Freeport, Bahamas – As the school years start for all children in The Bahamas, Lucaya International School is celebrating above average results from their International Baccalaureate program and the the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) examinations.

LIS had ten students out of its sixteen graduates take the demanding and highly respected IB Diploma Programme examinations. In late July results published showed that ninety percent (90) of the graduates of the 2008 IB class were awarded the prestigious IB Diploma. “This is an exceptional achievement for a small school,” said Head Master Mark Gifford, “we in fact surpassed the average pass rate which was 78% internationally.” (http://www.ibo.org/announcements/ibawardsdiplomas.cfm)

These LIS students now hold their own among the 30,000 students worldwide who were awarded their diplomas in the May examinations. The LIS IB students and their fellow graduates have all now gone on to attend various International Universities and Colleges of their choice. Some of these include: University of Manchester, Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt and Kingston upon Thames in the United Kingdom, McGill University in Canada, Linden University in Missouri and University of Tilburg in The Netherlands. These former LIS students are now enrolled in majors including French, Drama, Masters in Engineering and Pre Med (2nd year entry).

To add to this wonderful news the school is also very pleased with the results from the Year 11 students who took the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) examinations in May. “They all preformed beyond our expectations and produced some very encouraging results,” declared Gifford. “Top honors went to Conner Goodrum with the outstanding results of five A* and two A grades, Natalia Gonzalez 3 A & 3 B and Revanno Smith who received 1 A, 4 B & 1 C.”

The IGCSE examinations are set by London University and are taken in over 100 countries worldwide. IGCSE courses are renowned for developing vital educational skills, including recall of knowledge, oral skills, problem solving, initiative, team work and investigative skills which is the main theory behind the LIS school curriculum. Gifford also noted that the student’s results were particularly pleasing as these students were the first to take these prestigious examinations in the school and they had less than a year to prepare instead of the normal two years.

“We changed to the IGCSE last year,” commented Nigel Kirkby, LIS High School Coordinator, “they are set to the same level as the BGCSE’s that are taken by many Bahamian students but these exams are one of the most recognized qualifications in the world.” With the results gained, the 9 students entered by the school managed to perform above the national average with 5A*’s, 6A’s, 13 B’s and 14 C’s.

Many of last years 11th year students have now begun their two-year IB program which can open the doors to some of the finest universities around the world. The IB diploma can enable students to gain university credits that allow students to either, enter directly into the second year of a degree or straight in to a masters program.

The Bahamas Wahoo Championship is pleased to announce that it has partnered with one of the finest resorts and marinas in the Bahamas, Old Bahama Bay by Ginn Sur Mer, to host the 1st Leg of the 2008-2009 Bahamas Wahoo Championship season. The dates are November 12 to November 15, 2008.

“We are very excited to be able to partner with Old Bahama Bay and bring our participating anglers all of the comfort, service and amenities of a Four Diamond Award rated resort combined with some of the finest Wahoo fishing in the Bahamas- Raul Miranda-Tournament Director”.

Old Bahama Bay by Ginn Sur Mer is located 56 nautical miles west of Palm Beach. The newly renovated world class marina, under the able leadership of Dock Master Peter Watson, has 72 slips plus Bahamas Customs and Immigration clearance facilities.

Hotel accommodations are available with 67 Junior Suites and 6 two bedroom suites. There is one gourmet restaurant, Aqua, and the more informal Bonefish Folley’s Bar and Grill.

The main channel entrance to the Marina is 13’ deep and the inner basin is 8’ deep at mean low tide. The channel entrance is well lit for night navigation.

For further information on the Bahamas Wahoo Championship please contact Raul V Miranda - Tournament Director: at rvmiranda@hotmail.com. Or Sue Graves- Organizing Committee Member at sgraves@moneypit.com, telephone 954-456-1840, Fax 954-456-4468. The web site is www.bahamaswahoo.com. Entry to the tournament will be handled directly with the Tournament Committee.

Reservations for Marina slips and hotel accommodations will be taken on a first come basis by Old Bahama Bay. Contact Naomi Woodside nwoodside@ginncompany.com telephone 1-242-350-6500 and/or Tanya Wright twright@ginncompany.com telephone 1-242-350-6500.

The second leg of the Bahamas Wahoo Championship will be held February 2-4, 2009 at a venue to be announced and the third and final leg will be held at Chub Cay, Berry Islands February 25-28, 2009.

