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Uncle Sam, Hands,
and Caribbean High School Children |
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May 2013
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Hands
Teams Up with the U.S. Embassy, Barbados, to Assist Caribbean
Secondary Schools |
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The
handing-over ceremony at Saddlers Secondary School,
on St. Kitts (from left): Dr. Larry Palmer, U.S.
Ambassador, Bridgetown; Harriet Linskey, Co-Founder,
Hands Across the Sea; Honorable Nigel Carty, Minister
of Education, St. Kitts; Honorable Dr. Denzil Llewellyn
Douglas, Prime Minister, St. Kitts and Nevis; Mrs.
Adina Richards, Principal, Saddlers Secondary School;
and students. |
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Ambassador Palmer, seen here
at the handing-over ceremony at Clare Hall Secondary
School on Antigua, loves talking with high school
students — and passing out USA/Antigua flag
pins, too!
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Remember high school? If you're
like most of us, it was an exciting and challenging time,
each day full of teenage dramas, questions and discoveries,
and the growing realization that there are paths to take
in life and paths to avoid. At Hands we believe that literacy
and its related skills (vocabulary, writing, speaking,
comprehension, analytical thinking, and problem solving,
just to name a few) make a crucial difference in the future
of high school students.
That's why we were thrilled to receive a generous Public
Affairs Grant from the U.S. Embassy to Barbados and the
Eastern Caribbean, Bridgetown, Barbados, to help refurbish
the libraries of six secondary schools on six islands:
Antigua, St. Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, St. Lucia, St.
Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada. We also had the
pleasure of working with Dr. Larry Palmer, the U.S. Ambassador,
Bridgetown, and seeing firsthand his dedication
to children and education
in the region. Ambassador Palmer, a former U.S. Peace
Corps Volunteer, high school
teacher, and college
U.S.
Embassy, Barbados, & Hands Across the Sea Grantees
Antigua:
Clare Hall Secondary School
Dominica: Northeast Comprehensive Secondary School
Grenada: Mac Donald College
St. Lucia: Gros Islet Secondary School
St. Kitts and Nevis: Saddlers Secondary School
St. Vincent and the Grenadines: Petit Bordel Secondary
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professor,loves to see young people
set and achieve goals and become
the best they can possibly be. And the first step to all
that is giving high school students access to first-class
learning materials and a great borrrowing library.
The six schools assisted by the
U.S. Embassy Bridgetown and Hands Across the Sea partnership
have staffs that are passionate about improving the literacy
levels of their students, but their school library collections
were outdated and far too small. Hands sent each school
about 500 books as part of our 2012/2013
Hands Wish Lists shipment, and now
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The brand new books, donated
jointly by the U.S. Embassy Bridgetown and Hands
Across the Sea to six high schools, ranged from
the latest in reference materials to the best
in young adult fiction
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the schools have a wide selection of young adult fiction
for avid readers, high interest/low level reading books
for reluctant readers, lots of research resources in social
science and science, and titles specific to the Caribbean
high-school exams. The result is libraries that are active,
well-used by students and staff, and gaining in popularity
among reluctant readers.
Three confessions: 1. The Hands
crew had a great time getting to know Ambassador Palmer
and his staff; 2. We're proud to be a part of the excellent
work that the U.S. Embassy is undertaking in the region;
and 3. We look forward to doing it again in 2013/2014!
— Harriet
& T.L.
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