Nassau, Bahamas - In the spring of 2009, Mrs. Kathryn Dillette, Mr. Peter Wilson, and Mr. Keith Fadely from St. Andrew’s School accompanied a group of Middle School students to Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada on a field trip to participate in the S.E.E.D.S. University Enrichment Program. Also attending at the time was a group of students from St. Matthew Catholic High School in Ottawa, Canada. A friendship quickly developed between the schools, among the teachers and students alike. Mr. Duguay, an Enrichment and Guidance teacher from St. Matthew’s saw similarities between both schools and realized that they could easily link both communities on another level. After months of planning and communication, a formal proposal was brought to the attention of their respective school officials to consider the possibility of a student exchange. Both principals, Mrs. Sharon Wilson from St Andrew’s and Mr. Christopher Mes from St. Matthew, endorsed the initiative and planning quickly ensued.
On Saturday, April 24, 2010, a very enthusiastic group of 22 students and 5 teachers arrived in Nassau for a long anticipated nine-day cultural and educational experience. St. Andrew’s paired Canadian students with welcoming host Bahamian students and families and then organized a multitude of exciting cultural, educational and sporting events both on and off campus.
“Mr. Wilson is to be commended for being an exceptional leader and ambassador of St. Andrew’s School,” said Claude Tardif, an accompanying teacher from St. Matthew’s, “thanks to his efforts, this opportunity has offered a unique forum by which both school communities can learn and appreciate each others’ cultures.”
The wheels are now in motion for the Canadians to reciprocate with a visit from the Bahamians to Canada in the winter of 2011. Both St Andrew’s and St. Matthew’s are looking forward to lasting friendships and memories through this partnership for years to come.
St Andrew’s School
St Andrew’s School, the International School of the Bahamas, was founded in 1948 and enrolment has grown to over 800 students. Offering Pre-School through Year 13, St. Andrew’s has students aged 2.5 through 18 and teaches a modern, inquiry-based curriculum. Globally recognized for its outstanding educational programmes, the School also holds international accreditation from the Council of International Schools (CIS) and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and is one of only 84 World Schools to offer the International Baccalaureate Programme’s Primary Years Programme (PYP) as well as the IB Diploma Programme. St. Andrew’s currently has an 81% A-C BGCSE pass rate, and for 5 of the past 8 years a St. Andrew’s student has been awarded the National All Merit Scholarship. A belief in well-rounded students has also allowed the St. Andrew’s athletic programmes to flourish and the school now holds 14 championships and 7 finals in the last 32 BAISS tournaments. For more information on St. Andrew’s School, please visit www.st-andrews.com.
St. Matthew Catholic High School
Opened in 1981, St. Matthew High School is located in Orleans, a suburb in Ottawa. A modern, fully-equipped facility, St. Matthew High School has had two major expansions to help accommodate the growing population of our area and to provide its 1300 students with state-of-the-art equipment and facilities. The St. Matthew High School community believes that a Catholic high school is one in which the teachings of Jesus Christ are integrated into the day-to-day curriculum and social fabric of high school life. We have many opportunities to pray and demonstrate our Catholic faith. We live our Catholic faith by focusing on service, relationships, the Word of God, and lay witness and leadership.
St. Matthew High School encourages excellence in academic and co-curricular activities and some of our students' achievements include: Ontario Scholars - 53 students; Partnership Awards (Ottawa-Carleton Learning Foundation, Phi Delta Kappa); two recipients of the Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence - Mrs. R. Messinger (1995), Mr. J. Bradley (1997); 7 and 8 Boys' and Girls' Basketball Championships; Junior Girls' Basketball Championships; representation at OFSAA in wrestling and track and field; and in 2005-2006, 204 out of 946 High School students achieved Honours - 80%+ and 27 achieved Golden Honours - 90%+. For more information, our school's web site is located at www.ottawacatholicschools.ca/mth.
