JAMAICA National Building Society (JNBS), in accordance with its celebrations for Jamaica's 50th anniversary of Independence, has awarded 50 scholarships to secondary- and tertiary-level students from across the island.

Executive members of the building society recently invited 35 new secondary school students, who scored above 90 per cent in this year's Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT), to the lobby of their Half-Way-Tree branch.

There, the students — including 14 JNBS Parish Scholarship awardees, 13 JNBS GSAT Employees' Scholarship awardees, five JNBS Special GSAT Scholarship awardees and three JNBS County School Savers Scholarship awardees — were feted and recognised for their hard work and achievement.

The 14 JNBS Parish Scholarship awardees were:

* Jamar Lee, a past student of Midland Preparatory, now attending Glenmuir High;

* Britney Dallington, a past student of Portmore Missionary Prep, now attending Campion College;

* Jamaine Spencer, a past student of Lucea Primary, now attending Rusea's High;

* Sachelle Sanderson, a past student of Black River Primary, now attending The Hampton School;

* Shanique Francis, a past student of Vaz Prep, now attending Campion College;

* Khamille Mowatt, a past student of Catherine Hall Primary, now attending The Hampton School;

* Nicholas Ebanks, a past student of McIntosh Memorial Primary, now attending DeCarteret High;

* Akeem Robinson, a past student of Bromley Primary, now attending St Mary High;

* Kadian Gordon, a past student of Gideon Education Centre, now attending Titchfield High;

* Davana Anderson, a past student of Lyssons Primary, now attending Morant Bay High;

* Hallie Fletcher, a past student of Mona Prep, now attending Campion College;

* Shamir Ibar, a past student of Hague Primary & Infant School, now attending Campion College;

* Kayla Williamson, a past student of Ocho Rios Primary, now attending York Castle High; and

* De-Andrea Dixon, a past student of New Horizon Prep, now attending The Hampton School.

The 13 JNBS GSAT Employees' Scholarship Awards went to:

* Amanda Dixon and Ashley-Renae Gregory;

* Enrico Hall and Iandru Lodge;

* Jason Lewis and Kofi Nightingale;

* Liam Bernard and Malika Ricketts;

* Olivia Rhone and Pascale Gordon;

* Paul Scott and Sanaa Smith; as well as

* Shantay Parkins.

The five JNBS GSAT Special Scholarship awardees were Damaine Vernon, Davin Rhule, Jheanelle Robinson, Lacia Newby, and Mikayla Simpson. The JNBS County School Savers awardees, meanwhile, were Danae Patterson from the county of Cornwall, Justin McLean from the county of Middlesex and Okera Hastings from the county of Surrey.

Annually, for the next five years, the students — with the exception of the JNBS GSAT Special Scholarship Award recipients -- will receive $30,000 from the building society.

JNBS General Manager Earl Jarrett pledged continued support for Jamaican youths in pursuit of their academic dreams.

"Since 1983, the society has been providing financial support to hundreds of students to complete their secondary and tertiary education under the auspices of the JN Scholarship Programme," he noted.

In addition to the young scholars who were feted last month, 15 tertiary-level students from the University of Technology, the University of the West Indies (UWI) and Northern Caribbean University (NCU) have also been provided with JNBS scholarships and bursaries.