Treasure Beach Foundation is absolutely delighted to announce the winners of the scholarships for the 2007-2008 school year.

The winners were selected by our Board of Directors based upon the students’ academic averages from grade five and six; the essays they wrote in response to 12 questions; recommendations from Sandy Bank; and their GSAT scores. The essays told us a lot about each student: their motivation, imagination, problem-solving ability, and character.

These scholarships reflect the Board’s opinions on which students are most likely to succeed as they progress through high school—and hopefully beyond. It was very difficult to determine the winners, and we regret that we could not award scholarships to even more students.

Treasure Beach Foundation scholarships are quite inclusive and valuable because they cover not only school fees and tuition—but also transport, uniforms, books and supplies, and lunches.

Two full scholarships and four half scholarships were awarded.

A full scholarship was awarded to Kimberlee Taylor who will be attending Hampton School. Kimberlee’s favorite subjects are language arts and mathematics. TreasureBeach.net readers may be familiar with Kimberlee because of the beautiful profile she wrote on Miss Ruby Hill in September 2006.

Another full scholarship, the Stuart Duggan Memorial Scholarship, was awarded to Samantha Dicker. Samantha will also be attending Hampton School. Her favorite subjects are mathematics and science.

Shantel Williams was the proud recipient of a half scholarship to Black River High School. Social studies and science are Shantel’s favorite subjects.

Saran Genus received a half scholarship to STETHS (St. Elizabeth Technical High School). She most enjoys mathematics and science.

An additional half scholarship was awarded to Timara Taylor; she will be attending Hampton School. Timara’s favorite subjects are mathematics and social studies.

The final half scholarship was won by Whitney Abrahams; she will be attending Black River High School. Whitney’s favorite subjects are social studies and mathematics.



top row, left to right: Kimberlee Taylor, Whitney Abrahams, and Shantel Williams

bottom row, left to right: Samantha Dicker, Saran Genus, and Timara Taylor

Hearty congratulations to all the winners. We applaud you for your outstanding efforts and accomplishments.

For those unfamiliar with the Jamaican educational system, even public school attendees have few of their costs covered by the government; this makes education virtually unaffordable for many families in the Treasure Beach area. The cost of attending high school for one year (including all expenses) starts at about $2,000 U.S. In a place such as Treasure Beach where most who are employed cannot rely on a full-time, continuous salary—and many others are able to find only occasional part-time work, or must depend upon the uncertainties of fishing or whether or not they are able to sell their produce, one can imagine the difficulties of providing a good education for their children. However, having a good education is a necessity for most employment, especially the newer jobs. The necessity for a good education but the inability to afford it is a cycle that Treasure Beach Foundation hopes to help break.

Anyone who has it in their heart to help a deserving student succeed is encouraged to donate to Treasure Beach Foundation. Our overhead expenses are minimal, and all work for the Foundation is done on a volunteer basis; this means the vast majority of your contribution goes directly to the children. Online donations are welcome in any amount; they can be made by going to www.rainbowtreevillas.com/foundation and are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law in both the U.S. and U.K.

Congratulations to all of the winners. Your hard work and intelligence will bring you far in your lives. Warm regards, Joan Daly

Thanks for the info, Karen, and congratulations to all of this year's lucky winners!

Karen, has the foundation decided when the next villa raffle is going to be?

Seth

I would like to say a big thank you to
Mrs. Karen Kennedy and the Treasure Beach Foundation for the Scholarship I was given. I hope more people will continue to contribute to the foundation so that other students coming up will benefit as we have. Thanks to all my wonderful Teachers at Sandy Bank Primary who taught us so well in order for this success. Congratulation to all my fellow classmates who were successful in the exams. I pray God's blessings upon us.

