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News : Bahamas Information Services Updates Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM


Minister Fitzgerald visits St. Anne’s School with a Special Message
By Ministry of Education, Science and Technology
Mar 25, 2015 - 11:34:52 AM

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Minister of Education, Science and Technology, the Hon. Jerome K. Fitzgerald and Mr. Charles Hamilton Jr., the 2015 Bahamas National Spelling Bee Champion (Photo by Nikki Bethell).

Nassau, Bahamas - Minister of Education, Science and Technology, the Honourable Jerome Fitzgerald made a special appearance at St. Anne’s School, to ride the wave of success that has been rolling through the school. Some of the school’s most recent accomplishments include: Mr. Godfrey Arthur, winner of the Under 16 Boys, 100 & 200meters at the 2015 Nationals; Miss Devine Parker, winner of the Under 16 Girls 200m at the 2015 National and CARIFTA qualifier; Mr. Rico Neely, Winner of the National Young Chef, Senior Division, Miss Geovante Wells and Mr. Christian Williams, 1st Place Winners of the Gospel Duet at the National Arts Festival; Miss Bobbeth Colebrooke, 1st Place Winner of the new Providence J.A. Speech Competition and 2nd Place at the J.A. National Speech Competition and Mr. Charles Hamilton Jr., Winner of the 2015 Bahamas National Spelling Bee Finals.

Minister Fitzgerald began by saying that his visit was two-fold, “first and foremost to personally congratulate Charles Hamilton Jr. for walking away with the coveted title of 2015 Bahamas National Spelling Bee Champion, and secondly, to share a very special message with Charles and each and every student.”

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Minister Fitzgerald pictured with the students being celebrated at the Special Assembly. From L-R: Mrs. Cynthia Wells, Principal; Mr. Rico Neely, Winner of the National Young Chef Competition, Senior Division; Mr. Godfrey Arthur, 100m & 200m Winner of the Under 16 Boys 2015 High School Track and Field Nationals; Miss Devine Parker, 200m Winner of the Under 16 Girls and CARIFTA Qualifier; Minister of Education, Science and Technology, the Hon. Jerome K. Fitzgerald; Mr. Charles Hamilton Jr., 2015 Bahamas National Spelling Bee Champion; Mr. Christian Williams and Miss Geovantae Wells, 1st Place Winners of the Gospel Duet, National Arts Festival and Miss Bobbeth Colebrooke, 1st Place Winner of the Junior Achievement New Providence Speech Competition and 2nd Place J.A. National Speech Competition.

The Minister continued by sharing a personal story by stating that it all began on Thursday, 19th of March, 2015 when Charles and all the Spelling Bee Finalist were at his office as he presented them with their certificates and a gift. It was during this encounter that each student had the opportunity to make their introduction. When it was Charles’ turn to introduce himself and his coach, Fitzgerald stated, “I immediately saw myself some 40 years ago. I can vividly remember Charles standing in my conference room to introduce himself and not being able to get the words out of his mouth; he did not get frustrated or overwhelmed, he simply stopped, took a deep breath and started again. He took his breath and refocused and when the words did come out of his mouth, they rolled off his tongue effortlessly. As he opened his mouth to address us, I experienced an instant flashback to my childhood. You see, what many people do not know, is the fact that I had a speech impediment throughout most of my childhood and in fact I still have some days when I have trouble getting words out.”

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St. Anne’s younger students singing the school hymn, “Now Thank We All Our God” during the special assembly (Photo by Nikki Bethell).

Sharing his childhood experience and the difficulty he encountered with his speech, the Minister revealed a personal challenge that many person are unaware of. He continued, “when I was in school, particularly primary school I stammered very badly, so much so that I did not like to read aloud and I did not like English class because I was required to speak. As a result of my fear of being embarrassed, I gravitated towards Math because in my mind, I did not need to talk to be good in Math.”

With all eyes fixed on the Minister, and all students listening rather attentively, it was clear that he had captivated their attention and the look on Charles Hamilton’s eyes was one of sheer delight. He was mesmerized by the story being shared and often nodded his head in approval. Minister Fitzgerald shared the words of Eleanor Roosevelt who once said, “you gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do thing which you think you cannot do.” Continuing his personal story, Minster of Education, Science and Technology stated “I never thought that I would be good at public speaking, but what I knew was that I was determined give my best effort to conquer my fear of speaking publicly due to my speech impediment.”

