CUL DE SAC:--- St. Maarten Academy on Friday celebrated Black History Month with an Art Exhibition as well as a cultural programme, the latter organized by the school's Student Government Association (SGA).
The Black History Month programme created a platform for an array of talent from the student population. Friday's cultural celebrations, which started at 11:30am and ended at 1:30pm, showcased exciting performances from girl band Supral JADS belting out Bruno Mars's "Today my Life Begins"; classical dancers Naomi Warsop and Zaquel Phipps; and poetry by Teen Talent Spoken Word second place winner Temaia Dennis, with her piece "Cage", to name a few.
But the surprise of the day came from fourth form student Lisha Maduro who brought the house down with Alicia Keys' "We Are Here", while her vocal coach La Vaune Henry looked on.
This year, as an extra incentive, the staff and student body got three opportunities to win a Samsung Galaxy ACE3 cell phone with a slim line "powerseed" charger, along with a sim card, and a $10 phone card, compliments of Telem Group of Companies.
Telem donated the prize to help raise funds for the school's CAPE (Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination) Science students who will travel to the Commonwealth of Dominica during the Carnival break in April to fulfill the practical requirements of the Biology and Physics curriculum.
The annual Art Exhibition also highlighted great pieces in drawing, paint and mixed media, and graphic design. All of the budding artists, guided by their teacher, Mr. Henry Thomas, had to explain their work's topic, medium, and message to the school's Principal, drs. Tallulah Baly-Vanterpool. The art students use this annual exercise to get feedback on their pieces in preparation for their Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.
Motivational and history presentations were done by a number of guest speakers, including Shujah Reiph, of Conscious Lyrics Foundation; and Dr. Vincent A. David, the Youth Director of the North Caribbean Conference of SDA in St. Croix who visited St. Maarten for a week of meetings.
Every year during February, students are encouraged to produce projects in film, music, and Art to highlight the struggles and accomplishments of black people in years past. One of the notable music videos produced this year came from second formers Nishan Rombley and Johnathan Hodge, who sang original lyrics that analysed a number of atrocities black people face today, but yet they persevere.
Mrs. Baly-Vanterpool told students that they must "recognize and honour the struggles of those who went before them, by embracing and maximizing their earned right to an education."
