2007 SCHOLARSHIP COMPETITION TO START

We are delighted to announce that Treasure Beach Foundation’s second annual scholarship competition will soon get underway.

Rather than limiting the competition to 10 finalists selected by Sandy Bank, we have decided—upon the suggestion of Sandy Bank Primary School—to open the competition to all Sandy Bank students in grade six who will be sitting for the GSATs in March 2007. This will enable more students to participate, and it will not discourage any who have not been selected as finalists. We are aware that a student can make a lot of progress in a short period of time, assuming they set their mind to it; so we are hoping this will help motivate some students who might not be on top of their class at the beginning of the school year.

I will be meeting with all interested students (and their parents or guardians) on Saturday, 7 October. At that time, I will explain the program, answer questions, and hand out the various forms which need to be completed. All the forms will be due back by early March 2007. After that, our Board of Directors will review all the forms and evaluate all the students based on the information submitted. (Several short essays will be required from each student.)

We intend to award one full scholarship plus four half-scholarships at the end of June 2007—after the GSAT scores have been announced. Though the scores will be just one part of what we are considering, it will be necessary for each scholarship recipient to achieve a score of 75 or more on the GSATs—as did all our 2006 recipients. (These are considered very high scores; the national average for Jamaica for 2006 was 52.6.)

As we did in 2006, we will have a large number of students from the University of Virginia come to Sandy Bank in March 2007 to work closely with all the students who will be sitting for their GSATs. This intensive “tutoring week” is designed to assist the students in doing as well as possible on their GSATs.

An introductory meeting was held on October 7 for all the grade six students from Sandy Bank Primary who will be sitting for the GSATs in March 2007. There were 23 students (and their parents or guardians)in attendance. It was held at the beautiful Treasure Beach Women's Group building.

We explained the Scholarship program to all, answered a lot of questions, and handed out the application forms; these will need to be completed and returned by 9 March 2007.

As of now, we plan to award one full scholarship and four half scholarships to the students from this group who we feel will be the most promising. There is, however, a chance that there will be one full scholarship, three half scholarships, and two one-quarter scholarships awarded because the students from this class appear to be so excellent.

All the scholarships are worth a considerable amount because Treasure Beach Foundation pays not only for school fees -- but for transport, books, uniforms, and lunches. (Half scholarships will pay for half these expenses, and one-quarter scholarships would pay for one-quarter of these amounts.) Based upon comments from some of our 2006 winners and their parents, it is clear that many of these bright students would not have had the opportunity to attend excellent high schools because they did not have the financial means without the scholarships.

We will start to post photos and names of all the students vying for the 2007 scholarships in about a week. Then, you can see exactly who is competing, and you can offer encouragement to these wonderful students.

Please understand that this is a very ambitious and expensive program. And, opposed to some charities which use a considerable portion of donations for overhead and other expenses, nearly every cent contributed will be used directly for the students.

We ask you to keep Treasure Beach Foundation in your hearts and minds. Any size contribution is welcome and quite appreciated.

When I first heard of this program, I was thrilled. Every child should be able to build up their talents. And no child should feel that their family will struggle because they are in school.

Thank you Karen for giving us the chance to act on the concern that we feel. I intend to continue my support.