The Tribune

By CHESTER ROBARDS

Tribune Senior Reporter

crobards@tribunemedia.net

SUPPORTING Catholic education is a worthwhile cause, Minister of Education Jerome Fitzgerald said Saturday night, adding that the Catholic system has produced top scholars over the years.

The Catholic Board of Education held its gala ball on Saturday, where Mr Fitzgerald lauded the school system for its 124 years of educating Bahamians and its involvement in the community.

“I wish to congratulate the Catholic Board of Education for your diligence in providing quality education to the children of our nation,” he said.

“It is noted that hundreds of thousands of children have been provided with superior teaching, current instructional resources and a safe environment that promotes good Christian values.”

Roxanne Chipman, Catholic Education Board Member and Chairperson of the fund-raising committee, said their history speaks to their standards and quality.

Mrs Chipman said the Catholic education system was brought to Nassau by the Sisters of Charity in 1889, and St Francis Xavier was founded by them one year later.

She said at its height the Catholic Board of Education had 23 schools, which were later reduced to 11.

The Catholic school system will be further reduced to nine with the imminent closure of St Bedes and Our Lady’s.

Despite these closures and its recovery from the economic recession, Catholic schools remain the most affordable and reliable, Mrs Chipman said.

“The purpose of Catholic education is not only to raise children according to the gospel but also to make sure that the whole child is developed spiritually, cognitively, physically, socially, emotionally and also of course academically,” she said.

Mr Fitzgerald said his ministry and the Catholic school system share the vision of “producing competent students of good character who mature into productive citizens”.

He added: “I was pleased to know that the proceeds from this gala ball will be used to enhance the curriculum and school environment so that they are current with twenty-first century advancements.”

Mrs Chipman said the ball has traditionally been a good fund-raising event. She said more than 500 tickets were sold for Saturday’s ball – each ticket went for $200.

“Beyond Imagination– making it happen through Catholic Education,” was the theme of the ball at which 17 Bahamians were honoured.

Honoured were Basil H Albury, one of the first Bahamian deputy-general managers of Tourism; Glenn Bannister, managing director of Morton Salt Bahamas at Inagua; Sir Michael Barnett, Chief Justice; Kevin Basden, general manager of BEC; Hubert Chipman, certified public accountant, FNM MP for St Anne’s; Sonia Cox Hamilton, in the hospitality industry, chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Workers Credit Union Ltd.; Dr Linda Davis, Associate Professor of Education and Dean of the Centre for International Programmes and partnerships at Wheelock College, Boston, Mass; her cousin, Marjorie Davis, OBE, Bahamas Director of Education, now retired.

Also honoured were Mrs Eileen Dupuch Carron, CMG, publisher of The Tribune and her brother, Pierre Dupuch of Executive Printers, FNM member of Parliament in Opposition, then Minister of Agriculture when FNM was the government. He retired from politics in 2007; Mrs Maria Ferere, chartered accountant, managing director of FT Consultants Ltd; Dwight Higgs, proprietor of Superior Maintenance Company, who has worked on some of the most important buildings in the Bahamas; Dr Jerome Lightbourne, paediatric cardiologist; Nixon Lindor, a deacon, and assistant general manager of Freeport Oil Company Ltd (FOCAL) in Freeport; Martin Lundy, an outstanding athlete, served the Bahamas for 31 years as Sports Administrator; Dr Hubert Minnis, former Minister of Health in FNM government, now leader of the Opposition in the House, and Commodore Davy Rolle of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (ret), first Bahamian to be appointed in 2010 managing director and CEO of the Bahamas Maritime Authority, headquartered in London, England.

Archbishop Patrick Pinder described those honoured as representing the “genuine fruits and true treasures of Catholic education.”

Music for the evening was provided by the Aquinas College Pop Band and the Defence Force Pop Band. Arthur Seymour was the DJ and Mr Greg Lamkin was the master of ceremonies for the evening.