GREAT BAY (DCOMM):---- Preparations are in full swing by the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau (STB) for the annual Junior Minister of Tourism Inter-Scholastic Panel Discussion.
The Sundial School Team presented the following synopsis of its debating group. The speaker of the group is Oveidy Soriano. “Our speaker is a former student of Oranje School which is located right in middle of the biggest shopping promenade, Front Street. As the daughter of two working class parents Oveidy understands the benefits of hard work and plans to get into legal professions as a way of enhancing the quality of life of St. Maarteners.
“Caleb Carter, the lone male researcher of the group is the last of his siblings but first in his academics. With a demonstrated interest in group and outdoor activities, he sees his participation in this activity as a chance to offer ideas that will offer ideas to help St Maarten to improve its tourism product.
“Janelle Andre boasts of firsthand knowledge of the tourism industry since she has had numerous conversations with visitors while on tours conducted by her father. She expects that the experience of participating in this event will give her a better appreciation of her island home while bringing to light some of the lesser known wonders of St. Maarten.
“Future medical doctor, Naomi Desaines, expressed her interest in learning more of St. Maarten, and finding some of its hidden attractions. Her father’s job at the Harbor port of entry has given her an inside view of the less glamorous activities that goes into ensuring that visitors to the island are safe and satisfied while they transfer in and out of the island. She hopes to reach more conservative visitors and give them a quality experience that will turn them to repeat visitors.
“Shaniah is a responsible student who is very organized. She is quiet, kind, positive and very supportive of her peers. Shaniah is driven and inquisitive; she works hard in school and finds it important to assist where necessary. All of these attributes make her a great asset to the team.”
The panel discussion will take place on Friday, May 19 at the Sonesta Great Bay Beach Hotel from 9.00am to 12.00pm.
The winner of the panel discussion will represent Sint Maarten at the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) Youth Tourism Congress in Grenada in October.
The participating schools are: Milton Peters College four sections (MPC), Sundial School, Methodist Agogic Centre, St. Dominic High School, St. Maarten Academy and Charlotte Brookson Academy.
