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Primary School Holds First Reading Festival

Pictured left to right are: Mrs. Esther Cartwright, Vice Principal, Sandilands Primary School; Mrs. Donna Brown, Principal, Sandilands Primary School; Mrs. Elma Garraway, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education; Member of Parliament for Fox Hill, Mr. Fred Mitchell; Dominique Gibson, student; Senator Dr. Jacinta Higgs and Ms. Dressler Sherman, District Superintendent, Northeastern District.

Sandilands Primary School held its Reading Festival under the theme, ‘Reading the Gateway to New Worlds’.

The staff and students also showered retiring Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education with gifts in appreciation for her contribution to education in The Bahamas.

Whether it is under the sea or in outer space, students of Sandilands Primary School believe that you can get there through reading.

The students took their audience on a whirlwind tour during their annual reading festival held at the school located on Bernard Road, Fox Hill on Tuesday, 9th November, 2010.  Among the guests making the tour were Mr. Fred Mitchell, Member of Parliament for the Fox Hill constituency, Senator Dr. Jacinta Higgs and Mrs. Elma Garraway, Permanent Secretary and Ms.

Dressler Sherman, District Superintendent in the Ministry of Education along with parents and leaders from the Fox Hill community.  Mrs. Garraway told the students that as they explored the new worlds through reading, she hoped that they would discover the worlds of Character, Career and their Community & Heritage.

The Permanent Secretary told the students that they must continue to exemplify the six pillars of the Character Counts programme which are: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring and Citizenship.

She also admonished the students to discover early through reading the careers they would like to pursue and read as much as they can on the field.   She also challenged them to learn as much as they can about national heroes who hail from the Fox Hill Community such as: the late Frank Edgecombe, a former principal of Sandilands Primary and Member of Parliament for the area;   the late George Mackey, another parliamentarian as well as the present representative Mr. Fred Mitchell and Senator Higgs, who also attended Sandilands Primary.

One of the highlights of the festival was a visit from Ms. Conch Salad Kathy a.k.a. Miss Daisy’s cousin. The popular comedian told the students that she would have arrived at the event earlier if she was able to read signs.   She further emphasised the importance of reading by dressing four students in various costumes depicting professions and showing them that no matter what they do in life it will require the skill of reading.

Dr. Higgs delighted the crowd with a pledge to donate trophies for the school’s outstanding readers and to purchase the Rosetta Stone programme so that students could learn various foreign languages.   She noted that with all of the developments that are coming on stream in The Bahamas it will be imperative for students to be able to speak another language. The festival also featured an exhibition of various countries and their reading materials and delicacies.

Source: Ministry of Education

Posted in Local News

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