The Gleaner NA

THE WEEKLY GLEANER | DECEMBER 13 - DECEMBER 19, 2021 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | FEATURE 28 THE W EKLY G EAN R | DECEMB R 13, 2021 - JANUARY 2, 2 NEW YORK, NY: N EVADO BLAKE is the proud owner and CEO of KB Photoburst Entertainment and Bamboo Cottage Distributors in South Carolina, USA. Photoburst is a photography com- pany that was started in 2018 after the birth of his first son, Kamran. It was named in his child’s honour. The company provides professional photography services for weddings, social gatherings, private shoots, and glamour shots. The company has worked with The Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce, Fairfield Fire and Safety on their senior citizens’ban- quet, and several other private entities. Blake says, “I have been into pho- tography (for a long time), and thought that it would be a great way to explore my creativity. And while I love captur- ing art in all forms and fashions, portrait photography is my passion.” Bamboo Cottage Distributors, LLC was founded in 2020. Operating from Columbia, South Carolina, the company seeks to provide ‘islanders’ and the in- ternational community with authentic Caribbean produce like yellow yam and dried sorrel, hard-to-get products like jelly coconuts, mango, and sea moss, ackee and pastries like Rough Top (cookies) , spice bun and fruit cakes. The company is an online store, www.bamboocottagedistributorsja. com , with delivery and shipping op- tiand produce including yellow yam and drions. It also features a clothing line, Bamboo Cottage Tees, with an emphasis on Jamaican-scripted truths, inspired by life in Jamaica. “We work closely with D.R. Designs, LLC on our signature inspirations and designs.” The company hosted its first interna- tional vendor expo and reggae festival, Summa Sizzle, on July 31. It featured over 25 vendors, the Fairfield Diamond Elite Dancers and Metro Media sound system from Jamaica. The event was sponsored by several local businesses in South Carolina. “The reception from the interna- tional community was overwhelming, and we are already planning for our second staging next July 2022.” According to Blake, plans are under way for the opening of a physical store by August 2022, where customers may have an in-store Caribbean experience, with the option still available for online shopping and delivery. Blake told The Weekly Gleaner that he has many plans for the future, including establishing a non-profit organisation to assist students and Jamaican teachers by providing re- sources, training and international op- portunities in low-income areas of the country. He is a past student of Black River High School, (class of 2009). “Many schools overseas upgrade re- sources and technologies that can be repurposed to help the teaching and learningprocesses in Jamaica.Theorgan- isationwill alsooffer training for teachers intheuseof programs, and introduce initi- atives to theeducationsystemin Jamaica throughpartnershipwith theMinistry of Education and all stakeholders in edu- cation, both locally and internationally.” Influenced somewhat by the pass- ing of his beloved grandmother, Leona Buchanan-Blake in early 2016, and by what he calls the stagnancy in move- ment to leadership roles for young teachers, he says things are now fall- ing into place. He is the head coach for soccer at Fairfield Central High School, and a vol- unteer soccer coach at the local recre- ation center, which has since won the Championship League Trophy twice. “I think it was time for me to look further afield, so I moved to the United States of America to teach at the Fairfield Magnet School for Math and Science in South Carolina under the supportive leadership of Dr GaleWithfield. “As a sixth-grade teacher, the im- mense resources and drive that is put into the education system in Fairfield County is outstanding. “Looking back at my teaching expe- rience at the Christiana Leased Primary and Infant School, I’m forced to conclude that the archaic administrative tasks required of teachers by the Jamaican education system were sometimes overbearing. Nevertheless, the knowl- edge gained preparedme for teaching overseas. Tedious grade inputting into a physical book? Nomore! PowerSchool for grades, PowerSchool for marking student attendance. No more writing reports by hand; they are generated using the same program. The American education system is child-focused, caus- ingme to ask whymy beloved Jamaica ‘Landwe Love’cannot seem to invest in our education system this way.” In 2019, he was named Rookie Teacher of the Year by the Fairfield Magnet School. In the same year, his students had the highest percentage of passes of all five elementary schools in the district in the South Carolina Ready English Language Arts Examination. In 2020, none of the students of the grade that sat the state exam were in the ‘Does Not Meet’ category. As Blake puts it, “This is just an example of the great things that can be accomplished when teachers are given adequate teaching resources and are able to fully focus on the learning pro- cess.”Blake also praised his aunt, Lorna Jackson, for her unwavering support throughout his career as an educator. In February 2021, in celebration of Black History Month, his sixth-grade students did a presentation in which they had to research the information on persons who influenced the con- tinued development of the black race. World and Olympic champion sprinter Usain Bolt and hospitality honcho, the late Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart, were two Jamaicans who were selected by the students. The exercise gave the students the opportunity to experience different aspects of planning, writing and public speaking, while exploring Jamaican culture and earned ‘Teacher’ Blake a citation from principal Gale Withfield. It read: “It ismy pleasure as his principal to tell you how Sir. Blake’s talent as a teacher has impacted the students, staff, and administration here at Fairfield Magnet School for math and science. He is one of the few gentlemen I have met that shows agenuinepassion for teaching. He has aGod-given talent that exudes care, encouragement, and respect for every- one he encounters within our school. When I interviewed him virtually four years ago in Jamaica, I knew he was an extraordinary young man based on the passion in his voice when he answered thequestions. I knewthat hewouldbe an asset to the students, and a welcoming addition to our faculty and staff. He has performedbeyondmy expectations, and his students have outscored all classes in the school and district on the state as- sessment eachyear hehas taught English language arts. There are notmany black maleswho can teachwith conviction like Sir. Blake, while at the same time instilling in his students many values and skills they will need in life.” When you consider the global im- pact of Jamaica, Blake says he is proud to be a Jamaican teacher, businessman and Rastafarian. “I strive to keep the banners of the ‘Land We Love’ flying high. I am very excited to continue working with my peers back home at different levels, and in different ways, to see how we can improve the education system in Jamaica.” WE ARE THE CHAMPS. Coach Nevado Blake (back, left) and his players celebrate their championship win in the Colombia, South Carolina youth soccer tournament, recently. CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS ART & LIFE. Nevado Blake (left) shares a moment with a patron (right), who is wearing one of his Bamboo Cottage seasonal design hoodies. Meet Nevado Blake THE JOURNEY, THE DREAM, THE MAN