CAY HILL:--- With an eye towards the future, the Foresee Foundation on Friday officially launched the DigiKidz technology/ICT project at the Asha Stevens Christian Hillside School, the first DigiKidz school on St. Maarten.
Joined by Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams, Minister of Education Patricia Lourens, committed sponsors and others, the foundation and its members expressed how important the project was for every young person on St. Maarten and how proud they were to launch it at the island's biggest elementary school.
The two-part program consisted of a session for the 500 DigiKidz followed by the official ceremony for sponsors, teachers, government officials.
DigiKidz envisions bringing ICT in St. Maarten primary schools on the island through joint efforts of the public and private entities. This project focuses on a modern physical ICT infrastructure and includes 21st century learning and teaching.
The project aims to increase and improve the use of technology among students and staff at the primary school level, acknowledging the fact that education does not stop after school closes.
The DigiKidz team comprises of young St. Maarteners skilled in different areas of education, Information Technology, Business and Management and marketing and communications, The Digikidz project rolls out a comprehensive ICT project for elementary schools, including hardware with laptops/tablets, wired and wireless network, and professional development for staff for those schools that are motivated to teach students innovative 21st century learning skills.
Through an initial commitment of The Windsong International Foundation in the US/Anguilla, St, Maarten might be able to receive up to US$ 1 million in funding. Nearly US $200.000 already has been invested in the first pilot school and Philipsburg Jubilee Library's future DigiKidz Media Lab.
"The Hillside Christian is making great strides and is implementing technology in all their 17 classrooms as the first pilot school. Now the input is needed of all local stakeholders on St. Maarten to bring this project to the next level, expanding it to more schools," president of the foundation Jose Verschueren-Sommers said.
She added that Foresee believes that students and teachers should be engaged in a stimulating educational environment with challenging curriculum with this providing global access to information and refining critical thinking skills while fostering creativity. She said the next DigiKidz school will be the Seventh Day Adventist School hopefully before the summer break.
Minister Lourens used the opportunity to assure that government continues to work on its "every laptop per child" policy" and stressed the importance of cooperation between private and public sectors to be able to get the work done. She said the introduction of ICT at Christian Hillside is a considerable development for the school and the island, paves the way for others and prepares and equips the youth for the future.
Lourens added that parents and teachers should not be too quick to dismiss a child playing as just play, but while they play, they learn. The same, she says, rings true for their activities on a computer or tablet.
Member of Parliament Romain Laville was present at the launch and said he was very impressed with what the Foresee Foundation has been able to accomplish for the children of St. Maarten. Laville who recently launched a breakfast program for children, said that St. Maarten children should not be left behind in a world they will one day be leaders in. Technology today, he added, serves to meet curricular needs and has proven to improve the academic success of students.
"Our children are citizens of a modern world and should be equipped to learn and succeed as such. They must be able to communicate globally using modern means of learning and connecting. I am very much impressed with this project and look forward to supporting its expansion to other elementary schools. This is a huge step forward," he said.
Committed sponsors and potential sponsors in attendance were also presented with a DigiKidz brochure outlining various sponsorship packages. These packages range from "basic" (US $750) to "premier" (US $15,000) each with their own benefits for the sponsor as a partner of the DigiKidz project.
The official launch also included a presentation by students of the St. Dominic High School International Baccalaureate Program of a technology survey they conducted among cycle 1 and 2 students.
The conclusions of their survey recommended that ICT training for staff and parents should be established, digital media should be integrated in curriculum and maintenance and security should be a mainstay to protect children from material on the internet.
Master of ceremonies for the event was Assistant Editor of Teen Times Iris Hakkens and Spokesperson of Teen Times Sakir de Castro. Students of the Sundial School were also on hand to assist with serving snacks and beverages to invited guests.
Committed sponsors include the St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association, St. Maarten Timeshare Association, the Indian Merchants Association, UTS, TelEm, Oyster Bay Beach Resort, Boolchand's and Trakx Design.
The members of the DigiKidz team are Erwin Wolthuis, Rolando Brison, Alston Lourens, Kevin Petrona, Mike Granger, Marcellia Henry, Navin Nandwani and Marcus Nicolaas. Interested businesses and persons can contact the foundation by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visiting the website www.digikidzsxm.org.