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Academy Closes Year By Graduating 81

CUL DE SAC, St. Maarten - St. Maarten Academy’s academic campus closed the calendar year with a bang by graduating 81 of its students who successfully completed their CSEC examinations, offered by the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) in May/June.

The ceremony was held on December 16, 2015 at the Belair Community Centre under the theme, “Education: The Passport to Our Future”.

Clifford Francois emerged as valedictorian and recapped the years of hard work that brought him and his fellow graduates the successes they have achieved Read more

University Launches Online Journal

Partial screenshot of the website that hosts the online journal. Image usmonline.net

University of St. Martin (USM) President Dr. Francio Guadeloupe launched the online journal Commentaries at an informal ceremony. The university will host an official launch at the end of January 2016. Joshue Ferrol maintains the website and Pedro de Weever edits the journal

“Commentaries features scientific and popular essays from the Dutch Caribbean (and St. Maarten in particular),” Guadeloupe said in a press statement Read more

Mini Symposium And Expo On Suriname Independence At The Library

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - This Friday at 7 pm a mini symposium will be held in the Philipsburg Jubilee Library in honor of the anniversary of the independence of Suriname.

Suriname became an independent country on November 25th, 1975 and this year will mark the fortieth anniversary of its independence.

Under the slogan “Celebrating 40 years republic of Suriname : sharing lesssons learned with St Maarten”, the symposium will focus on how Sint Maarten, as a young nation, can learn from Suriname Read more

Dr. Verene Shepherd Lectures In St. Martin On Reparations; The Un’S Int’L. Decade For People Of African Descent

GREAT BAY, St. Martin —The new lecture organized by the Independence for St. Martin Foundation (ISMF) is “Reparatory Justice and the Decade for People of African Descent: The CARICOM Case” by Dr. Verene Shepherd.

The lecture will take place at the University of St. Martin (USM) on Saturday, October 3, 2015, at 8 PM, said lecture coordinator Dr. Rhoda Arrindell Read more

Verene Shepherd Lectures At University On Saturday

Dr. Verene Shepherd. Photo courtesy VAS

St. Maarten – Dr. Verene Shepherd is the key note speaker at a lecture entitled “Reparatory Justice and the Decade for People of African Descent: The Caricom Case,” organized by the Independence for St. Martin Foundation (ISMF) at the University of St. Martin on Pond Island on Saturday at 8 p.m.

Keynote speaker Dr. Shepherd is an author, historian, and professor at the University of the West Indies, Jamaica. “The lecture focuses on the Caricom case for Reparations Read more

>GREAT BAY:---- The new lecture organized by the Independence for St. Martin Foundation (ISMF) is “Reparatory Justice and the Decade for People of African Descent: The CARICOM Case” by Dr. Verene Shepherd.
The lecture will take place at the University of St. Martin (USM) on Saturday, October 3, 2015, at 8 PM, said lecture coordinator Dr. Rhoda Arrindell.
Keynote speaker Dr Read more

Scell Officially Opened At Usm : “Develop Commitment To Lifelong Learning”

St. Maarten – The University of St. Martin (USM) officially opened its new school named “The St. Martin School of Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning (SCELL)”, which was launched on August 1, this year. Ministers Rita Bourne-Gumbs and Claret Connor represented the Council of Ministers at the reception while Managing Director of the Windward Islands Bank Derrick Downes is the first official donor of the programs the school offers.

Master of Ceremonies Rolando Tobias gave an introduction giving insight about the many programs SCELL offers: professional trainings for organizations, organizational event planning, Women Island Network, AHLEI certified hospitality & restaurant training, community personal development workshops, young professionals network, forward action mentoring program for youth, educational workshops for schools, motivational presentations and business power networking.

USM Board President Valerie Giterson-Patophlet called the SCELL program the new vehicle to move the university forward Read more

Teachers train to ‘create positive climate in schools’

ST. PETERS--Primary and secondary public school teachers attended informative professional development sessions on "creating a positive climate in schools" August 10 and 11 at St. Dominic High School.

The event was part of the annual teachers' conference hosted by St. Maarten Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). The first day focused on primary educators, and the second on secondary educators.

