Seven Benefit from Grace Bay Resorts Scholarship Programme

Dr. Carlton Mills (left) and Donna Musgrove (seventh from left) of the Grace Bay Resorts Community Foundation pose with the recipient students and their parents shortly after a brief news conference to announce the scholarship programme. By Vivian Tyson – SUN Senior Editor

Seven students are to benefit from the perennial generosity of the Grace Bay Resorts, through its education and community development scheme – the Grace Bay Resorts Community Foundation – set up in August 2009.
Of the seven scholarships, four were handed to employees of the Grace Bay Resorts – Grace Bay Club and Veranda and two from the 2010 graduating class of the Marjorie Basden High School in South Caicos. Among the recipients are Deandro Toussaint, Girlie Joseph, Telisha Adams, Kanute Cox and Darron Hillaire Jr. Cox and Hillaire are from the Majorie Basden High School.
According to Dr. Carton Mills, who is responsible for staff development at the Veranda Resort, the Foundation is responsible for developing education standards in the Turks and Caicos Islands through its adopt a school programme.
Toussaint will take up his scholarship at the prestigious Munro College in Jamaica, where he will be doing sixth form, while the other six will take up theirs at the TCI Community College. Toussaint is regarded as one of the most outstanding athletes in the TCI, and according to Dr. Mills, the scholarship will open the doors for him to improve on his budding talent.
“This will give him the opportunity to further enhance his athletic training. This will also give him the opportunity to further enhance his training under Mr. Brenford Gayle, former principal of the Marjorie Basden High School and Mr. (Neil) Harrison, former physical education teacher at the Helena J. Robinson High School in Grand Turk – two gentlemen who are familiar with the Turks and Caicos Islands,” Dr, Mills said.
Added Dr. Mills: “As you are aware, we have a number of students currently pursuing studies and also enhancing their athletic abilities at Munro College in Jamaica. Donna Musgrove, a key member of the Foundation, travelled with Toussaint to Jamaica on Tuesday, September 7, to have him enroll at Munro, which is located in the deep rural parish of St. Elizabeth, more than three hours drive from the capital Kingston.
Toussaint’s tuition is approximately $4,000 per year, and he would be receiving a stipend from the Foundation, while cost for each Community College is about $3,000, and will also receive stipends.
According to Dr. Mills, back-to-school items were slated to be issued to the Charles Hubert James Primary School in Kew, the Adelaide Oemler Primary School in Bottle Creek, North Caicos, and the Iris Stubbs and Marjorie Basden High School in South Caicos – the four school adopted by the Foundation, during the course of last week.
Dr. Mills, who said the Foundation would be providing school supplies to the institutions, recently paid installation fees for the provision of electricity to new blocks at the Charles Hubert James Primary School and the Iris Stubbs Primary. He noted that the buildings were constructed in 2009, but could not be used because they had no power.
The scholarship recipients, who were present at the ceremony at the Veranda Resort, were thankful for the munificent gesture by the company, and said they would be doing their best to make their sponsors proud.

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Posted Sept 17 2010
Turks & Caicos SUN Newspaper