Five kids top schools’ duel to name West Hills Mall mascot

Five first cycle school pupils were named as winners of the West Hills Mall Mascot naming campaign which plunged over 2,000 school children from some 20 schools into two months of competitive creativity and imagination.

Master Kingsley Kweku Kyere Jnr of St. Benedict Soubirous, Master Fiifi Aidoo of Light House Christian Mission, Master Jason Bediako of McCarthy Hill School, Master Abraham Banson of the Dansoman Community Basic School and Miss Nelly Mensah of the Bortianor Methodist Basic School.

The name the West Hills Mall Mascot campaign is a child-focused community outreach initiative designed by the Mall to stimulate and engage the artistic potentials of school children and also connect them to their immediate surroundings. The campaign was open to all schools within the core catchment area of West Hills Mall and the rest of Accra West.

At a colourful awards ceremony at the weekend which was largely patronized by schoolchildren, parents and school teachers, the five winners received Samsung galaxy tablets each, while their respective schools were presented with 1,000 exercise books from the management of West Hills Mall. Fifteen more pupils from other schools in Accra West were also recognized for impressive performance in the competition each receiving a voucher for Ghc200 worth of shopping.

West Hills Mall started this campaign in February by donating 5,000 colouring books and pencils to just as many pupils, aged between 4 and 12 years in 20 public and private schools at New Weija, McCarthy Hill, Dansoman, New and Old Bortianor, Kokrobite, GICEL-SCC, and other communities in the Western side of the capital.

To win an award, the kids had to colour the West Hills Mall Mascot – a hearty caterpillar character, clad in deep blue-and-yellow costume - and suggest a befitting name by which the Mascot shall be christened for good.

After two months when the competition was closed, over 2,000 school children had submitted entries and the panel of judges who made the final selection say they were overwhelmed by the high level of creativity displayed by the majority of pupils.

West Hills Mall management say they are very impressed with the level of enthusiasm showed throughout the campaign by the school children, their teachers as well as their parents at home.

“We have no doubts at all that this simple quest to name the West Hills Mascot has sufficiently challenged the artistic potential of these school kids and possibly dug up some creative talents which may not have been previously unidentified,” said Mr. Michael Oduro Konadu, Marketing Manager at West Hills Mall.

“Besides the high level of enthusiasm displayed by the kids, the support and active involvement of teachers and parents in this campaign has helped us achieve our primary objective of connecting with the schools and these talented youngsters who live and school within our operational zone, but who may not have had any idea what exactly we do here,” Mr. Konadu said.

Only last week, West Hills Mall launched another type of creative talent search with its ‘Voice of West Hills Mall’ contest which targets young amateur singers and at the weekend, conducted the first of two auditions with Samini, Okyeame Kwame and Feli Nuna as the judges.