The Bahamian Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship program will provide 10 new scholarships ranging from 25 percent to 100 percent of tuition which will allow deserving students to avail themselves of a Lyford Cay International School (LCIS) education.
David Mindorff, LCIS principal, announced the launch of the scholarships during the school’s 60th anniversary Founders’ Day Assembly. He said a critical part of the school’s strategic vision for the future consists of continued growth in opportunities for Bahamian children to benefit from the education the school provides.
“Our school has always been a beacon of high-quality education on the island, but it has also been a symbol of generosity and kindness,” said Mindorff. “Our not-for-profit school makes well over $785,000 available for scholarships for Bahamian students to attend annually, and this figure exceeds $1 million when the children of Bahamian faculty and staff are included.”
Deputy Prime Minister I. Chester Cooper, who attended the celebration, was excited to learn of the new scholarship program and the impact it will have on children who are not normally able to attend the school.
“I am hopeful that Family Island students will feature prominently in the recipients of these new scholarships,” said Cooper.
Prior to the Bahamian Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship, LCIS offered the Thomson Trust Scholarship, a need and merit-based scholarship, supported by a donation to the school’s endowment for scholarships and financial aid by the Peter N. Thomson Trust Family Foundation.
Kimya Poitier is the most recent Thomson Trust Scholarship recipient. She joined Melania Nixon, the second award recipient. Heather Williams was the first Thomson Trust Scholar. Williams graduated LCIS in 2021.
LCIS celebrated six decades as an educational institution with a Founders’ Day assembly at the school’s Upper School campus off Western Road on Friday, January 27.
During the event, long-serving employees of the school were recognized as well as alumni parents and a new Lyford Lyfer (students who attend LCIS from Junior Pre-Kindergarten [age three] through to Grade 12).
The school has been celebrating the milestone in its history throughout the 2022-23 school year with alumni campaigns and special events.
Since its founding in 1962, LCIS has undergone incredible development. The school has been transformed from a small community school to an education institution accredited by the Council of International Schools, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, and the International Baccalaureate (IB) Organization. LCIS is one of less than 50 schools in the world authorized to offer all four IB curriculum frameworks – the Primary Years Programme, Middle Years Programme, Diploma Programme and Career-Related Programme, which are seen as the best preparation for students to foster 21st century skills such as critical thinking, collaboration and communication.
In 2021, LCIS opened a new state-of-the-art Upper School campus for students in grades seven through 12 located atop Mahogany Hill, a 10-minute walk from the original campus within the gated community of Lyford Cay.
Today, LCIS has over 400 students from ages 18 months (preschool) to 18 years old. The school now has 100 faculty and staff, 64 percent of whom have advanced degrees. The school community has 45 nationalities represented, and 14 languages are spoken between home and school.