One of the commonalities of Minister Fitzgerald and Charles Hamilton Jr, is the fact that they were both determined to overcome their fears and challenges and that by so doing, they have both achieved success. The Minister went further to state, “had I allowed my fear to deter me, I would not have joined the debate team in high school; had I allowed fear to deter me, I would not have gone on to become a lawyer; had I allowed my fear to deter me, I would not have become a successful entrepreneur, employing almost 200 persons in my thirties; if I had allowed my fear to deter me, I would not have entered politics and become the Minister of Education, Science and Technology. If I had allowed my fear to influence my belief in what I could or could not do, I would not have accomplished all that the Good Lord intended for me to accomplish.”

However, the Minister referred to the differences between Charles and himself, he noted that, “what I saw in Charles that differed from what I had experienced was his confidence to face his challenge head on at such an early age and not allow it to keep him from pursuing the desires of his heart.” Unlike Charles who broke out of his shell at an earlier age than Minister Fitzgerald, Charles entered the realm of public speaking at a much younger age.

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St. Anne’s high school students singing the school hymn, “Now Thank We All Our God” during the special assembly (Photo by Nikki Bethell).

Highlighting the fact that this message was not just for Charles Hamilton Jr., the Education Minister asserted that Charles is one to be admired because he is a role model and an inspiration to all; “Charles is a clear example to all children and adults, that no matter what challenges you face, with confidence and determination, you can overcome those fears and you can succeed. Too many people, both children and adults make excuses that they cannot accomplish certain things because of impediments or limitations. They fail before they even begin; simply because they do not have the courage to even try.”

What Charles has demonstrated not just by winning the championship but by even entering a spelling bee is that no matter what challenges you may face in life, the only thing that hinders your success is your attitude and your ability to overcome those challenges. Charles could have easily said that he would not allow himself to go through stammering in front of others and them knowing about his speech impediment but he chose not to. He chose to participate, he chose to try.

Acknowledging Charles’ admirable qualities the Minister emphasized those qualities and their benefits. Personally addressing Charles he stated, “you have displayed self-confidence, determination, focus, dedication and perseverance. I can assure all of you in attendance today, that if you continue to use these qualities as your guiding principles, you will always be successful in your endeavors.”

With very humbling words, the Minister spoke directly to Charles, “Charles, I want you to know that you are a true champion and a hero to me and many others for various reasons. You are a champion for overcoming your speech impediment and not allowing it to stop you from engaging in public speaking. You are a champion in the eyes of all individuals who have some sort of physical, neurological, or learning challenge; not just a speech impediment. You are a testament that with the right attitude, character and fortitude you can achieve anything.”

Before bidding the students farewell, he also recognized the other participants in the National Spelling Bee Finals by stating, “I also wish to extend my congratulations to all of Sunday’s participants and to Ms. Jasmin Adamson, the 2nd place winner and Ms. Prachi Kondapuram, the 3rd place winner. All of the finalists performed exceptionally well and I am proud of all of you for the hard work and commitment you put into preparing yourselves.”

He ended with well wishes for Charles during the next phase of his spelling adventure by concluding, “so, I salute you Charles, because you truly epitomize what it means to be an over-achiever; the qualities needed to achieve one’s goals and excel in life. And I also congratulate you on being this year’s Bahamian Spelling Bee Champion. I am confident that you will represent yourself, your school, your family and our country well as you travel to Washington D.C. to be a national ambassador and a speller extraordinaire.”


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Minister of Education, Science and Technology, the Honourable Jerome Fitzgerald addresses the student body of St. Anne’s School during a Special Assembly (Photo by Nikki Bethell).



Remarks By

The Honourable Jerome K. Fitzgerald

Minister Of Education, Science And Technology

At A

Special Assembly

For The

2015 Bahamas National Spelling Bee Champion

At

St. Anne’s School

Fox Hill

Nassau, Bahamas

Tuesday, 24th March, 2015

9:00 A.M.



SALUTATIONS:

Mrs. Cynthia Wells, Principal

Mr. Curt Hollingsworth, Vice Principal

Mrs. Nicolette Archer Vice Principal

Mrs. Arlene Major Senior Mistress

Mrs. Joann Whylly Senior Mistress

Fr. Kabiga - Chaplin

Mr. Charles Hamilton Jr., 2015 Bahamas National Spelling Bee Champion

Teachers;

Students;

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good morning.

