The Rotary Club of Old Fort resumed its STEM Saturdays programme in November 2022, with the partnership and support of Lyford Cay International School (LCIS) and Lennox Paton. The programme was started by the Rotary Club of Old Fort in 2018, but was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

STEM Saturdays is an out-of-school enrichment programme for 4th- and 5th-grade students of Adelaide Primary School. The 25 students in the programme participate in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) educational activities at the LCIS campus every Saturday.

“STEM Saturdays is one of the signature service projects of the Rotary Club of Old Fort,” said Mr Shanley Toote, President of the Rotary Club of Old Fort. “The STEM Saturdays Programme provides students who normally wouldn’t have STEM education as part of their regular curriculum with opportunities to engage in STEM activities. This allows them to develop stronger critical-thinking and collaboration skills.”

Lyford Cay International School provides facilities and academic planning and programming for STEM Saturdays. “At LCIS, our students benefit from world-class facilities and a high-quality, rigorous International Baccalaureate curriculum. STEM Saturdays allows Adelaide Primary School students to experience a similar type of learning. We give the students hands-on activities and engineering challenges, using everyday items, to ensure that each of them is able to grow and succeed in their own way.”

“We value giving back to our community and inspiring our youth, so when we were approached by the Rotary Club of Old Fort to partner in this initiative, we were very excited. We are looking forward to the positive impact this programme will have on the lives of the Adelaide Primary School students,” said Mrs Nateisha Bain, a Partner in the Real Estate and Resort Development Group at Lennox Paton. 

Teacher at Adelaide Primary Ms Shatera McIntosh said, “I look forward to the students, especially the ones who are challenged academically, being more excited about learning through their participation in this programme”.

Semester 1 of the programme will continue for two more weeks before ending with a Christmas social for the students. Then, the programme will resume in January for Semester 2. Mr Toote explained that the plan is to offer at least 15 Saturdays per school year for the Adelaide students. The Rotary Club of Old Fort ensures that students receive transportation to and from the programme, as well as breakfast and lunch at no cost to their parents. 

“We are able to offer our corporate partners a track record of success in our service projects. I encourage other members of Corporate Bahamas to reach out to us to collaborate in developing this programme further,” said Mr Toote.

Damari Tinker, a Grade 5 student from Adelaide Primary said, “STEM Saturdays has been really fun so far. It is great to be able to see my friends and learn in a fun new way. I am looking forward to learning more in the weeks to come. I don’t like the programme - I love it!”