Rotary Donates $250,000 worth of Supplies & Equipment to Abaco Schools

As the 2021/2022 school year approaches, the Rotary Bahamas Disaster Relief Organisation on Monday, August 16th, 2021 donated $250,000 worth of educational supplies and equipment to the 13 schools in the Abaco District. The organisation, in honour of Bahamian Olympic gold medalist Steven Gardiner also donated a generator to the Olympian’s former school, Moore’s Island All-Age School. The 400m Olympic champion along with Rotarians and Ministry of Education officials were present for the handover which took place on the grounds of the Ivy Dumont Building, University Drive.

Rotary Bahamas Disaster Relief Director of Operations, Kendal Strachan in making the presentation noted that the organisation which was founded in 2019 is guided by the mission to respond to all types of disasters and to provide service to others. Accordingly, this donation is a direct response to the devastation which came as a result of Hurricane Dorian.

Minister of Education Jeffrey Lloyd in accepting the donations exclaimed that the overall success of our students would not be possible without partners such as Rotary organisations.

Among the attendees were Past Rotary International President, Barry Rassin, Past 7020 District Governor, Charles Sealy, and Pastor of Zion Baptist Church East & Shirley Streets, Reverend Terrance Morrison. 

Albury Sayle Primary Hosts Back To School Drive Giveaway

Scores of parents, some with children in tow collected donated school supplies at the Albury Sayle Primary School on Friday August 27th, 2021. According to Principal Shirlean Wallace the back to school drive will go a long way in ensuring equity for all of the school’s five hundred plus students. Public Schools open with virtual learning on Monday August 30th due to the spike in Covid 19 cases.

Computer Science teacher Shanique Taylor said the Diggiss Foundation was the moving force among other corporate partners who donated the three hundred backpacks complete with books, pens, pencils, erasers, rulers, sharpeners as well as a lunch pack with healthy fruits and drinks. Principal Wallace admitted that a number of students never signed up for virtual classes in the last school year. She said through a partnership with the police they intend to go door to door to reconnect with those students. She appealed to parents still in need of supplies for students enrolled there to contact the school located on Nassau Street.

 Ivy L. Dumont Naming Ceremony

The Ministry of Education headquarters, located on University Drive, was officially named the Ivy L. Dumont Building during a naming ceremony, which was attended by the 90 year old honouree Dame Ivy, the Prime Minister, cabinet ministers along with the Dame’s family and friends, on Monday July 5, 2021.

In keeping with Covid 19 health and safety protocols Dame Ivy, flanked by her daughter Edda Adolph, fist bumped Prime Minister the Most Honourable Hubert Minnis and the welcoming party, which included Minister of Education Jeffrey Lloyd, Minister of Youth Sports and Culture Iram Lewis, as well as Permanent Secretaries Lorraine Armbrister and Eugene Poitier.

The live televised event started with a preshow with recorded tributes by two former Permanent Secretaries, Iris Pinder and Elma Garraway; Deputy Director of Education Sharon Poitier, as well as former Cabinet Minister Zhivargo Laing. The programme included remarks by Ministers Lloyd and Lewis, prayers by the Dame’s Pastor Benjamin Smith of Emmanuel Gospel Chapel and entertainment by high school students.

Keynote speaker, Prime Minister Minnis lauded Dame Ivy as a trailblazer, noting her many achievements over the decades, many of them “firsts.” In her remarks the Dame thanked the government for the honour, and stated that since the 93,000 square foot building now bears her name, she expects that it will be maintained in a manner befitting her standards and values.

Employees of the Ministry of Education have been occupying the expansive facilitlies since October 2003, along with staff from the Ministry of Youth. The structure was built by Carl G. Treco Construction Co., while ARCOP Architects provided the architectural services.