I would like to say a big thanks to the Stuart Duggan Memorial Foundation/Treasure Beach Foundation for their generosity in awarding me a full scholarship. I am proud to be the first recipient of the Stuart Duggan Scholarship and promise to work hard and make you all proud for choosing me. I really appreciate too the encouragement and motivation from my teachers and my family. Congratulations too to my fellow classmates whose hard work paid off because we aimed high.

Congratulations to the recipients of the scholarships and congratulations to all who passed the exams. Each one of you should feel very proud.

For a few photos attempting to catch the expressions of the girls as they were given the good news check out the photo gallery or click here

Great job girls. Where are our young men.

Listen young people a good education is the open door to lots of wonderful things.

Keep doing good. Congrats to all of you hope we will see more of our young men in the future.

God Bless you all

On behalf of everyone pulling together behind the scenes to make the Stuart Duggan Memorial Scholarship a reality, I would just like to extend a big congratulations to our first recipient, Samantha Dicker. Samantha, we hear very good things about you and are extremely proud to be able to reward you for all your hard and excellent work. You are a very able young lady. Very, very well done.

We would also like to give equally hearty congratulations to all the other Treasure Beach Foundation scholarship winners. Kimberley, Whitney, Shantel, Saran and Timara you should all be very proud of yourselves. We are so, so pleased for you.

The Sandy Bank Primary School family congratulates the students for their outstanding performance in the recent GSAT examination. Special mention is in order for the six scholarship recipients who have done exceptionally well.
We would like to implore all students that if they work hard, keep focused and work towards their goal, they can do well at whichever high school they have been placed. We would also like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who has acknowledged us on our achievement.
To the parents of these students, we wish to express our gratitude to you all for the confidence you have placed in us by sending them to this institution so that we could play a part in their academic achievement.
Last but not least, to the Board of Directors of the Treasure beach Foundation, the relatives of Stuart Duggan and all who have made these scholarships a reality, thank you. Special thanks to Mrs. Karen Kennedy who has been working assiduously to make this venture a successful one.Thanks a million.

I would like to say congrats to all the winner and to Samantha you go girl your Mom and Dad must be very proud keep up the good work

I am pleased to see the enthusiasm for this scholarship program grow as it enters its second year. It is obvious that some students are taking it seriously, and are being rewarded in a most gratifying way. I hope that this will inspire all the students to do better as time goes on.

i am trying to see the pictures Rebecca and I can't get through to more then the first one. Could you please check it out because I want to see them. Thank-you.

Seth, I say this with the most respect, but have you contributed to the Foundation? I know you want the next raffle, and I also do, but it must be costing them alot more then what they can possibly be getting from the raffle. Just a thought. And sincere excuses if you have already sent your donation.

I am unfamiliar with the Jamaican educational system, so I apologize for asking questions about which I imagine most others understand. Is Sany Bank an all-girls school? Exactly what are the GSATS? Why do students from Treasure Beach go to several different high schools instead of the one that is nearest?

I do not know any of the winners of the scholarships, but I still wish to congratulate all of them for their outstanding achievements.

Give the link for pictures another try
(does this sound familiar to anyone???)

Congratulations to all the winners! It is so wonderful to see your success! Best wishes for your continued efforts.

Miss Patti and I are volunteering on a small island (called Samoa) 2500 miles south of our home in Hawaii but we still keep up with the wonderful people in Treasure Beach and the great kids and teachers at Sandy Bank.
Aloha,
Joe and Patti

Sandy Bank is a coed, public elementary school; students there attend through grade six. (It might appear to be an all-girls school because the six scholarship winners this year are all girls; however, last year, the winners were one girl and four boys.)

The GSAT (Grade Six Achievement Tests) are two-day, rigorous exams taken the last two days of March. Tests are given in mathematics, science, social studies, language arts, and composition. Each test is graded separately, and then an average of the five tests is provided for each student. Depending upon that average, the Jamaican Ministry of Education assigns students to a particular high school. (A student has the option of attending a different school, so long as that school has lower entrance requirements; a student can also appeal to get into a more difficult high school, though that is not often done.) The most difficult high schools in the area to be accepted at are Hampton and Munro. The next most difficult are Black River and STETHS. The next most difficult are B.B. Coke and Newell. It is definitely possible for a student to get a good education at any of the listed high schools, though the more difficult ones tend to provide an atmosphere that is more conducive to learning.

