Raise the bar!

They were told to raise the bar. That was the theme for the National Commercial Bank (NCB) Foundation's reception on Wednesday, as they congratulated their 2010 scholarship recipients.

It was revealed that during the interviews to select an overall champion from the 14 parish winners, the selection panel had to choose two - one male, one female - because the candidates were just that good. The winners were Chevel Burke and Princeton Brown.

Group Managing Director of NCB, Patrick Hylton, opined to all the recipients (some from previous years) "Jamaica is our oyster and you are its pearls."

Chairman of NCB, Michael Lee-Chin, gave them 'the charge', telling them "your journey has just begun." He reminded them that they would now be competing against the world and that the standards they were used to may not suffice anymore. He also encouraged them to look around, see what problems are festering, and be bold enough to take action to eliminate them before they become too large.

It wasn't all talk, though, as the encouraging words were interspersed with spicy dancing from Salsa Jamaica and a cameo from Tami Chynn, who made the recipients promise to maximise their opportunity.

The foundation has donated over $200 million to education since 2006, in the form of scholarships to various age groups, but with a focus on the tertiary-level students. As long as the students maintain a grade average set by the foundation, the assistance lasts for the duration of their schooling.