Participants were welcomed by ASCD President Juliana Hodge-Shipley and received a keynote address by Tracelyn Hamilton of Anguilla, a primary school principal who graduated from University of Bristol with distinction with a Masters in Education for Teaching English and has previously held roles as classroom teacher, reading recovery teacher, numeracy coordinator, English as a second language (ESL) teacher, and a tutor for Differentiated Instruction.

Hamilton focused on the conference theme "creating a positive climate in schools" by honing in on practical tips which she termed "reflectors" for creating and maintaining a positive school environment Read more

St. Maarten's Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs: "Reparatory Justice Is Gaining Momentum"

GREAT BAY, St. Martin - St. Maarten Prime Minister, Hon. Marcel Gumbs, has made what might be the first direct statement here on Reparations by a leader of government on either part of the island, at the recent Emancipation Day Lecture.

"The movement for reparatory justice is gaining momentum and greater focus than ever before in the Caribbean region," said Prime Minister Gumbs at the University of St Read more

Emancipation celebrated at historic Emilio Wilson Estate

CUL DE SAC--St. Maarten's families, dignitaries and artistes gathered for the main Emancipation Day Celebration and Cultural Manifestation, celebrating 152 years since the emancipation proclamation, under the theme “Emancipation from Within-The Voice of Our People” at Emilio Wilson Park on Wednesday, July 1.

The day’s commemorations and celebrations started with an Ecumenical Service at St. Martin of Tours Roman Catholic Church and two Symbolic Wreath Laying Ceremonies by the country’s leaders at the One Tete Lohkay and Freedom Fighters monuments Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- It was exactly a Cultural Manifestation on Wednesday, July, 1 at the Emancipation day celebrations which started Tuesday evening with the run to freedom at Diamond Hill Estate. A re-enactment of slaves running from the Dutch side of the island towards the French border while being chased by slave masters. It was an emotional evening, poetry and encouraging words portrayed by several speakers.

A cultural Parade started at 2:30pm at the start of Marigot Hill and made its way throughout Sint Peters Read more

Dr. Gonsalves: Reparations needed to fix Caribbean underdevelopment

POND ISLAND--Caribbean Countries should get reparations from former and in some cases, present colonial masters to repair the under-development they face today, said Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, on the topic of reparations.

Dr. Gonsalves was the keynote speaker at the Emancipation Day Lecture hosted by Independence for St. Martin Foundation on Saturday night at University of St. Martin (USM). St. Maarten will mark Emancipation Day on Wednesday, July 1 Read more

Writers flock to St. Maarten for 13th annual Book Fair

MARIGOT/PHILIPSBURG--A host of international authors, writers and poets from all over the world, including countries such as Brazil, India, Panama, France, the United Kingdom and United States, will be travelling to the island for the thirteenth annual St. Martin Book Fair.

The Book Fair, to be held June 4-6, will be officially opened at Territorial Media Tech Centre in Spring Concordia, Marigot, Thursday, at 8:00pm. President of the Collectivité of St. Martin Aline Hanson and Prime Minister of St Read more

St. Martin Book Fair Program June 4 – 6, 2015

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten -  Pre-Book Fair Activities;

Tuesday, June 2

8pm – 11pm
The Poets Lounge
Guest poets: Rosabelle Illes (Aruba), Fola Gadet (Guadeloupe). Magueda Jackson (St. Martin/Anguilla), reads her poetry from the new anthology Where I See The Sun – Contemporary Poetry in Anguilla
Place: Q Lounge (Upstairs, McDonald's Restaurant)
Simpson Bay

Wednesday, June 3

6 pm – 7:30 pm
Economic Models in the Caribbean
Presentation/discussion with business and political leaders
Guest speaker: Luiz Bernardo Pericás (Brazil)
Historian, social critic, translator
Author of Che Guevara e o debate econômico em Cuba
(Che Guevara and the economic debate in Cuba)
Cambridge University Press

Place: Mr Read more

Mindful moments on raging children

Dear Editor,

Be Kind; Everyone You Meet is Fighting a Hard Battle ~ Plato.

When one practices mindfulness, one practices feeling the body as it experiences emotions. Emotions are felt in its most miniscule form. Anxiety, for example, is a very uncomfortable emotion to bear; it is also a precursor to rage. Any outburst of a raging scene starts with the seed of anxiety, so fear.

