Twelve students from the St Thomas/St John SDA School demonstrated their exceptional spelling ability by participating in the in-house Spelling Bee held on November 15. The winners were Temple-Ahrie Baptiste (1st Place), Christlovens Desire (2nd Place) and Nesicha Cardin (3rd Place). Congratulations to all participants, especially those who qualified for the top three positions. Congratulations as well to Acting Principal, Mrs Berricia Baptiste, and Mrs Janice Williams, the Coordinator of the initiative, for the resoluteness and commitment they demonstrated ensuring that this year’s Spelling Bee became reality in spite of the adverse circumstances under which the school operates.
The St Eustatius Seventh-day Adventist School joined with other schools on the island in celebrating Statia Day 2018. Patriotic poetry, drama and singing of national songs characterized the grand celebration. Statia Day is November 16 and is usually marked with flag hoisting ceremonies, official speeches, parades and other festive events.
A national recycling contest was organized for the schools on the island as part of the activities leading up to Statia Day. The St Eustatius SDA School participated in this activity and demonstrated outstanding creativity by the useful items they created using recycled materials.
The St Maarten Seventh-day Adventist School hosted impressive Pre-St Maarten Day celebrations. Activities included a flag-raising ceremony, cultural presentations, steel pan renditions, and poetry. Guest speaker for the event was Mr Louie Laveist, a former Commissioner of Culture, while renowned community members such as Zacchel Phipps, The Mighty Dow, and Roberto Arrindell, added richness to the event by their unique renditions, which were well received by an appreciative audience. A variety of local food and drinks, along with appliances from yesteryear all enhanced the festive atmosphere and added meaning to the celebrations. Organizer of the event Teacher Leontine Joseph was quite satisfied with the quality of the initiative, noting, “We just wanted to do something different this year!’
The BVI SDA School and the St Maarten School have completed refurbishing of their facilities following the devastation by Hurricane Irma. The St Thomas/St John School has commenced reconstruction and is expected to complete by January 2019. In the meantime, the St Eustatius School which suffered minimal damage during the storm is in the process of adding four new classrooms to its facilities. No work has commenced on the St Croix School.
BVI Gold and Bold Leadership Conference
“The BOLD & GOLD Leadership Conference was a resounding success!” reported Principal Wade Tobin. This initiative by the school exposed Secondary Division male and female students to various presentations from experts in their respective fields. The students benefitted immensely from this activity, as they were given a bird’s eye view of what their various career goals entail.