Newell and Black River are the two closest high schools to Treasure Beach. Newell is about a 20-minute ride, and Black River is roughly a 30-minute trip, assuming no stops are made.

None of the high schools (or the primary—meaning elementary, or the basic—meaning pre-schools) provide free transportation. Hampton and Munro have school bus service at a fee; parents must arrange for individual transportation (usually by hiring a taxi service) to get their children to all the other schools, unless they are within walking distance. In the Treasure Beach area, it is not uncommon for a student to live four to five miles from either the basic or primary school, so walking is often not a viable option.

Congratulations Saran Genus! We are so proud of you.
Keep up the good work. Please tell your family Hi from us.
Good Luck to you and all the winners.
Take Care, The Friday's

GSAT is short for Grade Six Achievement Test. This examination determines the high school that the student will attend leaving primary or (Middle School).
Sandy Bank is a Co-Ed school. In St. Elizabeth where Sandy Bank is located, we have many High Schools. Students make choice to attend these schools based on the achedemic achievement of the schools and at times the popularity of said school, some being Traditional High Schools.
Others choose schools outside of St. Elizabeth for said reason, sometimes too it is not their first choice but its where they are assigned by the Ministry of Education based on space availabiltiy in the schools. I think too that the higher your GSAT scores are, the greater your chance for getting your first choice of school you will attend its either 1/5 or 1/6.

Hope this information is helpful.

Phoenia-- My girlfriend and I have made a donation to the foundation. It is my girlfriend who introduced me to Treasure Beach in the first place, and her ongoing support of various community projects has sparked mine. I'm not sure what any of this has to do with my question, however. I'd guess that the money we spent on raffe tickets was just as valuable to the foundation. Actually, it was probably MORE valuable, given the cost of the tickets and the fact that we bought several, our ticket purchase was actually more than our donation. Does it matter how we contribute as long as we contribute? If I want to give $200 to the foundation, what is so wrong with wanting give that money and get the chance of winning a week at a villa?

I wish I understood why someone always has to chime in with a negative comment. Mine was a completely innocent post. The money I spent on raffle tickets is part of the money that is enabling the scholarship winners to go to school. I don't see how I deserve a snide drubbing from you. And your "And sincere excuses if you have already sent your donation," feels more than a little INsincere ...
S.

To Seth and Phoenia, we've given you both your say, now please, let us just leave it at that.

And to paraphrase Seth's comments, it doesn't matter how one contributes, as long as you contribute! Maybe the contribution is helping one of the students with their homework. That, too, is a valuable contribution. Let us continue to work together, building and bigging each other up. I've never seen positive gain from judgements placed or negative comments. But I've always seen positive gain from many working together, contributing whatever they can and how they can. Let's concentrate on this.

Man, I am starting to feel like a broken record. Please, everyone, let's stay positive about a very positive program.

We would like to say A BIG CONGRATULATIONS to the students at Sandy Bank Primary School for doing so well in your exams in order to win yourself a schlorship. You owe it to yourselves, your teachers and your parents.
WHITNEY you make us all so very proud and continue to do your best,always remember only your best is good enough.
Love you lots your cousins
Nadine (London)
Genieve (USA)

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE GIRLS FROM SANDY BANK PRIMARY SCHOOL ON THEIR GSAT. A SPECIAL CONGRATULATION TO MY NIECE SARAN GENUS (SIDI) FOR PASSING HER GSAT EXAMINATION TO GO TO STETHS WITH SCHOLARSHIP. YOUR MOTHER DOREEN AND TONY (KHANGA)IS VERY PROUD OF YOU. ALSO YOUR AUNTIE SADIS,UNCLE TJ IN NEW YORK, UNCLE ROHAN IN LONDON AND YOUR GRANDFATHER HARRIS AND GRANDMOTHER ALRICK FROM BLUNTAS/BEACON IS OVER JOY FOR YOU ON YOUR ACHIEVEMENT. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK AS YOU GO ALONG. CONTINUE TO MAKE US PROUD OF YOU.

