Rodwell Arthur, a junior at Antilles School, has been selected as a State Bronze Winner and has received a $1,250 Discover Card Tribute Award Scholarship.
Arthur was selected out of 10,000 applicants from the U.S. and its territories. To win, students had to submit three letters of recommendation, maintain a minimum 2.75 grade point average and write an essay describing leadership abilities, obstacles overcome, unique endeavors and special talents.
Arthur, who is originally from Guyana, is a member of the National Honor Society and the varsity football and basketball teams.
In his scholarship essay, Arthur wrote his love and knowledge of computers. He also wrote about overcoming a knee problem that forced him to retire from organized sports activities and wear a brace from his hip to his ankle.
At Antilles, Arthur has worked closely with the school's computer network coordinator since ninth grade. Arthur has since built 23 computers from scratch and now plans to pursue a career in computer engineering or programming.
Arthur has been a student at Antilles School since second grade.

The newly formed Rotary Club of St. John is having a dinner dance. The festivities will start at 6 p.m., July 24 at the Cruz Bay Room at the Westin Resort on St. John.
Past District Governor Garfield Thomas of Jamaica will present the charter to President Ronnie Lockhart. There will be music by AuWe Band, raffles and door prizes. For further info about tickets and transportation contact Ronnie Lockhart at 690.2277.
The focus of the Rotary Club of St John is youth.
The club meets weekly at 12 noon on Fridays at the Westin.

The 16 St. Thomas-St. John projects Gov. Charles Turnbull has recommended to receive a share of $2.19 million in federal Community Development Block Grants were presented to the Senate Tuesday night.
"This year, like every year, we come before you in order to present and defend the projects the governor has recommended for funding. As with normal procedures, we have solicited proposals from every government agency and non-profit organization in the territory," said Lawrence Joshua, the Department of Planning and Natural Resources' CDBG program manager.
"Our system evaluates and scores each project in terms of need and feasibility," he added.
A total of $887,600 has been proposed for the two St. John projects and 14 St. Thomas projects; $877,000 is suggested for 21 St. Croix projects. The grant total is $2,194,000, but $438,000 of it is reserved by DPNR for the CDBG program's administration and management costs.
Sen. Anne Golden urged Joshua to trim these administrative costs.
"We're spending half a million in staff that I believe should be spent on programs," Golden said.
The projects must meet one of the three following federal criteria: they must address public health and safety hazards, eliminate slums and blight or primarily serve persons of moderate and low income.
DPNR received 104 proposals requesting $16.5 million, Joshua said.
Almost all of the applicants who appeared told Senators they needed more funds than Government House recommended for them.
Robert Moorehead, director of Downstreet People, which is receiving $28,000 for its after school tutorial program, expressed the sentiment echoed by many of the applicants.
"Even though we appreciate the money we're getting, we can always use more just like everybody else," Moorehead said. "So, if you're reprogramming, send the money down street."
Sixty-five students participate in Downstreet's counseling, computer training program and steel orchestra.
The Family Resource Center has been offered $19,000 in Turnbull's proposal. FRC Executive Director Michal Rhymer, however, said the facility desperately needs twice that amount to pay rent on its downtown building and, "to help keep the doors of the center open."
"It's critical we receive this assistance. We already anticipate additional cuts from local government," Rhymer said. "We appreciate the $19,000 recommended. However, we must note we are facing a deficit of for fiscal year 2000 to pay rent… we are somehow hoping for a miracle," she said.
FRC counsels over 1,000 victims and perpetrators of crimes per year. It hosts support groups for woman and children who have been sexually, emotionally or physically abused, and counsels men and women who have abused their spouses or children, Rhymer said.
Joshua said FRC would probably get an additional $26,000 from the reprogramming of old, unused CDBG funds if the transfer is approved by the Legislature.
The directors of Kidscope, which counsels children who have been sexually abused, defended the $10,000 the organization has been given.
"Given the state of children in the territory… all of us understand, with the rise of sexual molestation, the need to service children and their families," Kidscope Director Dilsa Capdeville said.
In the 18 months Kidscope has been in operation, it has served over 300 children and their families, Capdeville said.
She also presented some staggering statistics on child abuse: in 1996, five cases of child abuse per day were reported; in 1997, eight to nine incidents of abuse occurred every day, she said .
The funding for other St. Thomas projects: $20,000 for the V.I. Resource Center for the Disabled after school program; $43,000 for the Caribbean Sailing School to rebuild a pier in Lindbergh Bay and to train low to moderate income youths; $15,000 to We From Upstreet's after school program; $34,390 for the Anglican Outreach Services' after school program; $10,000 to the Faith Christian Fellowship's academic summer enrichment program; and $35,000 to rehabilitate homes in the National Register District.
The more expensive St. Thomas projects include $200,000 to continue construction on the Savan Community Center, $218,050 to build a Pollyberg community center, $110,00 to rehabilitate the Red Cross facility on Kronprindsens Gade, and $100,000 to repair the Day Adult Education building.
Recommended for the two projects on St. John are $25,000 for the St. John Community Foundation's after school programs and $15,000 for the V.I. Resource Center for the Disabled's after school program.
Earlier in the hearing, some senators complained about how the projects are selected. Sen. Roosevelt David complained about a law passed in the 22nd Legislature, which mandates that CDBG funds be divided evenly between the St. Thomas-St. John District and St. Croix.
David said the law should be amended to increase St. John's share.
"Don't you think there would be more equity if we stipulate St. John gets 15 percent," he said.
"I think that is only fair," Joshua replied. He said, however, some years there are few applications from St. John.
"We don't get enough projects from St. John. We try to be lenient to fund some of them," Joshua said.

