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Mp Grisha Heyliger-Marten Reminds Ministers Of Growing Backlog Of Responses

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — During a joint press briefing with her colleague MP Sarah-Wescot Williams on July 18th, MP Grisha Heyliger-Marten, expressed her concerns about numerous pending meetings and the lack of timely responses from letters to Government within the legal timeframes set out in the Rules of Order of Parliament.

Just last week alone, my office sent out reminders to three individual Ministers, Heyliger-Marten stated in a press release issued on Tuesday afternoon.

According to Heyliger-Marten, the Hon Read more

Emmanuel Wants Guarantees From Govt. On Student Housing In Holland

~ Not exploring solutions is unacceptable ~

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Leader of the NOW party (Nation, Opportunity, Wealth) MP Christophe Emmanuel is calling on the Minister of Education Rodolphe Samuel to assure and guarantee parents that their children travelling to the Netherlands to further their studies this year will have adequate, stable student housing once they arrive in the country in a few weeks.

The MP said he is very concerned about the status and mental health of St Read more

Trust FundS School Repair Program Completes 3 More Schools

EBENEZER, Sint Maarten With work completed at Milton Peters College (MPC), Methodist Agogic Centre (MAC) Comprehensive Secondary Education, and St. Dominic High School, a total of six (6) schools have now been repaired through the Sint Maarten Trust Fund.

The programs scope of work includes fixing roofs, doors, and windows, as well as mold remediation, plumbing, and minor electrical work. The contractor also installed new aluminum shutters on doors and windows where necessary.

In the case of MAC, additional structural interventions had to be done to improve the schools resilience to natural disasters Read more

Nagico Insurances Donates Electronic Scoreboard To Sports

Cul de Sac — An electronic Baseball/ Softball scoreboard was erected at the John Cooper Jose Lake Ball Park, as a donation to sports by NAGICO Insurances, to commemorate our 40th anniversary.

We have been executing several projects this year, to show our gratitude to the community, for their patronage and support for the past 40 years.

We are celebrating 40 years as a company and we could not have achieved this milestone without the support and patronage of our clients and the community, this is something that we will not lose sight of, and are truly grateful for, Eric Ellis Managing Director and Head of NAGICO St Read more

Development Of National Positive Parenting Support Program Underway

All Relevant Stakeholders Encouraged to Participate in the Process

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — The honorable Minister of Education, Culture, Youth & Sport, Mr. Rodolphe Samuel, announced the start of the development of a National Positive Parenting Support Program by the Department of Youth, during last Wednesday’s weekly Council of Ministers Press Briefing.

The Minister explained that the Department of Youth in collaboration with UNICEF the Netherlands, kicked off its stakeholder introductory meeting on March 22nd, for the development of the islands first National Parenting Program themed Positive Parenting Support Program Read more

Minister Samuel Closes Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Primary School. No School On Monday

SINT MAARTEN, PHILIPSBURG Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports (Ministry of ECYS) Hon. Rodolphe Samuel said on Sunday that his ministry along with other stakeholders are working diligently to address the challenges at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. primary school.

Addressing any issues at schools in the country is a priority Read more

Minister Ecys Drs Rodolphe Samuel Set To Open 3Rd Culture Creative Industry Forum

PHILIPSBURG On March 24th, Minister of Education, Culture, Youth & Sport drs. Rodolphe Samuel will deliver the opening address at the 3rd Culture Creative Industry Forum (CCIF) hosted by the Department of Culture. The CCIF brings together cultural practitioners, creatives and their stakeholders who are involved in the industry that reside on Sint Maarten to engage in meaningful discussions on the way forward for this developing industry.

“Im looking forward to attending the Cultural Creative Industry Forum as you may know, recently there has been much discussion in our community on the importance of culture and heritage Read more

Government Commits To Commercial Kitchen To Feed School Children And Vulnerable Persons.

PHILIPSBURGMinister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor, Omar Ottley and the Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports, Rodolphe Samuel commit to sustainability of commercial kitchen in the shelter project.

In 2020, the Government of Sint Maarten, under the 11th European Development Fund, B-Envelope, signed an agreement to execute a shelter project Read more

Community Spaces Finalized In Cayhill And Suckergarden

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — The Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport (MECYS) through the Department of Sport and its executive arm, the National Sports Institute (NSI) collaborated with the St. Maarten Development Fund (SMDF) and the Netherlands Red Cross (NLRC) in the development of the community spaces at the Raoul Illidge Sport Complex (RISC) and the Melford Hazel Sport complex (MHSC).

