Friday, March 23rd, 2012 (Nassau, Bahamas) – In their recent studies on World Wide Aid, St Andrew’s Year 5 students were asked to help those in need by donating not only their money, but their time and their talents. Jessica Frisina, Year 5 Teacher, commented, “It was extremely moving to witness these children in action – their hearts are so filled with love and generosity!”
Students got creative with their Community Service and engaged in a wide range of activities, including: teaching swimming, working at a soup kitchen, helping at a home for children or the aged, and working with the Red Cross.
Ashleigh Heastie volunteered at the Bilney Lane Childen’s Home, bringing games and art supplies, and said of her experience, “it was scary at first but then I was excited. It has made me grateful for all the love and support that I get from my family and friends and I appreciate my brother and sister even more!”
Liam Burrows and Juwan Willie donated their time and sports talents, and along with Coach Peter Wilson, taught children at the Stapleton School for disabled students some baseball skills. Juwan said, “Liam and I had not experienced children with mental disabilities before so we nervously approached the activities, but within a few minutes we realised that they were just like us and we became good friends. We loved the atmosphere of the school, and the students!”
Madison Martinborough’s activity was inspired by the fact that, “a lot of people don’t realize that 60% of Bahamians can’t swim, and living on an island we’re putting a lot of people in danger of drowning.” So on Thursdays, Madison volunteers her time to teach swimming to children from Government Schools. “I found that most of them are terrified of the water and need help to improve.”
Julia Van Wynen hosted two bake sales and raised $111.25 to put toward a Blairwood Academy Scholarship Fund. Julia hopes that “this fund will continue to grow with the support of other people in the community because we all deserve an education.”
A creative and thoughtful service project was undertaken by Angel Cleare who crocheted hats for infants in the Intensive Care Unit. Angel said, “I focused on infants that really need help because if I help sick infants get better then I will have made a long-term difference.”
Cameron Burrows read a story about a boy whose family could no longer take care of him, and decided to volunteer at the Emergency Children Hostel. Cameron “took cookies for them and volunteered [his] time.” He said, “I enjoyed giving back to the community and I asked if I could volunteer my time every holiday.”
Nicholas Colclough and Nathan Heastie combined their love of baseball with helping others to raise money for the Ranfurly Home for Children. The boys found sponsors who pledged either a fixed amount or an amount dependent on their performance in their baseball games, such as number of base hits batted or strikes pitched. Nicholas raised $1,259.00 which he was proud to present to Mr. Alex Roberts of the Ranfurly Home, and Nathan decided to continue his fundraising for the remainder of the season and will donate his contribution in May.
World Wide Aid was a Unit of Inquiry in these Year 5 students’ Primary Years Programme curriculum. Each Unit of Inquiry is substantial, in-depth, and extends over several weeks, requiring a high level of involvement from students. The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme is concerned with the development of the whole child, both in the classroom and in the outside world.
Madison Martinborough, St Andrew’s Year 5 student, teaches Government School students to swim.
Liam Burrows and Juwan Willie, St Andrew’s Year 5 students, with the students of the Stapleton School for the disabled.
Year 5 student, Julia Van Wynen at Blairwood Academy.
Angel Cleare, Year 5 student, donating her crocheted hats for the Intensive Care Unit infants.
Nicholas Colclough, St Andrew’s Year 5 student, plays baseball during one of his sponsored games.
St Andrew's Cheerleaders Perform at Battle Atlantis!
Wow! Our students are making us proud in lots of different ways!
For the second consecutive year, our St Andrew’s School Cheerleaders performed at the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort during the Battle 4 Atlantis, a pre-season basketball tournament featuring well-known college teams from across the United States! Our St Andrew’s Cheerleading Programme is an extracurricular activity currently offered for two age groups: the Primary School Team for Years 2 through 6, and the Middle School Team for Years 7 and 8. Coach Jen Roach has led many different cheer programmes here at St Andrew’s for over eight years, and this year is assisted by Jessica Waugh (Year 4 teacher) and Tiffany Saunders (Middle School teacher). Our Cheer teams perform at House events, school carnivals, inter-school sporting events, assemblies, pep rallies, and throughout our island community sharing our school spirit wherever they go! Coach Roach said, “Last year I contacted Atlantis about the possibility of the kids sitting on the side-lines for two games they were hosting, and instead we were offered the opportunity to perform at halftime! Over twenty girls performed at both games in a routine to “Shake A Tail Feather.” This year, with many more games to fill, the teams split and did two different routines: the Primary to “You Can’t Stop the Beat,” and the Middle School to “On the Floor.”
We have teamed with gymnasts from the local clubs – last year both the Bahamas Gynastics Parents Booster Club (BGPBC) and Nassau Nastics supplied gymnasts, and this year Nassau Nastics, along with two independent gymnasts, performed to very receptive audiences. Atlantis’ Michele Wiltshire, VP of Special Events, has made a commitment to a long term relationship with our kids and giving us opportunities to perform, as well as sponsoring cheer clinics in conjunction with Cheer Bahamas and the International Cheer Union.”
St Andrew's School Discovery Club Awarded Two New Badges!
At the December bi-annual Badge Ceremony hosted by the Bahamas National Trust (BNT), our St Andrew’s School Discovery Club members were awarded both the Environment Badge and the National Parks Badge! We were especially proud as we were the only school, out of ten represented, to have completed two badges already this year! The Director of Education at the BNT said, “St Andrew’s is the envy of the pack. [Another school] has accosted me about your impressive list of completed badges, wanting to be able to achieve the same.” Mrs. Rolle, faculty volunteer for the Discovery Club, said, “I wish to congratulate all of our members on the successful completion of their badges. I am very proud of you all!”
Seussical Jr. the Musical, a Great Success!
This year’s Secondary School production, Seussical Jr., was a huge success and made all of us here at St Andrew’s proud! Based on the works of Dr. Seuss, Seussical followed the journey of Horton the Elephant on his quest to save the Whos. The production was a colourful and fun voyage that showcased our students’ acting, singing, and dancing talents, and amazed audiences during its three-night run! Performances took place November 30 December 2, 2011, and our actors played to full houses each night! Over 70 students and members of faculty were involved in making this musical happen a true St Andrew’s team effort. While you eagerly await the next Secondary School production, enjoy these photos from Seussical Jr.
