IMPACT: Annual Report 2019-20 2019-20 | Page 6

Scholarships

It has been said in many previous reports that the Annual Fund is a forward fund - meaning donations received in a given year are used for strategic enhancements in the following year . However , LCIS takes this a step further with its Scholarship Programme , allowing the School to make a proactive long-term commitment to Bahamian students .
Funds raised each year are used to support financial aid and scholarship budget allotments two years out , allowing the school ease in financial planning as well as providing security to the families supported by the programme . Recipients and applicants can rest assured that funds will be available in future years .
In the 2019-20 fiscal year , funds raised for the Annual Fund were affected by Hurricane Dorian and the COVID-19 pandemic . The fact that LCIS had already raised the scholarship funding needed for the 2020-21 school year from two years before allowed us to retain our current scholarship students and to welcome additional students to our diverse community .
In addition to the students we had planned to support last school year , we were faced with the unexpected opportunity to assist a student whose school had been destroyed by the devastation that Hurricane Dorian inflicted on the island of Abaco . Michael “ Caleb ” Johnson , a Grade 9 student at the time , joined our school community in October from Forest Heights Academy in Marsh Harbour .
LCIS faculty and staff were asked whether they would like to support Caleb ’ s enrolment at the school , and there was a resounding agreement to do so . Caleb was an exemplary student and was deeply involved in various extracurricular activities at LCIS , including the Choir and Junior Junkanoo . Although he returned to Abaco this school year , his story remains a powerful example of what we can achieve by coming together .
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