Cayon High School has reason to celebrate as the school was awarded the 2017-2018 Hands Literacy Award by Hands Across the Sea.

The award recognizes Cayon High as the top school for the advancement of child literacy on St. Kitts and Nevis and two years of literacy success that resulted in a first-class lending library and an enthusiastic team of 30 Student Librarians. The Hands Literacy Award prize is USD $1,000 in new books or literacy resources of the school’s choice.

Generous multiyear funding for the project was supplied by the Christophe Harbour Foundation. Charles Darby, Director of Development for Christophe Harbour, was on-hand to present the award alongside Hands. "We are beyond thrilled that in just two years time Cayon High has made such tremendous progress in their literacy programs,” said Darby. "The school has worked diligently to instill a love of the library and reading in the students and it certainly shows." Mr. Darby added that the ongoing support from Christophe Harbour Foundation is a clear indicator of the organization's continued commitment to St. Kitts’s youth and the community.

“At Hands Across the Sea, our mission is to give every child on St. Kitts and Nevis access to a lending library of new, exciting, age-appropriate and culturally relevant reading material,” says Harriet Linskey, Executive Director of Hand Across the Sea. “Thanks to the Christophe Harbour Foundation, which has funded a total of 782 brand new, top-quality books and one Remedial Reading Toolkit for Cayon High School over the past two years. We also thank Principal Francil Morris, Librarian Mr. Charles, Heidi Fagerberg, the Hands Literacy Link for St. Kitts and Nevis (who trained the Student Librarians) and the St. Kitts Ministry of Education for being such wonderful partners in education.”