I was particularly pleased to read about approval for a study of aquaculture in the islands because I had just finished touring Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution in Fort Pierce, Florida, for a story on the subject. Dr. Kevan Main, deputy director of the aquaculture division, took me through the complex, explaining the growing interest in the science of fish and farming. A relatively recent development is the ability to raise shrimp in recirculating fresh water.
Many businesses are jumping on the bandwagon, producing equipment needed for taking fish, shrimp and clams from seed to market. I saw tilapia in tanks that would easily fit on a gallery or patio and much larger indoor pools for commercial production. Harbor Branch has a thick catalogue put out by the institution's business partners.
While the government is studying the possibilities, they need look no farther than St.Croix, where Dr. James Rakocy, at UVI, has been working on an aquaponics system that uses water from the tilapia to grow lettuce.
Dr. Main was very enthusiastic about his work and had high praise for him. She told me that he has already produced several how-to publications on the subject.
Harbor Branch offers opportunities for individuals and businesses to rent space in the complex and take advantage of on-site expertise, and there are intensive courses for those interested in learning the business. I'm trying to resist the urge to buy one of those tilapia tanks for my own yard.
For those who don't remember, this is a subject that was being talked about many years ago in the Virgin Islands. Several guests from UVI (then CVI) were on Conversation (my radio show on WVWI) to discuss aquaculture. Maybe its time has finally come.
Willi Miller
Read Miller's article on shrimp farming in Florida in the Source's St. Croix Business section.

The League of Women Voters is questioning the legality of the proposed land exchange at Great Pond Bay between Beal Aerospace and the V.I. government.
In a letter sent Tuesday to Senate President Vargrave Richards, Erva Denham, president of the V.I. league, raised questions about the intent of the late Frank Wiesner when he deeded the land in 1974 to the government for "the express and direct purpose of beach, park and other public recreational use."
Denham said the Beal project would be good for St. Croix and that the league is "very much in favor of this industry’s presence."
"The league questions, however, the location, the proposed exchange of properties for those which are held in public trust at Estate Great Pond, and the granting of a variance without public hearings."
Beal has proposed that the government swap nearly 14.5 acres of land at Camp Arawak on Great Pond Bay, home to historical artifacts and buildings, for land at Estates Grange Hill and Whim. Beal, which needs the Arawak property for a portion of its parking lot, is looking to purchase in total approximately 300 acres for its world headquarters and rocket assembly plant. The company maintains most of the acreage would be used as a buffer surrounding the seven-acre building.
In her letter, Denham also said the land swap could cause individuals who are considering donating land to the government to reconsider.
"If this property is transferred . . ., the basic covenants of this deed of gift will be broken, and some dangerous precedents will be set," she wrote. "…In the future, anyone who may have thought about giving such gifts to the people of the Virgin Islands quite likely will change their minds as an action such as this will demonstrate that a person’s wishes regarding such gifts are not necessarily going to be honored.
"Who loses," she asked? "The people of the Virgin Islands."
Denham also asked whether the Wiesner family has been contacted about the proposed swap, which will be the focus of a Senate Committee on Planning and Environmental Protection meeting Friday at 10 a.m. in Frederiksted. If they have, and support it, she recommended a letter or statement of approval be obtained. If they are not in support, she said the family may have grounds to sue the government to have the property returned.
Calls to Wiesner Development were unsuccessful Tuesday evening because the office was closed.
Included in the language of the exchange agreement sent to the Senate by Gov. Charles Turnbull is a variance that rezones the acreage from waterfront pleasure to industrial.
Denham contended such language circumvents the standard rezoning process, which includes public hearings.

The newly formed Rotary Club of St. John is having a dinner dance. The festivities will start at 6 p.m., July 24 at the Cruz Bay Room at the Westin Resort on St. John.
Past District Governor Garfield Thomas of Jamaica will present the charter to President Ronnie Lockhart. There will be music by AuWe Band, raffles and door prizes. For further info about tickets and transportation contact Ronnie Lockhart at 690.2277.
The focus of the Rotary Club of St John is youth.
The club meets weekly at 12 noon on Fridays at the Westin.