The Director of the NSI on behalf of the Minister of ECYS signed a user/care agreement with the community councils of Cayhill and Upper Princess Quarter regarding the community spaces which were developed by the SMDF and NLRC Read more

St. Maarten Heart And Stroke Foundation Hosts Family Fun Day At Emilio Wilson Park

CUL DE SAC, Sint Maarten — St. Maarten Heart and Stroke Foundation held its first Family Fun Day for stroke survivors and caretakers, in collaboration with the American University of the Caribbean (AUC) and the White and Yellow Cross Care foundation (WYCCF), in Emilio Wilson Park.

Pastor Elijah Singer, a stroke survivor, opened the family day with a prayer. Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs delivered a motivational speech to the gathering Read more

Smmc Upgrades John Cooper Jose Lake Sr. Multipurpose Sports Court

L-R: Department Head of the Department of Sports, Jonelle Richardson, SMMCs Medical Director, Dr. Felix Holiday, Hon. Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports, drs. Rodolphe Samuel, Hon. Minister of Finance, Ardwell Irion, Director of the National Sports Institute, Maikel Cornet and Sports Facility Manager Sigfried Hodge.

CAY HILL, Sint Maarten — St Read more

The 62Nd Annual St. Martin Day Celebration Takes Place This Thursday, November 11Th, 2021

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — November 11th 2021 marks the 62nd Annual St. Martin Day Celebration of kinship, solidarity, resilience and endurance of the people of St. Martin. St. Martin Day, a peoples day celebration as envisioned by our founding fathers Dr. Claude Wathey and Dr. Hubert Petit, and brought to life yearly by dedicated civil servants, cultural activists, and knowledge bearers, who work diligently to ensure that this vision of togetherness is observed. The celebration comes alive again this year November 11th with the theme We stand triumphant in the face of adversity.

This year, due to safety concerns surrounding the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic, the Government of Sint Maarten has chosen to celebrate part of the activities in person and part in a virtual prerecorded format Read more

Nagico Insurances Has Launched A Project To Help Promote Safety Awareness In School

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Given the emergence of the highly transmissible COVID-19 Delta variant, NAGICO Insurances has launched a project to help promote safety awareness in schools.

The awareness campaign will see child friendly, colorful posters and social distancing floor stickers, being placed at strategic locations in all Elementary and Secondary schools. The messages on these signs are all geared at informing and reminding students, of COVID-19 safety measures, which they need to practice, which will in turn reduce the risk of contracting and spreading the virus in and around the school campuses.

Our main objective with this project, is to help create a safe environment for our children and teachers in school as this is crucial in curbing the spread of the coronavirus, Eric Ellis; Territory Head for NAGICO St Read more

Department Of Culture To Establish Archeology/Underwater Heritage Policy

Philipsburg, Sint Maarten — On Wednesday, July 14 th 2021 Policymakers of the Department of Culture within the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth, and Sport (ECYS) met with several internal stakeholders from key Government departments. They are Maritime Affairs within the Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT), the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (VROMI), Department of Interior and Kingdom Relations (BAK) within the Ministry of General Affairs (AZ) and National Commission for UNESCO St Read more

DcommS Emancipation Day Special : No More Auction Block!

Philipsburg, Sint Maarten — On July 1st, the Government of St. Maarten commemorated the end of Slavery with their annual Emancipation Day ceremony and activities. This is the 158th Anniversary of the Proclamation of the Abolishment of Slavery on Sint Maarten. The theme this year is No More Auction Block!

The Department of Communication has put together a Special of this days event, and it premiered on the St. Maarten Government YouTube/SXMGOV channel as well as Facebook at SXM Gov.

To commemorate this remembrance, the end of slavery, an Ecumenical Service was held at St Read more

Government Meets With The Unions Over Vacation Allowance

~ To await Constitutional Court decision ~

Philipsburg, Sint Maarten — On Tuesday, June 29th, the Honorable Ministers of General Affairs Silveria Jacobs; Justice, Anna Richardson; Finance, Ardwell Irion; Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, drs Read more

Stb Hosts Movie Premiere In The Heights Featuring Dijkhoffz

SINT MAARTEN, PHILIPSBURG The St. Maarten Tourism Bureau (STB) hosted a movie premiere recently in honour of Ms. Bianca Dijkhoffz featured role in In the Heights.

This was done in recognition and appreciation of the countrys local talents as part of the orange tourism. Orange tourism is part of sustainable tourism, generating cultural, economic and social development through responsible tourism management of cultural heritage, arts, and creative industries.

Ms. Dijkhoffz celebrated her achievement in the presence of her family, friends and supporters.

