From Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce

Amidst the setting of a Golden Apple themed and sparkling ballroom at The Westin, Grand Cayman Seven Mile Beach Resort & Spa, the 2013 Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Teaching Awards Gala was a great success. The event took place on November 30, 2013 and was the culmination of months of preparation. Over 200 guests inclusive of the Deputy Governor, the Minister of Education and other ministry officials, honourees and their families, colleagues and friends attended to celebrate the educational fraternity in the Cayman Islands. Special thanks were extended to Partner in Education, Dart Enterprises Ltd., and Lifetime Achievement sponsor, Maples and Calder. The Reception Sponsor for the evening was KPMG and other corporate sponsors included Rubis Cayman Islands, Conyers Dill and Pearman, Deutsche Bank, The Westin, Grand Cayman, CML TV, Scotiabank & Trust (Cayman) Ltd, Caribbean Utilities Company (CUC) Ltd., and INTEC Research Production Services.

After the cocktail reception with champagne sponsored by Cayman Distributors Group, the 2013 Golden Apple Chair, Ms. Angelyn Hernandezopened the evening’s proceedings with a warm welcome on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce and the Golden Apple Committee. Chamber President Chris Duggan gave remarks stressing the importance of teachers who strive for excellence moulding the leaders of tomorrow. Mr Duggan further stated “This is one of the reasons I was so motivated to resurrect the Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Teaching.”

Honourable Tara Rivers, Minister of Education, Employment & Gender Affairs, highlighted the Ministry’s support in partnering with the Chamber on the Golden Apple Awards. The Minister lauded the accomplishments of each honouree and the importance of teacher’s roles in ensuring the citizens of the Cayman Islands are able to compete globally and actively contribute to the community.

Each honouree was presented with a beautiful crystal Golden Apple Award presented by the Honourable Tara Rivers and Mr. Chris Duggan. In fine style, each honouree’s biography was read along with a pre-recorded video clip before the award recipient was announced.

The esteemed Golden Apple recipients were:

Primary School Teacher in a Private School – Denise Orosa of Montessori by the Sea;

Primary School Teacher in a Public School – Heather Williams of The Lighthouse School;

High School Teacher in a Private School – David Rennie of Cayman Prep & High School;

High School Teacher in a Public School – Kirkpatrick Clarke of Clifton Hunter High School; and

Principal in a Private or Public School – Samantha Tibbetts of Hope Academy.

Mrs. Janilee Clifford, a stalwart in education, was bestowed the Golden Apple Lifetime Achievement Award amidst a roar of applause and praises. In addition to their trophies and cash awards, recipients also received Camana Bay gift cards compliments of Dart Enterprises, Ltd., Certificates from Dolphin Discovery, dinner vouchers compliments of The Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman, fuel vouchers from Rubis Cayman Islands, computer training certificates from UWI Open Campus and a Blackberry Q5 compliments of LIME.

All recipients gave heartfelt comments which touched everyone in the audience.

Mrs. Janilee Clifford was thankful. “My sincere gratitude and appreciation to the Chamber of Commerce and staff who spent so much time and effort to make the 2013 Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Teaching such a success. As the ‘Lifetime Achievement Recipient’ I will always treasure it as the most important honour received throughout my teaching career.”

Ms. Denise Orosa from Montessori By The Sea commented “The Golden Apple Awards evening was a truly wonderful way to acknowledge the dedication and love that all teachers give to their children. It was inspiring to have so many educators come together to celebrate their shared passion and vocation! Thanks go to the Chamber of Commerce for its efforts to recognize the important role teachers play in the community!”

Heather Williams from the Lighthouse School had similar sentiments “I am particularly honoured to have been a recipient of the award of Primary School Teacher in a Public School. As an educator, I never usually look forward to much recognition, but I certainly do appreciate an occasional “pat on the back”. Miss William further acknowledges those who took the time to nominate her, “I am thankful to the parents and other persons who nominated me, and to the Chamber of Commerce for spearheading such a noteworthy event.”

Outside of the main award recipients, Honourees for the evening also included Hayley Dilbert and Gill Comins of St. Ignatius Catholic School, Tanya Whiteside of George Town Primary, Audrey Gayle of John Gray High School and Robert Lankford of Triple C School. “I sure do appreciate all that went into the Golden Apple Awards initiative – all done to recognize educators’ efforts and call attention to a profession that contributes greatly to our community. As one of this year’s honouree’s, I was humbled, knowing that there are so many deserving individuals out there in our public and private schools.” Robert (Bob) Lankford, Triple C School

Organisations interested in supporting this worthy cause for the next Golden Apple Awards slated for 2015 are welcome to do so by contacting Tiffany Ebanks at [email protected] .

Photos by: Courtney Platt Photography