A
COMBINATION:
A Letter from the Chair of the Development Committee, Andy Ridall
I first became involved with Lyford Cay International School ten
years ago, while still at university. Fortunately, the sensible
folks running Middlebury College realised the futility of
scholarship in the depths of January, and encouraged us
to go off and do something interesting for winter term. A
friend involved with LCIS mentioned the need for a tutor
and I spent a glorious six weeks in The Bahamas helping the
students with their English lessons and coaching PE.
Looking back on that experience, I am struck by two things. First,
the progress that has been made. Just a decade ago, there was
no IB programme and the upper school was still in its infancy. With
the support of a generous community, school leadership past
and present resolved to put LCIS on its current path. Today,
LCIS can lay good claim to the title of premier independent school
in the Caribbean region. We all owe a debt of gratitude
to the visionary supporters who have brought us this far.
My second observation is how much has remained the same
over ten plus years. EP Taylor’s warm and vibrant island school,
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at ease in its unique environment and attuned to its time-
honoured traditions, still stands true to its original intent. As a
father with two young boys of my own at LCIS, now more than
ever, I appreciate the singularity of this school. The treasured
combination of a small community, a strong sense of place
and true cultural diversity is an exceedingly rare harmony.
Henry Ford once wrote, “[i]f money is your hope for independence,
you will never have it. The only real security that a man will
have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience and
ability.” His point was to exalt competence over wealth, but I
also read in these words a strong justification for educational
philanthropy, an illustration of the most important thing that
a dollar can buy. The money that we raise through the LCIS
Annual Fund supports the formation of knowledge, experience
and ability in our children. Our success in these endeavours
is proportional to the degree of security and independence
they will one day carry with them into the unknown. I can
think of no greater investment into our collective future.