 Ten (10) years ago, The Bahamas Primary School Student of the Year Awards Programme began with awarding of trophies to the nominees and winner. This year, exactly 10 years later, we celebrated with our winner, as he received a scholarship in the amount of $10,000.00 and an additional $50,000 was shared with the other scholarship finalists. This was a remarkable achievement, and is an indication of the growth and development of the programme to date.
In this time of educational challenges, our nation’s youth are constantly being faced with many social ills, and are the intimate team players in their own future. We as the Foundation, are charged with the awesome responsibility of ensuring that these young, vibrant minds are exposed to the opportunities available in furthering their educational goals. We chose, through this programme, to provide those opportunities that will enable so many persons to become leaders, not only in their career field of choice, but in the country as a whole.
As we continue to press forward into the coming years, we are reminded of the saying that “a mind is a terrible thing to waste” and this forces us to be committed to supporting the healthy development of our young people. We are committed to funding programmes that will maximize our impact and achieve favorable outcomes for the students we serve. Our objective is to give hope for a brighter future. This can only be accomplished through leveraging our resources, expertise and relationships, which we have formed with our Corporate, Scholarship and Travel sponsors. These persons enable us to assist us to further develop this programme on an annual basis, and for that we are eternally grateful.
In this regard, I would like to publicly thank Mr. Basil Neymour, of Neymour Construction, who donated the winning scholarship for the 2007 Awards Programme, in the amount of $10,000.00. Mr. Neymour’s contribution played a pivotal role in the success of this programme. I should also like to thank our many other corporate sponsors who unselfishly give annually, and wish to assure them that their contribution to this programme does not go unnoticed.
The Honourable Sir Clement T. Maynard, and Dr. Keva Bethel have once again agreed to be our Patrons for this year, and they continue to advise and guide the Board of the Foundation through its decision making processes. On behalf of the Board, I wish to thank you for your loyalty and dedication to this programme.
We again, this year, give special commendation to Dr. Davidson Hepburn, and his invaluable team of judges. You bring an enormous amount of strength and credibility to the programme, and we are indebted to you for your continued support. We appreciate all that you have done, and will continue to dialogue with you, to ensure that our work continues to make a meaningful difference in the lives of these deserving students.
Naturally, I would be remiss if I did not mention, that our President & CEO, Mr. Ricardo P. Deveaux, must be commended for his vision and insistence that this programme be taken to the next level. I would also like to take this opportunity to recognize the efforts of those hard working Board members who gave of time and self to ensure this year’s success.
As we salute those deserving students for their accomplishments, I wish to add my sincerest congratulations to the parents and teachers of these students. The effort of demanding excellence from your children and students respectively has paid off tonight. You have taken pride in instilling morals and values in these young lives, and your efforts are being rewarded. Congratulations to all of you.
Continue to strive for excellence.
Cyndi Williams-Rahming
Chairman
Bahamas Primary School Student of the Year Foundation |