Thank you, Rebecca, for adding your constructive comments. So many people are assisting with this effort in so many different ways.

For those who "only" buy raffle tickets, that is absolutely fine; Seth is 100% correct in his assumption that the funds collected for raffle tickets are exactly as useful as any other sort of financial donation to Treasure Beach Foundation. Other people choose to send in a donation in addition to -- or instead of -- buying a raffle ticket; obviously that is also excellent.

The University of Virginia students who volunteered at Sandy Bank in March 2007 brought hundreds of items -- mostly used clothing in almost-new condition -- with them. These were donated to the Treasure Beach Women's Group; the TBWG then had a Yard Sale and was kind enough to give half the proceeds to Treasure Beach Foundation to help support the scholarship program.

When we hold the next raffle, people will see that it is not only a villa vacation that will be raffled off. Various members of the Treasure Beach community have graciously added something extra to whomever wins; this is their contribution to the scholarship fund.

Even the scholarship winners themselves are making a "donation." Each of them is taking the time and effort to tutor another student. Though this is a requirement of accepting a scholarship, but each of the winners is doing this quite willingly. This means that the value of the scholarships is extending to even more students in the Treasure Beach area.

Well,what can I say?My classmates have actually said everything.So,I am going to repeat what has been said.I would like to say a big thank you to Mrs.Karen Kennedy and the Treasure Beach Foundation for awarding me with a full scholarship.It gives me great pleasure to accept this award.I hope more people will continue to contribute to this worthy cause so others can benefit from this program also.


Congratulations to my fellow classmates; you all did well and should be proud of yourselves.Always remember that whichever high school you attend, do your best!

Thanks to all the teachers at the Sandy Bank Primary School for all your words of encouragement and your dedication to our success.

With best wishes from Kimberleee

You have to see this joyful photo of the six 2007-08 winners. It was taken a few days after the announcement when they were understandably a lot more relaxed. Many, many thanks to Rebecca Wiersma for taking the time and effort to shoot all the great photos for Treasure Beach Foundation.

GREAT JOB.
congrats to you all keep up the good work you and stay focus this is just the start of it all luck to you all.

Congrats to all the the scholarship recipients. I hope that you will continue to do your best; remember that the sky is the limit. A scholarship is a wonderful thing that will help you to go through life endeavouring to do your best.Being one of last years recipients, I can truly say that I have greatly benefited. I share in your joy.

yay Sidi!!!!! Im so proud of you! To all the rest, you worked so hard and earned your rewards. Saran(sidi) once told me that you need to work hard for what you wish to achieve, and she proved that to be true. Congratualtions to all. I'm sure you will continue to succeed no matter what you choose to do with your futures.

Congratulations to everyone. You really rock!!

You girls are all wonderful, and you should be very proud of yourselves. I also can imagine how very proud your families and friends are of your accomplishments.

Good luck and blessings to all of you as you enter high school. In my heart, I know each of you will do very well.

Such sweet faces of happiness! Congratulations to all the scholarship winners!!! I'm very proud of you and your hard work. Keep up your momentum through the coming school years and you can be guaranteed to keep those smiling faces from the pure joy of doing your best and becoming a success in your own personal way.

YOU ROCK!
Lynnette

Perhaps all the people who are willing to help sell raffle tickets could contact Karen Kennedy. Would that be OK, Karen?

