Trista Williams (front row - second from the left) and the other honour students with their advisors (Photo courtesy of the HLSCC)

A former student of the Washington Archibald High School (WAHS) in St. Kitts, is among nine students who were inducted in Tortola’s H. Lavity Stoutt Community College’s (HLSCC) Phi Theta Kappa International Honours Society.

Trista Williams was inducted during a brief ceremony at in the Atrium of the Paraquita Bay Campus, Tortola on Wednesday 26th May.

A former student of Slack’s Pre-School and the Maurice Hillier Memorial School, Trista is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Erasmus Williams of Keys Housing Development, St. Kitts.
The other students are Brenda Brooks, Craig Cole, Denely Fraser, Lonnie George, Jahmal Osborne, Nikkea Roberts, Ajani Skelton and Esteban Smith, several of whom are expected to graduate from HLSCC this year.

According to BVI Newsonline.com, Associate Vice President (Operations, Human Resources and Quality Assurance), Dr. Christine Hodge, congratulated the students and urged them to continue their work of excellence as they move on to further their studies or as they enter the world of work.

“Keep those grades up,” said Dr. Hodge. “This is just the beginning for you. As you move out of this college, remember that your good work should by all means continue from where you left off here at HLSCC.”

President of the HLSCC’s chapter, Jareem Williams, and President of the Student Government Association, Loay Jabre, himself a member of the honours society, gave brief remarks. Lecturer, Richard Georges, one of the advisors, conducted the formal induction of the students.

“Beta Omicron Sigma” is HLSCC’s chapter of the PTK International Honours Society.
Chartered on 28 May 2006, the programme started with five advisors and 31 students. Today, the BOS chapter has seven advisors and over 50 students. The initiative requires students to have at least 12 hours of degree course work and a minimum Grade Point Average of 3.6. To remain a member, students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.5.

PTK is the international honour society of two-year colleges. It is the largest honour society in American higher education with more than two million members and 1200 chapters located in all 50 of the United States, U.S. territories, Canada, Germany, and elsewhere, including here at HLSCC in the British Virgin Islands.

PTK aims to recognize and encourage scholarship among two-year college students and, typically, members get the opportunity to apply for transfer scholarships that are offered.
Membership is also noted on college transcripts.

The H. Lavity Stoutt Community College was established in 1990 as the British Virgin Islands Community College under the College Act of that year. The institution was subsequently renamed in honour of the founding chairman of the College's Board of Governors, the late Chief Minister, Hon. H. Lavity Stoutt. In fact, the concept of the British Virgin Islands Community College had been developed as far back as 1982 by the founding Chairman. With a change in Government in 1983, the idea of a Community College was put on a hold, resurfacing in 1986.

A Focus Committee, chaired by the late Dr. Norwell Harrigan, was organised to hold discussions with the general public and to obtain feedback on the viability of an institution of tertiary education for the British Virgin Islands. After meeting with various community groups, the Focus Committee submitted its report and recommendations to the British Virgin Islands Government.

In January 1989, the College Project Office was opened and staffed by Mrs. Eileene Parsons, who later became Registrar/Bursar of the College. Dr. Nolen Ellison, President of Cuyahoga Community College, in consultation with Dr. Janet Smith, also of Cuyahoga, use the report of the Focus Committee as a critical component of the resource material necessary to get the College Project off the ground. On recommendation of Drs Smith and Ellison, four Task Forces were instituted to begin the preliminary planning stages of the College.

A Board of Governors was established and held its inaugural meeting on March 10, 1989. At that meeting an Executive Committee was appointed. This Executive Committee was authorised to operate on behalf of the Board between Board Meetings, which would be held twice a year. In June 1989 Dr. John Wallace of Vermot was appointed to provide guidance to the early operations of the College. Dr. Theodore Provo was appointed President in November 1989. By the end of 1989, a building was rented for conducting classes, part-time instructors were appointed, and the College's first courses were approved. Although it was hoped that classes would have commenced in September 1989, the devastation suffered by the Territory as a result of Hurricane Hugo put all plans on hold.

The H. Lavity Stoutt Community College held its opening ceremony on January 14, 1990, and classes commenced on January 15 with 135 students enrolled in nine-teen (19) courses taught by active and retired teachers and civil servants as well as persons from the private sector.

The College originally was on the quarter system for credit earning purposes. In 1990, however, at the November meeting of the Board of Governors, a decision was taken to adopt the semester of fifteen (15) weeks, with fifteen (15) contact hours being equivalent to one credit.