - St Francois Girl’s College - I Believe In You
10 Clorysa Gill - Signal Hill Secondary - Advice to the Youth
11 N’Janela Duncan Regis - Athens School of Education Limited - My Spirit, My Shadow
12 Breshawn Springer - Queen’s Royal College - Bookbag
13 Tsaiann Burke - Holy Faith Convent, Couva - The Family
14 Naomi Waldrop - Signal Hill Secondary - Hero vs Villian
15 Kerston Millar - University of the West Indies - Wake Up Trinbago
16 D’Ashe Saul - Parlatuvier Anglican Primary - We will Lead the Assembly