Charlestown-Nevis-Four young persons from Nevis will be travelling to Jamaica shortly to pursue degree programs in Sports Administration.
The four persons are:
Aljae Newton-who will focus on the areas of Coaching Football and Physical Education.
Sianna Leader-who will focus on Physical Education
Colin KEZRON Archibald-who will focus on Cricket and Track and Field
Kerisha Powell-who will focus on Sports Massage Therapy
The four year degree program will be administered by the now famous G.C Foster College in Jamaica.
In a brief ceremony chaired by Asst. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Social Development, Miss D. Michelle Liburd, the four individuals were congratulated on achieving the scholarships.
Minster responsible for Social Development, Hon. Hazel Brandy –Williams in congratulating the successful candidates, noted that there was a delay due to logistics involved with the registration process but she was happy to inform that all four would have received the green light to commence their studies.
She admonished them to hold the flag of Nevis high and their own self-esteem, as they have been sent in a spirit of oneness.
She noted that there has been a definite decline as regards sports on Nevis, and so these four bright lights have been selected to start the process of building a strong foundation as regards sports on the island, in order to rekindle the flame.
She later held a close room meeting with the students and their parents and it is understood that she told them in no uncertain terms, what is expected of them, during and after their course of study.
The students then had an opportunity to respond and all of them thanked the Nevis Island Administration and Minister Brandy-Williams and her staff for making their dream possible.
They all promised to do their best in excelling during their course of study and to maintain a high level of representation in terms of their family members and the island on a whole.
Representative parents of the students, also expressed their thanks to the Nevis Island Administration for assisting their children to achieve the opportunity for a higher education, in their careers of choice.
Miss Patricia Thompson spoke eloquently on behalf of the parents and asked the four individuals to recognize the fact that they will be ambassadors of the island and to acquit themselves as such.
‘Make yourselves, your parents and your island proud and stay abreast of your studies,’ she admonished.
She also asked them to look out for each other for the duration of the study period.
Echoing similar sentiments were Aljae’s mom, Joyce Jeffers; Kerisha’s mom, Iona Powell and representing Sianna, was Miss Rovina Daniel.
It is understood that the new term commenced on Thursday 1st September but the students are expected to fly out to Jamaica over the coming weekend.
The G.C. Foster College of Physical Education & Sport, which operates a full-time residential institution, is established on approximately forty-one (41) acres of land, at Angels, Spanish Town, St. Catherine, Jamaica.
It is located off the main highway leading from Spanish Town to Linstead and is approximately twenty (20) miles from Kingston, the nation‘s capital. It was the first of its kind to be established in the English Speaking Caribbean in September 1980.
The College was named as a tribute to Gerald Claude Eugene (G.C.) Foster, a man of outstanding and versatile sporting talent, who dedicated himself to the pursuit of excellence in all his sport-related endeavours. With intelligence, discipline, study, application, perseverance and self-assurance, G.C.‘ overcame the near insuperable handicaps of training and performing in the under-developed environment of Jamaica in the early 20th Century. He went within a percentage point of the world record for the 100 yards dash and was a Nemesis of International stars, though Jamaica was not then a participant in international games.