PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – The St. Maarten Academy P.S.V.E campus hosted its Open House on November 7th, 2019 from 8:00am – 12:30 pm. There were a total of 11 schools which participated with extremely positive feedback. In addition to more than 300 students, welcomed by a medley of songs on steel pan by student Tyler Percival, six grade teachers and parents spent the school day at the school’s facilities, listening to and participating in interactive presentations and exhibitions at some 14 learning stations. Guided by the bell, attendees experienced interactive tours of the campus, ushered by students who served as the school’s ambassadors. Teachers and students from the various departments in the school showcased and promoted their respective content areas.
During the interactive tours, the school’s business department showcased two of their locally created business concepts, “Slushy Joe’s”, which sells frozen fruity drinks and “Abigail’s Flavored Popcorn”. These two business ventures received rave reviews as the samples they shared throughout the day were enjoyed. The two businesses were developed and managed by the business students and mentored by business and care teachers. The St. Maarten Academy PSVE, encourages the entrepreneurial spirit with its “Create your own product” initiative.
The attendees were very impressed with the presentations, the day’s organization and the programs being offered at the institution of learning. One parent stated that “they have been to other open houses in the past but have never experienced anything like what they experienced at this event.” A primary school teacher stated that “with all the negative news about the school in the media”, they never knew the school had so much to offer students. A former student, who visited in her role as parent, stated that the school upgraded tremendously in comparison to the time she attended the high school.
The coordinator of the event, Mr. Travis McQuilkin stated that it was important for the primary school students to understand and experience how it felt like to be at St. Maarten Academy P.S.V.E for a day, in which we call the “6 graders high school simulation day”. Therefore we made arrangements for the students to spend the entire day going from class to class. In addition, the sixth graders got an insight into how lessons are given in the classes.
The principal of the school, Mrs. Lavern Nelson considers the event to be a great success since its objective was achieved. She stated that the objective of the Open House was to highlight the business campus’ core subjects and curriculum to the 6th graders, their parents and the general public. The intention, she said was for the group 8 students to experience the high school routine, by moving from learning station to learning station guided by the bell. She was very pleased with her entire staff for a job well done. “Open House was totally a team effort engaging our school board, our staff and our students. This was also a collaborative venture between the business community (Telem, Motor World and SZV) and the school. The partnership symbolizes a great working relationship between the school and the business community, as internship within the business community is a key component of the school’s educational program.
The principal expressed gratitude to the school board, under the leadership of Mr. Roland Duncan, the business community specifically Telem, Motor World and SZV for donating keep sakes for all attendees, school managers, teachers and students of all primary schools that participated, the school’s students who served as ambassadors, Mr. Travis McQuilkin for coordinating and our very hard working staff for making our open house a success.
The vocational sector of the St. Maarten Academy was founded in October 1999. The school functions under the auspices of the Foundation for Academic and Vocational Education (FAVE), its School Board. The students in the first two years (Form 1 and Form 2) follow the Basic Secondary Education Program (BSE or BAVO), which offers 14 subjects. Since August 14th, 2018 the school received approval from the Honorable Minister of Education Mr. Wycliffe S. Smith to participate in the pilot of the CCSLC at the BSE level.
After BSE, students flow into PSVE or VSBO at Form 3 for a two year program which ends with sitting an external examination at the end of Form 4. The sector program offered at St. Maarten Academy is Economy with specialization in “Administration and Commerce.” The two streams available are: Praktische Basisgerichte Leerweg (PBL) and Praktische Kadergerichte Leerweg (PKL) – Practical Basic Level (PBL) and Practical (PKL).
Parents, students wanting to enroll at our school can call 548-4821, or visit the school’s Facebook page for more details
