CUL DE SAC, St. Maarten – The reopening of St. Maarten Academy’s academic campus has been pushed back to September 2 for the lower forms and students of the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE).
Form 5 students will begin on Monday, August 12 at the PSVE campus starting at 7:30am in an effort not to affect the preparation of their May/June 2020 examinations.
The later start date for Forms 1 – 4 and CAPE is as a result of a delay in construction. As such, parents and guardians of new Form 1 students are being advised that orientation will no longer be held this Thursday, August 8. Orientation will now take place on Wednesday, August 28, 2019, starting at 6:00pm.
Since January 2018, Academy and its sister school PSVE were operating under a shift system at the PSVE campus in Ebenezer in order to facilitate the rebuilding of the academic campus. This saw the displaced students having classes into the evening, which posed considerable stress on students, parents, and staffers.
Over the last 19 months, the board of the Foundation for Academic and Vocational Education (FAVE), which operates the Academy schools, has been working assiduously to rebuild the damaged school amid serious financial constraints.
Despite many setbacks, the school board has been pushing ahead to complete construction to ensure that both schools return to their normal schedule come August.
Chairman of the Board, Mr. Roland Duncan, while recognizing that it was not an easy year and a half, said FAVE is committed to delivering quality education. He expressed his appreciation to the parents, students, and staff for their understanding and patience and singled out the Department of TEZVT and the school bus drivers who worked way into the evening hours to ensure that all students were transported safely to and from the various districts.
In order to operate out of the PSVE campus in Ebenezer, both schools had to adjust their curriculum and schedules, with classes for PSVE starting at 7:30am and ending at 12:00noon, and academic classes running from 12:30pm and dismissing for most students at 6:30pm.
Academic campus principal, drs. Tallulah Baly-Vanterpool extended a heartfelt thank you to her counterpart, Mrs. Laverne Nelson and the staff of PSVE for their gracious accommodation over the past 18 months. She is excited about the return to the refurbished campus although everything may not yet be in place.
“In keeping with the spirit and values of the Academy, Management would like to thank all parents, teachers, and especially you the students, for being such troopers and showing the spirit of resilience after such devastation,” Baly-Vanterpool stated.
She added that although there were times “we felt like we couldn’t go on, we held it together and pushed on.”
“Never were our standards compromised. Never was the quality of education we delivered lessened, and despite the devastation and displacement, with the grace of God, we are still standing,” she said.
Letters to parents concerning the new operational arrangements and material lists will be sent out via the student tracking system. Uniforms are being sold at 0 – 14 Store in Cay Hill (next to Carrefour) and Penny’s Department Store in Philipsburg.
