Royal Fidelity Merchant Bank & Trust in association with the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development hosted the 2nd annual “Royal Fidelity National Distinguished Teachers Awards”, which culminated with a lavish Gala Awards Ceremony at the Hilton Hotel. This community initiative is an annual programme sponsored by Royal Fidelity to recognize and reward ten exceptional teaching professionals who are nominated by the general public. Along with the title, the winning teachers each received BDS $2,000, together with hanging portraits for their schools and heaps of adulation.
In front of a full house at the Hilton, Managing Director of Royal Fidelity, Archie Cuke, said: “The future success of Barbados is dependent on the skills and determination of its people and education is the foundation on which these achievements will be built, as we forge ahead to establish a more knowledge based economy. More than simply the imparting of knowledge, we think that it is important to understand and acknowledge the profound impact that teachers have on a person’s life.”
This year’s competition also placed emphasis on the nominators of the teachers, and Neal and Massy came on board with cash and Super Centre prizes for the nominators throughout the competition. In pledging the Group’s support for the programme, Neal &Massy’s Country Manager, Barbados, Mr. Frere Delmas stated that Neal & Massy/BS&T was delighted to support Royal Fidelity and the teachers of Barbados in this initiative: “Education is the cornerstone of our development as a nation, and so recognizing teachers who do their job well is an important part of the process for social transformation in Barbados.”
The winning teachers recognized at the gala dinner were: Jean Wells-Greaves (Queen’s College), Edwin Gibson (Samuel JackmanPrescod Polytechnic), Cheryl Forde (Charles F. Broome Memorial School), Lennox Boyce (Ellerslie Secondary School), Jennifer McDonald-Goddard (Christ Church Foundation School), Valerie Hunte (Metropolitan High School), Nola Cummings Lewis (Hindsbury Primary School), Glendora Best (Charles F. Broome Memorial School), Margaret Cumberbatch (Eagle Hall Primary School), and Karen McGuire (St. Gabriel’s School).