This would be great! If anyone would like to help sell raffle tickets, please get in touch with me. (You wouldn't have a quota or anything; we'd merely be looking for your commitment to try your best.) It's really not difficult to sell the raffle tickets as long as you've visited Treasure Beach and can explain its many wonderful charms to your friends, co-workers, or relatives. The upcoming tickets will be $25 each or five for $100.

As a member of the Treasure Beach Foundation Board of Directors, I want to congratulate this years scholarship winners. From the information we reviewed it is obvious that you all have the potential to achieve success. I only ask that you never forget where you came from and that you give back to the community that made you who you are.

And congratulations to Karen Kennedy without whom the Foundation would have never been. As a minor participant, even I am extremely proud to see the difference we are making. You should be thrilled!

The Principal Teachers and Students of the Sandy Bank Primary School wish to congratulate the twenty-two students who sat the GSAT examination in March for the outstanding work they did this year.I must however make special mention of the six students who have received scholarships from the Treasure Beach Foundation. They did exceptional well and as the school motto says "Aim High" these students aimed high worked hard and so they have reaped a good harvest.
To the parents of all the students I say congratulations and please continue to work with your children to ensure that they succeed.
These scholarships could not have been possible without a seed planted. This seed was not only planted and left to die but it was given everything it needed to grow.Karen Kennedy you did the job of planting the seed and making sure that it grew.You got your Board of Directors together and really put in some hard work to make these scholarships a reality. I can only imagine the long hours you have all put in make sure that everything comes out right.This is the second year that these scholarships are being given and I can assure you all that the students have benefited greatly.
I want to take this opportunity to let you all know that you all have made a difference in the lives of these students. Karen to you and all the members of the Board of Directors THANKS IN A MILLION. I pledge to do my part to ensure that this programme continues in order to benefit other students thus making them better human beings.
To all those who have contributed to the scholarship fund I say thanks to you all and ask that you all continue to do so as every dollar you give will make a difference in someones life.

Congratulations Kimberlee on your success,We are so proud of you.You are a star so keep on shining.Best wishes to you as you enter high school,aim high and you will continue to succeed.
Good luck from Jean,Jamie,Jaleel and Janel Brown USA.

I want to publicly thank Mrs Karen Kennedy and Other Board of directors of the Treasure Beach Foundation for making it possible for me to get a scholarship to high school.I would also like to give special thanks to the principal and all the teachers of Sandy Bank Primary School and especially Miss Zane Ebanks who have worked hard with my classmates and I for us to be where we are today.Congratulations to all my classmates who took the GSAT. Remember we all have to work hard wherever we go.All the best to those who will take it next year.I pray God's blessing on you all.

I would like to say thanks to Mrs Karen Kennedy and the others members of the Treasure Beach Foundation for awarding me a scholarship to the St. Elizabeth Technical High School.I know that this scholarship will be of great help to me and I really appreciate it.Thanks to all those who contributed to the funds to make these scholarships a reality.Thanks to the Principal and the Teachers of the Sandy Bank Primary School who have worked tirelessly to ensure that we do our very best in our work. Without them we could not have madeit. Congratulations to my classmates, you all did well.

Congratulations to all the scholarship winners. I can imagine the anticipation to attend high school, especially the prestigious ones you will be attending. If you feel scared, there is one thing you must remember is that everybody else may be going through the same thing. Also, the fact that you got scholarships doesn't really mean anything when it comes to the work in high school, with the exception that you have a standard to maintain. You are special because of your past achievements but the work is none less challenging. Just work hard and tell yourself "good, better, best, never let it rest, until your good is better and your better is best," like Ms. Ditty used to say. Notice that it doesn't say "the best" because you can only do your best and hope that it good enough to be better that everybody else's.

Timara, Trevayne must be proud of his little sister.
Shantel, I knew you would do well in the GSAT.
Saran(Siddy), Javid must be proud of his little sister very much.
Samantha, it must be wonderful to follow in our sister's footsteps at Hampton.

Kimberlee and Whitney, you girls must be equally excited and proud of yourselves.