CXC Outstanding Student Award to Israel Carr of the St. Vincent Grammar School

Remarks by Dr. Brent Hardt, Charge d'Affaires a.i. 
St. Vincent Grammar School, St. Vincent 
February 17, 2011

Mr. Frank Jones, Principal, St. Vincent Grammar School
Corrine Gonsalves, Local CXC Registrar,
Mr. Carlton Hall, Senior Education Officer, Secondary Schools
Mrs. Elaine Ollivierre, Senior Education Officer, Exams
Ms. Kaykahe Carr,
Faculty, Students, and Staff of the St. Vincent Grammar School,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a pleasure to be with you today to recognize the outstanding achievement of your son, student, classmate and friend, Israel Carr for his outstanding performance in the recent CXC exams.

Our own President Barack Obama, in his acclaimed autobiography Dreams From My Father, recalled how his mother would give him extra lessons every school day beginning at 4:30 in the morning.  It is this kind of dedication - not only from the student, but from parents and teachers - that leads to great things, and underlines just how far a good education can take you.  On behalf of the United States Embassy, I salute for your hard work and dedication.  Today's ceremony is proof that your hard work and dedication have paid off.

It is especially heartening to see this academic accomplishment at a time when many leaders and teachers in the region are concerned about the academic performance of our youth, particularly our boys.  We have all heard the startling statistics - the ratio of females to males at the University of the West Indies is over 70 percent female to 30 percent male.  Too many young men seem to be turning away from the pursuit of academic excellence.  Happily, today, we see that young men can step forward and achieve academic distinction.

Today's award is part of a regional series of awards that the United States Embassy has presented in cooperation with the CXC in each of the countries of the Eastern Caribbean.  In fact, this is the third consecutive year the Embassy has had the pleasure of presenting these awards, here in St. Vincent and in six other countries in the Caribbean.  In each case, it has been impressive to meet such talented and hard working young people who are so dedicated to their studies.

Too often, the accomplishments of the academically-minded do not get the public attention and praise that is lavished in other fields of endeavor, such as sports or entertainment.  There are no fans cheering on the sidelines during your long days and nights of often solitary study - except for maybe your parents!  And when you get to the end of your ‘race' and leave the examination room, there are no trophies handed out.  So we are here today to rectify this imbalance because the value of education cannot be overstated.

The United States seeks to foster the love of learning throughout the Eastern Caribbean through an array of programs.  We have supported teacher development in early literacy and numeracy through the Caribbean Centers for Excellence in Teacher Training program; we visit schools to donate books to expand the resources available to young people; and we sponsor teacher development through direct exchanges such as the U.S. Summer Institutes for Secondary Educators and the prestigious Fulbright scholarships.

The United States recognizes that in both small countries and large, educating young people is a key to democracy, economic growth, and social progress.  This is why I am here today to reaffirm the importance of educational excellence for students across St. Vincent and the Grenadines and to highlight the outstanding achievement of one of St. Vincent's finest. 

I would like to take this opportunity to encourage Israel and other students here to think seriously about pursuing university studies in the United States.  The higher education system in the U.S. remains a beacon of excellence to international students around the globe.  During the 2008-2009 academic year, there were over 670,000 international students studying in the United States, setting a record for the second year in a row.  So as you look to your future, I would encourage you to consider the thousands of outstanding U.S. colleges and universities for your academic pursuits.

With that said, I am really pleased to get to the purpose of our visit today - to reward Israel Carr for his achievement.  He will receive an award of US$500 and a signed certificate in recognition of his achievement.  Ms. Corrine Gonsalves, CXC's local registrar will present a plaque on behalf of the CXC.

Israel's hard work and the dedication of his teachers here at St. Vincent Grammar School has also paid off for the wider student body.  For I am also pleased to present the school with this set of 30 science text books.  Hopefully, future generations of students can use these resources to study and prepare for their own CXC exams.

Again Israel, congratulations to you on a job very well done. 

Thank you.