The newly formed Rotary Club of St. John is having a dinner dance. The festivities will start at 6 p.m., July 24 at the Cruz Bay Room at the Westin Resort on St. John.
Past District Governor Garfield Thomas of Jamaica will present the charter to President Ronnie Lockhart. There will be music by AuWe Band, raffles and door prizes. For further info about tickets and transportation contact Ronnie Lockhart at 690.2277.
The focus of the Rotary Club of St John is youth.
The club meets weekly at 12 noon on Fridays at the Westin..

The results of an autopsy may show that William Hudson-Grimmett, 41, who was found dead in his swimming pool Sunday night, was murdered.
Evidence at the scene was not consistent with a drowning, informed sources said. Grimmett, who was reportedly found in the pool fully dressed and with his cell phone, wallet and keys on him, may have been struck over the head before he fell or was pushed into the water.
Grimmett, of No. 14 Estate Mafolie, was discovered dead in his pool at 8:15 p.m. by an exterminator who serviced the property.
Attempts by Radio One to reach the medical examiner Tuesday were unsuccessful.

McLaughlin, Arguin, Curreri Realtors LLC, one of St. Thomas' largest real estate firms, will shut its doors August 31 after more than 25 years in operation.
The decision to close, however, was not related to the territory's economic problems, said Frank McLaughlin, the firm's founder.
"We're not closing due to a lack of business. We find the real estate market currently is strong," McLaughlin said. "Our agents and brokers are all busy putting real estate transactions together and there's actually quite a bit of activity for all the doom and gloom we hear."
The decision to close was made by the firm's three principles.
"We either had an opportunity to bring more people in and grow the firm or go our separate ways," McLaughlin said.
Lisa Curreri will be opening a new real estate company which will employ many of the old firm's "key" agents and brokers and keep the same offices, he said.
Louise Arguin will continue to manage her family's real estate holdings and her title insurance business, he said.
As for himself, McLaughlin, who currently serves as chairman of the First V.I. Federal Savings Bank, said he will continue in business as a development, commercial and mediation consultant
McLaughlin, Arguin, Curreri has always been involved in its community, McLaughlin said.
It recently sold a two-acre Mandela Circle property for the Friends of the V.I. National Park to Plaza Extra for $2 million.
The firm also made a $10,000 donation to the Friends of the Park.
"The company has always been community oriented. We've supported the Ulla Muller School, we've just been involved in anything that comes along," McLaughlin said.
The firm, through a national realtor's organization, also created a training program for local realtors to enhance the profession in the territory.
McLaughlin himself was the first real estate broker in the Caribbean to become a "Certified Resident Broker," a title often viewed as the Ph.D. of the real estate business.
McLaughlin himself has also been involved in many community organizations, including Rotary II, the Chamber of Commerce and the Boy Scouts. McLaughlin was president of Rotary II when it raised $117,000 to form a charitable foundation.
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Responding to Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg’s early June request to investigate the use of depleted uranium weapons on Vieques by the U.S. Marines, the director of the Nuclear Regulatory Agency said there was no immediate safety concern for people on the island or the surrounding environment.
According to NRC Director Shirley Ann Jackson, because depleted uranium is comparable to naturally occurring uranium, the contamination doesn’t pose a threat.
"Because the radioactivity is relatively low, occasional direct exposure to DU does not pose a significant radiological hazard," Jackson said. "The NRC staff believes that the public health is not endangered by the DU remaining on the firing range…"
She did add, however, that the NRC will conduct an independent inspection of the Navy’s ongoing efforts to recover ammunition containing depleted uranium. The Navy is scheduled to complete its own report in September, and following the NRC’s review, she said her agency will provide Donastorg with both sets of results.
Donastorg, chairman of the Senate’s Committee on Planning and Environmental Protection, asked the NRC to investigate the March 19 incident where two Marine aircraft fired 263 rounds of depleted uranium ammunition at the island firing range just off the coast of Puerto Rico. St. Croix is less than 40 miles from Vieques and is home to many people who have relatives on the island of 9,000 people.
In his letter to Jackson, Donastorg not only expressed concern for the residents of Vieques, but he said he was worried that the depleted uranium could contaminate the area’s fishery, thus affecting the Virgin Islands.
Jackson’s response, dated June 29, said that depleted uranium ammunition is to be used only during combat or approved tests and not for training. She said that in March, the Navy removed 57 expended rounds of the ammunition and an undetermined amount of contaminated soil.
Jackson said that the Navy plans to resume recovery efforts in August, or sooner, depending on whether or not Puerto Rican protesters occupying the firing range leave.
"Although the investigation is ongoing, the Navy has taken several corrective actions to prevent reoccurrence and has planned additional action," Jackson wrote. "The NRC has been evaluating the safety and environmental significance of the event and is continuing to review the effectiveness of corrective actions."
The depleted uranium issue isn’t the only problem the U.S. military is having on Vieques. There is a growing chorus in Puerto Rico for the ouster of the Navy, which has used the island as a firing range since 1941. In April a Puerto Rican security guard at the range was killed by an errant bomb.
Following the two incidents, and at the behest of Puerto Rico’s governor, Pedro Rossello, President Bill Clinton ordered a study by the Navy to assess the need for Vieques. The report is scheduled to be finished in August.