Friday, March 29, 2024

Caye Education Foundation is proud to sponsor ten SPHS graduates, including Valedictorian and others with honors

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Over the past four years, ten students attending the San Pedro High School (SPHS) received scholarship support from the island-based Caye Education Foundation (CEF) non-profit organization. The foundation aims to guide and help the students so they could successfully graduate. The efforts turned out very fruitful as this year’s Valedictorian and Salutatorian were among the seven of the ten students that graduated with honors.

The CEF was created in 2017, and the ten students were selected via an arduous criteria/vetting process. The scholarship was not only financial, but students received books, uniforms, tutoring, counseling (when necessary). They were even rewarded with a fun day trip to Caye Caulker after completing their first year at SPHS.

CEF Board Members closely followed these ten students, paying attention to each of their mid and end-of-semester grades. If, for some reason, a student fell behind with a grade less than a ‘B,’ a CEF Board Member would meet with them and their parents/guardians. The leading cause for a drop in grades was usually because an assignment was not submitted. Once this hurdle was addressed, their grades would quickly improve. Counseling and tutoring also played a vital role in motivating students with difficulties in completing their studies.

The foundation required students to maintain a ‘B’ average grade to continue receiving assistance from the scholarship. CEF, however, realized that it might not be possible for some students to maintain such grades, but their push was for them to graduate.

After four years, CEF was proud to see their first group of ten students graduating. Below are their names and the honors they received.

 

Name Honor
Marilyn Cuellar Honor Roll / Valedictorian
Ninel Pacheco Honor Roll / Salutatorian
Keyla Chi Honor Roll
Bristind Ramirez Honor Roll
Analuisa Sanchez Honor Roll
Axel Patt Honor Roll
Angel McNab Honor Roll
Estrellalisa Martinez Graduated
Osvaldo Melendez Graduated
Astrid Ruiz Graduated

One of the students, Estrellalisa Martinez, shared that she went through a tough time after losing her mother. She thanked CEF for believing in her and graduating. “Your generosity has inspired me to help others and give back to my community as well,” said Martinez. “I hope to one day to make a difference in a student’s life, just how you have made a difference in mine.”

CEF is extremely proud of the students who graduated. They are glad to have met them and could assist with their educational career, thanks to generous donors. Hopefully, this will inspire others to contribute to/support students currently in high school and those pursuing post-graduate academic careers.

While helping these students, the foundation collected additional funds and sponsored several more students in high school. These students proved to be a bit difficult and needed constant supervision. According to CEF, some needed more attention, while others did not. The foundation looks forward to continuing its support and see another success story.

The challenge now is finding ways to support the freshly graduated students looking to pursue tertiary education. Raising funds to help them and their families will depend on more generous donations, despite the financial hardships incurred by the pandemic.

Anyone able and willing to donate towards the education of more deserving island students can do so by sending an email to [email protected] or calling +501 627-8700.

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