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Mrs. Arlene Nash Ferguson was born in
Nassau, and educated at St. John’s College and the Government High
School. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History from
McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada, a Post-Graduate Diploma
in Education from the University of the West Indies (Mona Campus),
and a Masters in Education [Administration and Supervision] from
the University of Miami. |
A veteran educator, Mrs.
Ferguson served in the field of Education for twenty-four years,
during which time she held the positions of Senior Mistress at the
Government High School, lecturer in History and Assistant
Chairperson of the Social Sciences Division of the College of the
Bahamas, and Vice Principal of both the Preparatory and Secondary
Departments of St. John’s College, The last nine years of her
service in the field of Education were spent as Principal of St.
John’s College, the largest school operated by the Anglican
Diocese in the Bahamas. Mrs. Ferguson has impacted upon thousands
of young Bahamians. She has shared with her students her belief in
the importance of developing the whole person, the Christian
obligation to use all talents to the fullest and an appreciation
for the culture of the Bahamas.
Mrs. Ferguson is an avid proponent of
Bahamian culture, and has participated in the Junkanoo parades
from the age of four. She served on the National Junkanoo
Committee for twenty-four years, and is the founding Secretary of
the One Family Junkanoo and Community Organization. She has been
an active participant in One Family’s Community Outreach Program
and has co-chaired the One Family Book Fair ‘Rush To Read’ [1994],
the One Family Health A-Fair ‘Rush To Live’ in 1997, the One
Family Youth Symposium in the year 2000, and the One Family
Junkanoo Summer Camp [1998-2003].
Mrs. Ferguson
was the recipient of the Links Inc. ‘Unsung Hero in the Arts’
award, and has been recognized by the Ministry of Tourism for her
long service to the National Junkanoo Committee, and her
outstanding participation in the People to People Program. In 1997
she was selected by the Ministry of Tourism to represent the
Bahamas on the Bahamas Customs Inspection Sticker.
As the Director of Publishing for
Doongalik Studios [1997-2000], Mrs. Ferguson published her first
book ‘I Come To Get Me! An inside look at the Junkanoo Festival’
which has been highly acclaimed.
Mrs. Ferguson is the Co-Founder
and present Director of Educulture Bahamas Ltd, an enterprise that
offers support services to schools, cultural and educational
consultancies, and houses a Junkanoo Museum and Resource Center.
Among Educulture’s many achievements, is the taking of a
delegation of one hundred five Junkanoos to perform in the closing
ceremony of the 8th IAAF Championships in Athletics, in
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, in August of 2001.
Mrs. Ferguson
is presently an Executive Member of the Junkanoo Development
Association, the National Commission on Cultural Development, and
the co-host of the popular weekly radio talk show 'Junkanoo
Talks!' She is the daughter of Mrs.
Olga Bosfield Nash and the late H. O. Nash. She is married to Mr.
Silbert Ferguson, the Assistant Controller at the Wyndham Crystal
Palace, and the couple has two children. The family attends Holy
Cross Anglican Church.
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