In certain societies, rage is naturally accepted as response and reaction to situations that arise Read more

>GREAT BAY:---- —Linguist and author Dr. Rhoda Arrindell attended the international "Forum on the Future of the Caribbean" at the University of the West Indies (UWI) and the Hyatt Regency, Trinidad and Tobago, on May 5 – 7, 2015.
"Based on the conference banner of 'Disruptive Thinking. Bold Action. Practical Outcomes,' there were at least six resounding themes from the very beginning," said Dr Read more

>GREAT BAY:---- Educator and leading linguist Rhoda Arrindell is one of at least 12 authors, mostly from the USA, invited by the Anguilla Literary Festival to its 4th annual edition on May 21-24, 2015, said her publisher House of Nehesi (HNP).
Arrindell will be a panelist on book publishing on May 23. But it's her new and well-selling book, Language, Culture, and Identity in St Read more

Rhoda Arrindell, Invited Author At Anguilla Literary Festival 2015

GREAT BAY, St. Martin — Educator and leading linguist Rhoda Arrindell is one of at least 12 authors, mostly from the USA, invited by the Anguilla Literary Festival to its 4th annual edition on May 21-24, 2015, said her publisher House of Nehesi (HNP).

Arrindell will be a panelist on book publishing on May 23. But it's her new and well-selling book, Language, Culture, and Identity in St Read more

Acha Symposium

First Anniversary of ACHA

Acha will be holding another interesting and informative program at Philipsburg Jubilee Library this evening, April 9, at 7:00-9:00.

The program includes the singing of the St. Maarten song by Ifelola Badejo before the welcome introduction to ACHA where Drs. Okama Ekpe Brook will speak about positively reconnecting the Caribbean with Africa and the vision of ACHA.

There will be a summary of activities and upcoming events throughout the year as well as a poem by Julie Alcin Read more

Mostly New Comers Take Annual Culture Time (Act) Awards 2014

GREAT BAY, St. Martin – The awards season is not over yet, and St. Martin's longest, uninterrupted cultural awards – the Annual Culture Time (ACT) Awards – announced its winners for 2014 Sunday, March 15, 2015 during the radio magazine program, Culture Time.

According to hosts, Fabian Badejo and Rhoda Arrindell, "this year's winners are practically all new faces."

The dance award went to a young St Read more

Jose Lake: St. Maarten Is Ready For Independence At Next Referendum

GREATBAY—St. Maarten is anticipated to take the leap to being an independent country within the next five years, president of the Independence for St. Martin Foundation Jose Lake said in a press conference yesterday.

“We have seen a great increase in the interest in independence and it’s a much larger group that is supporting independence. We are at a stage where it will become necessary within short for us to lobby the parliament to get them to move to a new referendum within another year or two,” Lake said Read more

Independence referendum possible in less than 4 years

PHILIPSBURG--St. Maarten could possibly see a referendum on independence before the current Parliamentary term ends in 2018. At least this is the hope of staunch independence advocates such as activists Jose Lake Jr., Leo Friday Sr., Elton Jones and Drs. Rhoda Arrindell.

This hope was expressed by representatives of Independence for St Read more

Conference On The Last Colonies In The Caribbean Slated For March

GREAT BAY, St. Martin – The Independence for St. Martin Foundation will be organizing an international conference here under the theme, "The last colonies in the Caribbean," from March 6 – 8, 2015.

Invitations have been sent to individual scholars and organizations in the region engaged in the decolonization of the remaining territories in the region, and according to ISM Foundation President, Jose Lake Jr., the response has been "quite encouraging so far."

The aim of the conference, he explained, is to bring together those in St Read more

Shujah’s pick of books for “the ‘readingist’ month” of the year

by Shujah Reiph

When I first glanced at the Facebook post from Nehesi House at the end of January, about February being "the readingist month" of the year, I had to laugh, because that is a big statement to make without any backup information.

I was about to call Lasana right away, for proof, since he always drills me about evidence and having "multiple sources" when I find some new historical information. Nehesi House is the Facebook page of House of Nehesi Publishers (HNP). Lasana Sekou is a poet and projects director of HNP Read more