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Education Minister says visit to GB schools was “refreshing”

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By Andrew Coakley (BIS)

 

#TheBahamas, February 15, 2022 – “I truly believe that this generation who has been subjected to this ordeal of the COVID-19 pandemic, they will prove to be the most resilient generation of Bahamians we have ever seen. They are going to excel. I think they are going to be incredible. And we’re seeing it as we move through this country. It’s a very hopeful experience,” said Education Minister Glenys Hanna-Martin, during a tour of public schools in Grand Bahama on Friday, February 4, 2022.

It was the Education Minister’s first official trip to Grand Bahama since being elected to office and she said she was impressed with the level of resiliency among the teachers, administrators and students within the schools she visited.  Accompanying Minister Hanna-Martin was Minister of State for Education, Zane Lightbourne.

Minister Hanna-Martin visited schools in West Grand Bahama and in Freeport, where she spoke with the principals, teachers and even entered a few classes, where she chatted with the students, asking the 12th graders their plans for college and university.  Some of the schools which the Minister visited included Eight Mile Rock High, Jack Hayward High, St. George’s High School, Sister Mary Patricia Junior High and the Beacon School.

Minister Hanna-Martin described her trip to Grand Bahama as “refreshing,” noting that in spite of what Grand Bahama has been through in the past few years progress was still being made.

“This has been such an uplifting time for me, because Grand Bahama went through the pandemic and Hurricane Dorian, so they had double whammy and the optimism, the resiliency, the determination I’ve seen in the schools is so refreshing, so heart-warming and really, engenders a sense of hope for what we’re looking forward to,” said Minister Hanna-Martin.

“To see the focus and determination of the young people at all levels; this has been an excellent experience for me here in Grand Bahama. There are still challenges that some of the schools face, but to see the positive attitudes exhibited by the teachers, the administrators and the students is really refreshing.

This has been a wonderful eye-opener today. It’s been very engendering to me.”

The Education Minister admitted that the COVID-19 pandemic and devastation by Hurricane Dorian have had a negative impact on Grand Bahama. A fact, she said, that cannot be denied. However, she noted that a combination of the parents, the schools, the teachers, and the wider community working together is the formula for students to excel.

She pointed out that students in grade 12 have been most negatively impacted by the pandemic, because it hit during the most critical times in their schooling, forcing students to miss two years of face-to-face learning.

“Actually, its three years they were affected, if you count the Hurricane,” added Minister Hanna-Martin. “But, in speaking with those senior students today, they just seem so determined and focused.

“In the way forward, I think we just have to support our children and support the schools. This is going to take a lot of legwork to catch up for the loss that has occurred during this pandemic, and there has been loss. But I think what I see in Grand Bahama – this shining optimism, I think that it bodes very well for the recovery for Grand Bahama and we hope across the board in this country.”

 

Photo Caption: Education Minister, Hon. Glenys Hanna-Martin (second from left) chats with students of grade 12 at St. George’s High School during her visit there on Friday, February 4, 2022. Accompanying Minister Hanna-Martin was Minister of State for Education, Hon. Zane Lightbourne (second from right)

 

(BIS Photos/Lisa Davis)

 

Bahamas News

Bahamas economic growth

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Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer

The Bahamas’ economy is in good standing according to reports from the Bahamas National Statistical Institute which released the Quarterly Gross Domestic Product Series. They indicate that quarterly GDP trends for 2023 saw increases compared to 2022, a sign of recovery from the Covid 19 pandemic.

The most significant increase was 9.9 percent in the first quarter of 2023, and the industries responsible for the growth include Accommodations and food, construction and Arts.

 

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Bahamas News

RBC appoints new Country Manager and Area Vice President for Turks & Caicos 

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RBC Royal Bank (Bahamas) Limited (“RBC”) is pleased to announce the recent appointment of Kerryl-Lyn King-Henry as Country Manager and Area Vice President (“AVP”), Personal and Commercial Banking, Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI).

In her new role as Country Manager and AVP, King-Henry will take on full responsibility for the bank’s operations, strategy, and development in the TCI market, with a strong focus on solidifying partnerships with the Government, regulatory bodies, and the local community.

King-Henry brings to the role a dynamism influenced by nearly 25 years of industry experience. Prior to her new appointment, she served as AVP of Business Banking in Trinidad and Tobago. She has held progressively senior roles within both personal and commercial banking, as well as various functional units.

King-Henry holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree, with a specialization in Leadership, FinTech and Big Data Analysis, in addition to a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. Further enriching her professional profile, Kerryl-Lyn is a certified John C. Maxwell Coach, Trainer, Teacher, and Speaker. Her passion for leadership and development is matched by her commitment to community service, as she actively volunteers her time and leverages her professional expertise to mentor and support others. “

Kerryl-Lyn’s extensive experience and proven leadership capabilities make her the perfect choice to lead our operations in the Turks & Caicos Islands,” said Ericka Rolle, RBC’s Managing Director and Vice President, Personal Banking, The Bahamas and TCI.

“Her commitment to excellence, combined with a genuine passion for community engagement, aligns perfectly with our Bank’s purpose of helping clients thrive and communities prosper. We are excited to see the positive impact she will undoubtedly bring to her new role,” she added.

 

 

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Bahamas News

Get your laugh on, March On show coming to Turks and Caicos with box office at IGA Friday and Saturday

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Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer 

After resounding success in the Bahamas, hit play ‘March On, The Story of Us’ has been inundated with requests to take their show on the road, and the first location they’ll be hitting is Providenciales Turks and Caicos with tickets on sale this weekend from May 3 to 5.

Magnetic Media spoke to Gea Pierre, playwright, who told us the TCI was a natural first choice for the cast and crew. 

“We started ‘March On’ in November 2023 and it was really an opportunity for us to tell a story, the story of the Bahamas and to encompass the nations that we have an amazing relationship with like the Turks and Caicos,” she continued “We really got a lot of people calling [for the play] from [the TCI], so much so we really had to pay attention.” 

The response to ‘March On’ at home and abroad was overwhelming.

“To say it went well is an understatement, even before we opened we got calls from Canada, from all over the US with people wanting us to come and perform.” 

And take the show on the road they did! Gea and her team have launched “March On: The Tour” and will be in Providenciales to perform on May 10th and 11th. It’s the first of a number of stops which include Nassau and several US locations. 

A ticket booth will be set up from today, Friday May 3 in the foyer of IGA grocery store beginning at 1 p.m. Friday and then again all day on Saturday, allowing residents to purchase with cash. 

Online tickets are available for purchase with credit cards. Then the full team returns on Friday, May 11 for the actual showing at 8 pm and their two showings on Saturday at 4pm and 8 pm. The venue is Brayton Hall, Providenciales under the patronage of Washington Misick, TCI Premier and First Lady Delthia Misick.

Describing the close familial relationships between the TCI and the Bahamas, for many on the crew it will be like coming home Gea told us, for others it will be a treat to visit for the first time, the places that their grandparents described. 

Tickets are only $60 for general seating and $75 for VIP seating. 

Gea maintained that the team wanted to keep the show as accessible to residents as possible.

As for why you should come out and see the play, other than the great price point:

“The way that people have responded to it is non stoplaughter, people have been moved to tears because there’s some emotion. It does not only lend to Bahamians. It’s a family drama, and anyone who’s ever been a part of a family is going to get something out of it, and something moving.”

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