Applications are being accepted by dms for the 2010 Joanna Clarke Excellence in Education Award and the newly created Joanna Clarke Scholarship Fund.

They will be accepted through 1 April.

Applications are being circulated throughout Cayman Islands’ schools and are available at the award website www.joannaclarke.ky. Those eligible for consideration include teachers, students, parent teacher associations and schools.

The JCA criteria are:

Contribute to and promote excellence in education in the Cayman Islands

Be sustainable and measurable

Contribute to increased parental and/or community involvement in education

Be affiliated with a reputable educational institution or organization

Demonstrate a proven history in successful education projects and/or teaching

Contingency for leadership

Previous recipients of the JCA include last year’s winner, the N.C.V.O.’s Nadine Andreas Residential Foster Home for its Accessing Computer Aided Learning programme and runner-up - Cayman Islands Scout Association for Cayman Islands Scout Band. The 2008 recipient was John Gray High School for its “Blueprint for Literacy” initiative which aimed to ensure that all high school students, upon graduation, will be able to perform at their grade levels and pass at least four external exams. The 2007 recipient was Savannah Primary School PTA, which used the funding to pay for new playground equipment.

The JCA Committee will carefully review all applications submitted, and if several worthy projects are identified, they may provide grants to multiple organizations up to $12,000 KYD in total. Recognizing the importance of private sector support for education, dms introduced the award to honour Ms. Clarke in 2006, and publicly acknowledge the efforts of all persons and organizations that contribute to education in the Cayman Islands.