The Tribune

By KORTNEY RODGERS

AN American fraternity celebrating its centenary has been in the Bahamas this month helping a local primary school with a scheme to raise literacy standards among a number of other activities.

To commemorate 100 years of “brotherhood, scholarship, and service,” Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc (PBS) left its headquarters in Washington, DC, to hold the first general board meeting of its executive arm in New Providence.

The meeting, hosted by the local Delta Epsilon Sigma Chapter of PBS, took place at the British Colonial Hilton following a community service project at Oakes Field Primary School on Gregory Street. As part of its commitment to President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Initiative, PBS has designed a ten-point agenda that includes adopting at least 100 schools across the country to help improve student literacy and bridge current academic and achievement gaps.

“It was very important to Phi Beta Sigma that they not only travel to the Bahamas, but they also make an impact while they’re here,” Derek Smith, President of the Delta Epsilon Sigma Chapter, said. “Phi Beta Sigma is built off service to humanity and the general board along with the local graduate and undergraduate chapters found it fitting to leave a lasting impact.”

According to State Director for Sigma Bahamas Gerrard Sawyer, literacy is one of the ways to directly combat crime in the Bahamas and the US. “We feel that if young people can read better, can comprehend better and make better decisions in life, they can have better opportunities and ultimately steer away from negative and criminal actions when they are older due to lack of opportunity.”

The men of PBS, including 45 members who travelled from abroad and its two local chapters, visited Oakes Field Primary on Friday to carry out the organisation’s national education theme “Men of Sigma Promoting Literacy,” by implementing its Read In Initiative. PBS partnered with its adopted school to advocate the importance of literacy to over 600 students.

“Oakes Field was selected by our local membership chapter; and our national office was excited about the adopting of the school because it is in alignment with our My Brother’s Keeper initiative. More important, it allows us to engage our young students by encouraging and supporting their academic growth and development,” said Jean Lamothe, Director of Education for PBS.

Oakes Field Primary’s Principal Beryl Gray said that the students seemed enthusiastic about having such role models conducting an interactive reading session to help reinforce the school’s goals. “They (PBS) came on board in terms of showing their interest in our children’s education, and I think that is very important because sometimes we tend to think we can do it alone but we can’t do it alone. The partnership is an excellent idea because it helps us to mould and get our children where we want them to be,” Mrs Gray said.

“It takes a village to raise a child and with other persons coming on in terms of their partnership, we can also use what it is they have to offer. From my observation of the group, a lot of them are educators also, which means they are bringing a lot to the table. This is strengthening what it is we are doing as a school.”

Additionally, the organisation awarded one student from each class with a $5 gift certificate to be used at Chapter One Bookstore to help advance their interest in reading.

PBS also made it their duty to help the school receive its Green Flag Award, a recognised eco-label for environmental education and performance issued by Eco-Schools – an international programme operated by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) in over 55 countries. Representatives from Bahamas Reef Environment Educational Foundation (BREEF), which acts as the national operator in the Bahamas, and FEE representative, were also at Oakes Field Primary to assist in completing one of the seven steps towards receiving the Green Flag.

“The green flag means that they have accomplished something and that they are right at the very top,” said Lady Nuttall, BREEF co-chair.

“They can actually see the results of their work. Nothing is more important to a child than seeing something grow because they are experiencing themselves grow; but they aren’t conscious of it, whereas if they put a seed in the ground and they see it grow and flower they begin to understand how the world works in a very holistic way.”

Outreach Manager and National Eco-Schools Co-ordinator at BREEF, Marcia Musgrove, told The Tribune: “We have about 22 registered schools in the programme and seven Green Flag schools so far in the country. However, we do not yet have a public school in New Providence that has achieved their Green Flag; and we are hoping that with the co-operation and support of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Oakes Field Primary will be that first.”

PBS also made the decision to travel to Nassau to honour its first undergraduate chapter outside the continental US, Beta Beta Lambda, at a charter presentation held on November 5 at the College of The Bahamas. With plans to complete their ten-point agenda before July 2015, the men of Delta Epsilon Sigma Chapter plan to partner with the Bahamas National Trust to combat a cattails problem at the Harrold and Wilson Ponds. The organisation held a cocktail reception to raise funds for this initiative and is tentatively set to complete the manual labour by the end of November.

• For more information about these initiatives, visit www.phibetasigma1914.org, www.facebook.com/pbs242, or email despresident@sigmabahamas.com.