Uriah McPhee Primary Art Exhibition

An art exhibition under the theme, “Preserving Our Coral Reefs” took place on May 20, 2021, and featured artworks by the Uriah McPhee Primary School students. The exhibition commenced with the cutting of the ceremonial ribbon, which was executed by Mrs. Patricia Minnis, Office of the Spouse of the Prime Minister. A spirit-filled prayer was offered up by Mr. Keyshawn Dean, Head Boy of Uriah McPhee Primary School. Mrs. Kathryn Campbell, Senior Information Officer for Bahamas Information Services (BIS), gave a warm welcome, where she invited the audience to “Join us as we go on a fantastic voyage, and explore the rain forest of the sea.” Mr. Trevon Taylor, Grade 3 student gave a testimony on creating his art project, and explained that his construct was the coral reef, which he made out of recycled materials. Mr. Taylor also informed the audience that he used “small wood pieces, a very sharp drill, a sticky lead pencil, and sprayed with white, blue and green paint” to bring his masterpiece to life. Mrs. Pamela Armaly, principal of Uriah McPhee Primary School, expressed that the 2020/2021 school year was very challenging. However, she noted that the students’ creative talents did not waver as a result. She stated, “As we moved through these unchartered waters, we had to find unfamiliar ways to achieve our schools’ objectives.” Ms. Armaly spoke of the art exhibition’s genesis. She recalled the many ideas science coordinator, Mrs. Shavel Knowles suggested, with the most fitting being to have all 621 students create a marine animal found in the coral reef ecosystem, which is in line with the theme “Preserving Our Coral Reefs”. Mrs. Armaly went on to thank Mrs. Saskia D’Aguilar, Director of D’Aguilar Art Foundation, and Ms. Tessa Whitehead, Bahamian artist and curator of The D'Aguilar Art Foundation, for the support they gave to the students, and for donating art supplies.

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Parliamentarians were also present for this auspicious occasion including: The Hon. Romauld Ferreira, Minister of Environment & Housing; The Hon. Jeffrey Lloyd, Minister of Education; and The Hon. Dionisio James D'Aguilar, Minister of Tourism and Aviation.

Minister Ferreira stated that he was very pleased to see students taking responsibility for the environment, and that he was proud of them. Minister Lloyd in his remarks, thanked Mrs. Pamela Armaly, Mrs. Shavel Knowles, and Ms. Tessa Whitehead for the outstanding work that they are doing in the Kemp Road area. Mrs. Saskia D’Aguilar thanked everyone who made the art exhibit possible. She went on to give a special thank you to Mrs. Pamela Armaly, and all of the administrators at Uriah McPhee for their support and inspiration to the students. After the official opening ceremony concluded, all in attendance were given an opportunity to view the creative works of art produced by the talented students of Uriah McPhee Primary School.

Columbus Primary School Hosts Science Workshop

It was no ordinary day at Columbus Primary School as Science studies took on a whole new life for the 4th and 5th grade students who were privileged to take part in a workshop which focused on Climate Change, and its effect on Global warming, and our environment. The workshop was organized by Ms. Lakia Brown, Science Specialist at the Sadie Curtis and Columbus Primary Schools, as part of Science Month, held in conjunction with STEM, a curriculum based on the idea of educating students in four specific disciplines, namely; science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Ms. Sheena Davis, proprietor of Innovative Science, served as the science instructor for the students.

The students were both curious and excited, as the most energetic Ms. Davis engaged them in a variety of topics pertaining to climate change, some of which topics included: greenhouse gases, types of radiation, fossil fuels, and pollution. After an informative lecture on Global Warming, the students were allowed to take part in a hands-on experiment replicating global warming in a jar; where short-wave radiation from sunlight passes freely through the glass and is converted to long-wave radiation inside. However, the long-wave radiation cannot pass back out through the glass, resulting in a build-up of heat inside the jars from the captured solar energy. The students enjoyed a wonderful learning experience as they all took part in this enlightening experiment.

Ms. Jani-Ya Rolle, ten year old 5th grade student stated that she likes science a lot and enjoyed learning about the effects of global warming on our planet. Mrs. Barbara Dorsett, Senior Education Officer, Ministry of Education, oversaw the Science Workshop, ensuring everything ran smoothly, and that all of the students were participating.

All and all, it was a fantastic day of discovery, experimenting, and learning at Columbus Primary School.

Department of Education Hosts Primary Science Teachers Workshop 2021

The Ministry of Education’s Primary School Science coordinators participated in a summer workshop entitled “It’s Chemistry” on July 6th, 2021 held at the Adventure Learning Centre. New Providence based teachers enthusiastically participated in several projects designed to give tips to teachers to make the subject of chemistry more appealing to students. Other teachers including those from the Family Islands joined in the event streamed live on the Ministry of Education’s Facebook page.

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MOE’s Education Officer for Curriculum Barbara Dorsett termed the workshop as successful as the presenters, four primary school science teachers each offered practical advice using everyday household items to bring the science of chemistry to life to students. All presenters noted that they are looking forward to the 2021-2022 school year to build upon the unexpected successes of students who showed resilience by adapting to virtual learning brought on by the COVID- 19 pandemic.