It is such a pleasure for me to be in Blue Wave territory this morning, first and foremost to personally congratulate Charles Hamilton Jr. for walking away with the coveted title of 2015 Bahamas National Spelling Bee Champion, and secondly, to share a very special message with Charles and each and every student under the sound of my voice.

It all began last Thursday when I had the privilege of meeting the Spelling Bee finalists at my office and presenting them with certificates and a gift.

It was during this encounter that each student had the opportunity to make their introduction and as it came upon Charles’ turn to introduce himself and his coach, I immediately saw myself some 40 years ago. As he opened his mouth to address us, I experienced an instant flashback to my childhood. You see, what many people do not know, is the fact that I had a speech impediment throughout most of my childhood and in fact I still have some days when I have trouble getting words out.

When I was in school, particularly primary school I stammered very badly, so much so that I didn’t like to read aloud and I didn’t like English class because I was required to speak. As a result of my fear of being embarrassed, I gravitated towards math because in my mind, I didn’t need to talk to be good in math.

Eleanor Roosevelt once said that “you gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do thing which you think you cannot do.” I never thought that I would be good at public speaking, but what I knew was that I was determined give my best effort to conquer my fear of speaking publicly due to my speech impairment.

Had I allowed my fear to deter me, I would not have joined the debate team in high school; had I allowed fear to deter me, I would not have gone on to become a lawyer, had I allowed my fear to deter me, I would not have become a successful entrepreneur at one time employing almost 200 persons in my thirties; If I had allowed my fear to deter me, I would not have entered politics and become the Minister of Education. If I had allowed my fear to influence my belief in what I could or could not do, I would not have accomplished all that the Good Lord intended for me to accomplish.

What I saw in Charles that differed from what I had experienced was his confidence to face his challenge head on at such an early age and not allow it to keep him from pursuing the desires of his heart.

I have come to honour Charles because he is a clear example to all children and adults, that no matter what challenges you face, with confidence and determination, you can overcome those fears and you can succeed. Too many people, both children and adults make excuses that they cannot accomplish certain things because of impediments or limitations. They fail before they even begin; simply because they do not have the courage to even try.

What Charles has demonstrated not just by winning the championship but by even entering a spelling bee is that no matter what challenges you may face in life, the only thing that hinders your success is your attitude and your ability to overcome those challenges. Charles could have easily said that he would not allow himself to go through stammering in front of others and them knowing about his speech impediment but he chose not to. He chose to participate, he chose to try.

I can vividly remember Charles standing in my conference room to introduce himself and not being able to get the words out of his mouth; he did not get frustrated or overwhelmed, he simply stopped, took a deep breath and started again. He took his breath and refocused and when the words did come out of his mouth, they rolled off his tongue effortlessly.

Charles, I want you to know that you are a true champion and a hero to me and many others for various reasons.

You are a champion for overcoming your speech impediment and not allowing it to stop you from engaging in public speaking. You are a champion in the eyes of all individuals who have some sort of physical neurological and learning challenge not just a speech impediment. You are a testament, that with the right attitude character and fortitude you can achieve anything.

You have displayed self-confidence, determination, focus, dedication and perseverance. I can assure all of you in attendance today, that if you continue to use these qualities as your guiding principles, you will always be successful in your endeavors.

So, I salute you Charles, because you truly epitomize what it means to be an over-achiever; the qualities needed to achieve ones goals and exceed in life. And I also congratulate you on being this year’s Bahamian Spelling Bee Champion. I am confident you will represent yourself, your school, your family and our Country well in Washington D.C.

I also wish to extend my congratulations to all of Sunday’s participants and to Ms. Jamsin Adamson, the 2nd place winner and Ms. Prachi Kondapuram (kon-da-pu-ram), the 3rd place winner. All of the finalist performed exceptionally well and I am proud of all of you for the hard work and commitment you put into preparing yourselves.

Once again, congratulations to Charles Hamilton Jr. and all the best as you travel to Washington to be a national ambassador and speller extraordinaire.

Thank you.

God bless you, and God bless the Commonwealth of The Bahamas!



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