The Bahamas Primary School Student of the Year Awards Program is now in its 14th year of blessing the best and brightest school children with scholarships to further their educational goals, through the generous donations from corporate Bahamas, families and friends of the programme.
This year, as is our practice, we again submitted packages to schools throughout the entire Bahamas, and we received responses from 106 Primary Schools. We are proud of these young achievers and are here tonight to acknowledge, congratulate and encourage their continued successes. We also wish to note that fifty-nine of those students are from Family Islands.
Each year, we are faced with ensuring that the educational goals of these young, vibrant minds in our country are given an opportunity to be maximized. To that end, as we move forward annually, our goal is to build an endowment fund, which can be use to provide those opportunities that will enable so many young persons to become leaders. This can only be achieved through partnerships that we have forged with our faithful corporate donors.
As I state, each year, every dollar that is donated to the Foundation is used for scholarships for students, and sponsorships to assist in travel for Family Island students to visit Nassau and meet the Governor-General. As a footnote, we are audited annually, and therefore can provide records to show that there is no misuse of funds.
As I write this message, I wish to extend our sincere appreciation to Lady Zoe Maynard and the entire Maynard family for lending us the late Sir Clement T. Maynard, for so many years. Sir Clement’s contribution to the programme can never be matched, as he started with us as judge in 1998 at the inception of the programme, and later became a Co-Patron, along with Dr. Keva Bethell. His invaluable contribution will be missed and we will present an annual scholarship in his honour and memory in the Awards Program.
We also note that the late Mrs. Vernell Ferguson, a committee member, whose contribution to the success of this programme, cannot go unmentioned. Mrs. Ferguson served as a member of the Foundation’s committee from 2007 to 2009, as a Special Assistant to the President. She succumbed to an illness in November of 2009, and will be sadly missed. We were blessed to have been encouraged by her positive spirit.
In closing, I wish to again commend our abled judging panel, President, Board and Committee members. These persons have served tirelessly, for many months to ensure tonight’s success. You are all to be commended for a job well done.
As we salute the 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. Every child is a winner tonight, and continue to encourage them to strive for excellence. Congratulations to all.