The Hon Read more

Repairs Completed At Sr. Regina Primary School

Philipsburg, Sint Maarten — With the necessary operational repairs now complete, the students at Sr. Regina Primary School will finish off the 2020/2021 school year in refurbished buildings that are safer, watertight, and more hurricane resilient.

The works at Sr. Regina were part of the school repairs activities under Emergency Recovery Project I of the Sint Maarten Trust Fund, which is funded by the Government of the Netherlands, managed by the World Bank and implemented by the National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB).

Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport (ECYS) Rodolphe Samuel and his supporting staff, representatives of the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (VROMI), NRPB Director Claret Connor, and representatives of Foundation Catholic Education St Read more

Real Madrid Foundation Football Clinic For Boys And Girls

CAYHILL, Sint Maarten — We are pleased to inform you that our organization FUNDACION REAL MADRID CLINICS DUTCH ANTILLES, together with the REAL MADRID FOUNDATION and our Local Partner Flames United FC, will be organizing a Real Madrid Foundation football clinic for boys and girls (6 till 13 years) between 19 and 23 of July this year on the friendly island of Sint Maarten.

The collaboration of our main sponsor Coca Cola (CC1 Sint Maarten) to provide opportunities to some 75 kids to participate in the Clinic.

The goal of our organization in conjunction with our Sponsor, is to motivate the practice of football on the island as well as to encourage the values inherent in the sport, to give them the opportunity to train as their idols do and contribute to their personal development.

“The Minister of Education, Culture, Youth & Sport, Rodolphe Samuel, supports the endeavors by Flames United FC and the Foundation Real Madrid to provide further opportunities for the development of the sport of football, the athletes and the coaches here on St Read more

Mp Emmanuel: Samuel Unfit To Lead Education Ministry, Should Resign

~ Says insulting of civil servants a norm ~

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — According to Independent Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel, the Minister of Education Rodolphe Samuel only threw fuel on the fire and made a situation worse by questioning the integrity of civil servants in his Ministry and maintaining his position of placing a non-St Read more

Samuel Says Sports Development Faced Many Challenges During The Covid 19 Pandemic.

BELAIR, Sint Maarten On Sunday, March 7th, 2021, the Sint Maarten Sports and Olympic Federation held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Sports Conference (SC).
The event, which took place at the Belair Community Center and started shortly before 10 a.m. Sunday, attracted representatives from several sports organizations, including Swimming, Baseball, Basketball, Football, Fencing, Drag Racing, Auto Motor, Pool and Billiard, Judo and Cycling.

During the program, representatives of the SMSOF also observed a moment of silence for the island’s baseball legend, the late Etienne Albert Artsen, who passed away on Wednesday, December 16th, 2021.

On hand for the occasion was, among others, the Honorable Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, .Drs Read more

Government Of St. Maarten Encourages The Community To Take A Stand Against Violence

Philipsburg On Wednesday, February 24th, a Candelight vigil was held in the honor of the late Rhonda Thomas, a school teacher of the Methodist Agogic Center who was brutally murdered on February 14, 2021, in a domestic violence case. Prime Minister Silveria E. Jacobs, Minister of Justice Anna E. Richardson and Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport drs. Rodolphe Samuel were amongst the attendees at the event held at the Carib Lumber Ball Park to show their support for ending violence against women and girls.

Prime Minister Jacobs shared a few words with attendees calling them to action Read more

Minister Samuel Delivers The Game Two Opening Pitch

Philipsburg, Sint Maarten — Honorable Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports drs. Rodolphe Samuel delivered the game two opening pitch on Saturday February 20, 2021 on the Belvedere ball park between 721 Elite and Hammer. 721 elite won against hammer 6-4.
This game was the second game in the Pelican League Championship series Read more

Ready, Set, Protect! : Reflection Of Children Rights Development On St. Maarten

Philipsburg The importance of recognizing Childrens Rights on St. Maarten began as early as 1978. The now deceased Mrs. Mavis Salomon Brooks and Dr. Linda Banks first started the initiative by writing and producing a song about children rights for a song festival. Ever since, many individuals in our community volunteered their personal time in promoting the development and empowerment of children through various activities. Radio programs, uniformed groups and performing arts were among the undertakings by loyal persons.

On November 20th, 1989, the United Nations ratified the United Nation Convention for the Rights of the Child, with 140 countries including the Kingdom of the Netherlands adding their signature to this convention.

Consequently, all islands within the Kingdom adopted this treaty and started the work of drafting, establishing and implementing policy and programs in the interest of Childrens Rights.

The first official policy initiative for St Read more