2006 Press Releases
Ambassador Rood Says Thanks to Supporters of his Reading Program Initiative
October 26, 2006
In January 2004, only months after his arrival to The Bahamas as United States Ambassador, His Excellency John Rood embarked on a reading program that would positively impact the lives of hundreds of children in schools in New Providence and throughout the Family of Islands. This initiative has promoted literacy amongst the youth and encouraged children to read for fun and to develop a lifelong love for books.
The reading program was launched at the Woodcock Primary School and was adopted by the U.S. Embassy as its ‘neighborhood school’. Each Wednesday an average of ten Embassy staff volunteers lead by Ambassador Rood go to Woodcock Primary and read to the students in the various grades from 1 – 6.
To further enhance the Woodcock Primary Reading Program and to encourage the private sector to initiate similar programs in the schools, Ambassador Rood added a ‘Celebrity Reader’ component to the program in September 2005. Celebrity readers have included Permanent Secretaries Mr. Archie Nairn and Mrs. Camille Johnson; Mr. Vernon Burrows, Director of Immigration; Junkanoo Leaders, Gus Cooper, Percy ‘Vola’ Francis, Mrs. Arlene Nash-Ferguson, and Jackson Burnside; Educator, Dr. Rhonda Chipman-Johnson; Businessmen Mr. Gershon Major and Mr. Peter Gilcuid; journalists Jessica Robinson, Lindsay Thompson, Vonique Toote and former ZNS News Anchor, Judy Hamilton; entertainer, Ronnie Butler, athlete Chris Brown, actor, Sir Sean Connery, and Mr. David McGrath, Honorary Consul for Panama.
Because of the positive response to this initiative and because of the wonderful interactions with Bahamian students, Ambassador Rood decided to take the reading program to other schools in New Providence and to expand it to Family Islands schools. To date, Ambassador Rood has visited 14 schools in New Providence and 13 schools in the Family Islands including Eleuthera, Harbour Island, Grand Bahama, Abaco and Exuma. Each of the schools receives a donation of books, a framed photograph of United States First Lady Laura Bush -- a former librarian and educator, and a letter congratulating the school for their efforts to promote literacy.
The visits to the schools have been an enriching cultural experience for Ambassador Rood. At each school, students showcase their many talents in the form of skits, dramatic presentations, song and prose.
In an expression of thanks and appreciation to those who have contributed to the success of the reading program, including principals and administrators, teachers, celebrity readers and Embassy volunteers, Ambassador Rood hosted a reception in their honor at his Sandford Drive Residence October 25. School Principals were presented with the Laura Bush letter and photograph at this event.