Bermuda’s teachers are set to receive a $50,000 boost thanks to sales of Proud to be Bermudian.

The song by The Bermudians, a collection of local artists led by composer John Woolridge, was released on DVD and CD in 2011 with the goal of supporting local teachers.

The group has now announced that it has partnered with the Bermuda Education Network to distribute vouchers to the island’s public schoolteachers. A spokeswoman said: “Together with the Stationery Store, the group will provide $100 vouchers to all eligible Bermuda public school classroom teachers who register on the BEN website within two weeks of this announcement.

“The vouchers will be used at The Stationery Store between the date issued and December 31. The Bermudians have also committed any unused funds after December 31 to be used by BEN for their annual Outstanding Teacher Awards.” Janice Battersbee, co-founder of the group, said: “We are very happy to see this project reach its intended conclusion.

“We have had a few challenges along the way, however, we have never swayed from our original goal to assist the Bermuda public schoolteachers who have given the best of themselves to and for our children.”

Erica Rance-Mill, another co-founder, added: “This entire project came about to reignite a sense of island pride.

“We are thankful for all of the tireless work that teachers do for our next generation of young men and women, and are equally thankful to each and every individual that contributed in any way with this project to allow us to pass on these funds.”

Becky Ausenda, executive director of BEN said: “Our island’s future depends on developing great leadership in our public schools and BEN made it part of our mission to make sure teachers receive support and feel appreciated for the important work they do.

“We’re working on a number of ways to support teachers and also hope to carry out some research into the factors which may undermine morale and lead to teacher burnout.”

Patrice Pedro, retail manager at The Stationary Store, said: “We have always supported our local teachers, so we are thrilled to be a part of an initiative that provides additional aid to a group of individuals that are so important to the fabric of our community.”