Nassau, Bahamas [Barrington Brennen/IAD]
A Seventh-day Adventist teacher was awarded Teacher of the Year at the Eighth National Teacher of the Year Awards for the Ministry of Education in The Bahamas during a special gala event held in Nassau on April 5th. Marcia Denise Musgrove was among 12 finalists who were chosen from the 159 public schools located on the sixteen islands in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.
Musgrove, a member of Grant’s Town Seventh-day Adventist Church in Nassau, is a science educator posted at C.V. Bethel Senior High School. She is a biology and marine science instructor, coordinates the Magnet Marine Science program, and is homeroom teacher for Grade 12.
Musgrove is the second Adventist teacher in five years to be chosen as Teacher of the Year in The Bahamas. She is a graduate of Bahamas Academy, the College of The Bahamas, and the College of Charleston in South Carolina where she completed a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology (summa cum laude).
“I enjoy the energy and enthusiasm of youth, the intellectual stimulation of learning, the opportunities for personal growth in an environment that is demanding and socially dynamic, and most of all the privilege of helping to build the community and nation I envision, by stretching the minds of my students with new thoughts, experiences, hope and possibilities,” said Musgrove.
According to the Nassau Guardian prizes included $7,000 in cash, a weekend stay at a local resort, an all-expense paid trip to an international conference, and the prestigious Crystal Lamp of Learning.
Musgrove was awarded the title of “National Teacher of the Year 2008-2010.” She also received awards for professional development, outstanding contributions to education and teaching proficiency. She attributes her success as a teacher to an ‘on-growing’ faith in God and expresses gratitude to many of her own teachers who inspired her career choice.
