SOUTH REWARD, Sint Maarten — As the new school year commences the Sundial School and Milton Peters College both look back at a successful celebration of their 50th and 40th anniversary respectively.
The celebrations kicked off in October 2016 with a formal reception for key community and governmental partners and continued in February 2017, with a MPC school reunion where approximately 500 past students came out to a meet and greet with past teachers. Though it was tricky to see all your past classmates, those in attendance agreed that it was great fun.
Next a fundraising gala was organized in March in an effort to raise money for the IT projects currently taking place at both schools. It was a successful evening and the funds received will be specifically used for ICT development (purchasing of smart boards and such) at the Sundial School.
The schools held a talent show in May, featuring performances by former and current students and staff members. The performances of the night were certainly entertaining and those who came out enjoyed the treat of having our first female Calypso Monarch, Shakiya, on the line up.
In celebrating the anniversaries of these schools, management knows that St.Maarten is in fact celebrating the hard work and dedication of their teachers. For this reason an amazing staff Christmas party was organized in December2016 and a grand Masquerade gala was organized for the entire staff of both schools in June 2017. The night, started out a bit rocky with lots of rain and rumors of flooding in some neighborhoods, however those who braved the weather mostly agreed that the evening turned out to be quite memorable.
In the month of August the Sundial School held its student reunion, where past Sundial students and teachers gathered at the school itself for a fun filled night. As not everyone who wanted to be there were able to attend, the organizers are contemplating another meet and greet at a later date.
The celebration ended on August 10th with a bang. An inspirational and thought provoking symposium was organized by the schools for the entire staff of both schools as well as the staff of the other secondary schools on the island. The more than 350 persons in attendance received a keynote address from guest speaker Dr. Francio Guadeloupe where he expounded on the historical perspective of education and its development on our island and, Mr. Alan November, the second guest speaker for the day, challenged the audience to view the student as the owner of the learning that takes place within the classroom. It was the perfect start to what we hope will be a successful school year.
During what was our last celebration event, the symposium, almost every speaker of the day called upon the now famous African proverb ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ at some time or the other. The SVOBE schools could not agree more and would like to take this opportunity to thank the village that made our entire celebration possible. We say a big thank you to:  Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA), Sonesta Maho Resort, Kooyman B.V., Telem Group of Companies, Shop 4 Less, GEBE N.V, The Belgian Chocolate Shop, Port St.Maarten Group of Companies,  PDG Supplies BV., Obersi Group, Nagico Insurances, Boolchands, Oyster Bay Resort, Krebbers Real Estate, Little Switzerland, Ama Jewelers, Seven Seas Water, Office World, Van Dorp, Office 1 Superstore, Caribbean Liquors & Tobacco BV, Amsterdam Cheese & Liquor, Winair, Sunny Food, Petro Plus (Known as Texaco), Super Plaza,  Delta Petroleum, Chilly Willy, Cost U Less, Chesterfields, Big Fish, Yvette’s Restaurant, Shieka’s Catering, Canoa Restaurant, Mark’s Place, Top Carrot, Carousel, Gio’s Gelateria & Cafe, Angelic Touch, Blue Point, Georgina’s Nails, The Today Newspaper, St. Maarten Tourist Bureau, The Daily Herald, Genesis Music Group, Control Band, Cookies, Goodies & more, The Experience, PRfect Moments, Mr. and Mrs. Doug Brown, Julie Jones, Mireya Martina, Cecil Griffith, Lyndon Lewis, the Minister of MECYS and His Excellency the Governor for generously donating their time.