Nassau, The Bahamas - Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. has changed the name of the Sheraton Cable Beach Resort, located in Nassau, The Bahamas, to Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort. The new name is effective immediately.

The resort's name change was made in response to Nassau's increasing recognition as a leading destination in the region among travelers and visitors to the island.

"Nassau has become one of the most popular destination spots in The Bahamas and is very familiar to those traveling to the islands," said Tim Rector, vice president of sales and marketing for Starwood's Caribbean region. "It was only natural that we change the hotel's name to Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort to capitalize on Nassau's growing appeal, while also preserving our unrivaled beach location."

The Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort, which celebrated its grand opening in January 2008, features an array of amenities and dining options, providing a fresh and inviting guest experience to the Bahamas. Situated on a 1,000-foot stretch of one of Nassau's spectacular white-sand beaches, the resort is set on seven exquisite acres of stunning waterscape, including three freshwater pools with flowing waterfalls, a swim-up bar and oversized whirlpools nestled among tropical landscaping. The resort houses six restaurants and lounges serving a variety of island specialties and international cuisine.

The 694-room Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort offers accommodations featuring a large private balcony or patio. Rooms are equipped with high-speed Internet access, LCD flat-screen televisions and the signature Sheraton Sweet Sleeper? Bed ? a multi-layered creation adorned with voluptuous down pillows, sensuous cotton sheets and a signature blanket and duvet.

The Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort is 15 minutes from Nassau's Lynden Pindling International Airport, which is serviced by a number of domestic and international carriers.

BIMINI, Bahamas, September 8, 2008 ¬— John Bull, The Bahamas premier retailer of luxury goods, hosted a grand opening celebration for its new store located at Bimini Bay Resort and Marina during the Labor Day weekend, Aug. 29- Sept. 1, 2008.

Several government officials from the Bahamas Tourism Office as well as John Bull executives attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony that took place at 7 p.m. on Friday evening at the store, which is located in the resort’s Fisherman’s Village. Speeches were made by General Manager of the Family Islands Charity Armbrister as well as remarks from John Bull executives’ Rick Hazlewood and Inga Bowleg and President of Bimini Bay Resort Sean Grimberg.

John Bull, a family-owned company since 1929, offers the most sought-after names in jewelry, timepieces and other luxury gifts including Cartier, David Yurman, Gucci, Movado and Mikimoto. In addition, John Bull has been the official Bahamas retailer for Rolex for more than 50 years.

The Bimini Bay Resort location, which is the first-ever John Bull store on the island of Bimini, also sells luxury handbags by Kate Spade, Dooney & Bourke and more.

“The grand opening was an exciting day for Bimini because John Bull represents the finest in Bahamian businesses,” said Sean Grimberg, president of Bimini Bay Resort. “Tourists from all around the world have enjoyed the John Bull experience, and now they can enjoy it right here in Bimini.”

For the past four years, Discovery Cruise Lines has offered a special program for military personnel serving in the military overseas. To thank them for their service, Discovery offers those who served in Iraq or Afghanistan at any time during the preceding year a free Discovery day cruise to Grand Bahama Island.

Hanns J. Hahn, General Manager of Discovery, said “We want to recognize our military personnel and remind families of military personnel about this program so they can give them a gift of a totally free cruise this Holiday Season.”

The offer, which is valid until December 31, 2010, is for a free roundtrip cruise to Grand Bahama on Discovery Cruise Line including the cost of all meals on board, all service charges, taxes, and Bahamian departure fees. There are no additional costs involved.

To register a family member, friend of loved one for the free cruise, simply register that person’s name online at Discovery Cruise Lines website and Discovery will mail a receipt and a holiday card for them to pass on to the service man or woman. The receipt will entitle the person to his or her complimentary Discovery cruise. The receipt should be presented at the pier at the time of sailing, together with a Military ID and a letter from their unit confirming the places of service during 2007. Advanced reservations are required.

Discovery sails daily from Ft. Lauderdale to Grand Bahama Island, departing at 7:45 am and arriving back at the pier at 10 pm. Each year Discovery carries approximately 200,000 passengers between the two destinations.

The cruise features all the amenities of a longer cruise in one fun-filled day, including three all-you-can-eat lavish buffet meals on board, exciting casino action, live entertainment, outdoor games and activities, contests, spacious sun decks, a swimming pool, duty free shopping, and more.

For more information about this offer and for reservations call1-800-93-SHIPS or visit Discovery Cruise Lines web site.