South Eleuthera Students Awarded $184,000 in Scholarship Funds

Curchara Taylor, Nicoya Taylor, Anyce Butler, Waydeisha Sands and Serrano Gibson will head north this fall to continue their educations

(Deep Creek, Eleuthera)—Deep Creek Middle School (DCMS) announced six Grade 9 students have been accepted into US boarding schools and will receive $184,000 in scholarship awards. Students will matriculate to: Anyce Butler (Hebron Academy – ME);  Waydeisha Sands (Kents Hill – ME); Nicoya Taylor (Episcopal – VA); Curchara Taylor (Garrison Forrest – MD); Serrano Gibson (Marvelwood – CT); Tyler Maxey (Lawrenceville – NJ).

Individual scholarships ranged from $27,000-$44,000 to support each student’s tuition, room, and board expenses.

"Students who leave Deep Creek Middle School attend a variety of secondary schools including public and private schools in Eleuthera and Nassau. We also support families who are interested in pursuing boarding schools in the United States by helping with school selection, test preparation and applications. Usually, about two to four students pursue this path. This year, however, we had a remarkable number of interested parties and nine students applied overseas," explained Dr. Joanna Paul, Principal.

This DCMS group will join 13 other DCMS graduates who have earned scholarship to study abroad, altogether receiving $330,000 next year. The total money awarded to students from South Eleuthera attending boarding schools over the last five years totals $1.4 million. This amount matches the DCMS budget since its founding, providing an equal return on the investment of money into the program.

"It is remarkable that we have had so much success in gaining such financial support for the students of Eleuthera in this economic climate. This speaks to both the extensive preparation that these students undertook as well as the quality of the education that these elite schools perceive them to be getting at Deep Creek Middle School. This shows that the world values what we are doing in this small school," remarked Dr. Paul.