Interesting read from New York Times Sunday Review, dated January 30, 2016 written by Adam Grant.
“Relative to typical scientists, Nobel Prize winners are 22 times more likely to perform as actors, dancers or magicians; 12 times more likely to write poetry, plays or novels; seven times more likely to dabble in arts and crafts; and twice as likely to play an instrument or compose music.”
CONGRATULATIONS TO ANUSHKA CHANDIRAMANI!
Anushka competed against 17 other school champions in the St. Thomas/St. John District Spelling Bee on Friday, February 12. She was poised and very well prepared. Anushka won second place, and qualified to compete in the Territory Spelling Bee in March! Her coach, Melissa Bump shared, “Anushka is a very studious young lady, and her hard work really paid off today. I’m so proud of her!”
Last week was a busy time for all of the hard working students in the PGIA. While grade 7-10 were engaged in the Iowa Tests of Educational Development and the grade 12 students were finishing their IBDP Mock Exams, the grade 11 students were completing their "Group 4 Projects", an integral part of the IB Diploma Program.
“The group 4 project is a collaborative activity where students from different group 4 subjects work together on a scientific or technological topic, allowing for concepts and perceptions from across the disciplines to be shared. Its aim is to develop an understanding of the relationships between scientific disciplines, their influence on other areas of knowledge and to appreciate the environmental, social and ethical implications of science and technology.”
“This year’s Group 4 project took the form of an interdisciplinary, collaborative investigation into epidemics. Through research and presentations, students demonstrated how biology, physics, chemistry, and environmental systems and societies are required for a full understanding of infectious diseases, including those afflicting both human and animal populations. The final presentations covered viral hemorrhagic fevers (i.e. ebola and dengue fever), HIV/AIDS, polio, and colony collapse disorder. ”
“I knew before that Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Environmental Systems and Societies were connected but it amazed me nonetheless. It just further showed me that science is related to many, if not all, aspects of life and it is so crucially important that we understand it because it so important to the way in which we live our lives. The value of the project was much larger than I expected. Collaborating with others and then learning more about the topics presented definitely solidified my decision to minor in a field related to the sciences while in college.”
“Through completing the G4 project I began to better understand that each of the G4 subjects are like puzzle pieces, interconnected to look at through what are similar yet different perspectives to better understand and formulate a whole picture. Physics, Chemistry and Biology are subjects all used to investigate science-related topics in great detail through experiments and calculated data and ES&S interconnects these findings to look at their implications on the environmental systems within a society. Though execution of this project results in an array of learning opportunities, most importantly it further reinforced lessons of the importance of accountability, developing communication skills, remaining open-minded and having the ability to self motivate and independently execute a project.”
The crowd was kept on the edge of their seats Wednesday evening as the VOLTS Varsity Boy's team brought home their first win, 40 - 33 over Gifft Hill. Demonstrating grit throughout the game the VOLTS never let up.
““The guys are really coming together as a team and learning what it takes to be successful. This first win was the result of that hard work paying off. We were able to maintain our poise and make it even though it was a close, tense game.
Hopefully we can continue to grow and get better as the season goes on. ”
After three days of pure science at the Weizmann Institute, the PGIA students and their chaperones were able to visit some of the most historic sites on earth. They stayed in a bedouin tent in the Masada Desert and hiked to the top of the plateau for sunrise and a tour of ruins that date back to the first century BC. They swam in the Dead Sea and apparently had a lovely mud spa as well. On to Jerusalem and seeing firsthand this historic place that evokes so much passion around the world.
We wish them peace and safety in their travels back home to friends and families that have missed them ever so much!
VI Montessori School Primary student Lamyir Perez and her family received a blessed gift from Make A Wish U.S. Vigin Islands. Lamyir's dream was to go to Disneyland - and that she did! Lamyir was treated like a disney princess and her family like royalty on their trip to Disneyland in January. Fast Passes and head of the line to meet those famous Disney characters helped make the trip extra special - though Lamyir's favorite part was her spa day at the Bibbity Bobbity Boo Boutique. Leave it to Disney!
Lamyir was born with a hole in her heart. She has had numerous surgeries and is, in fact, traveling to Miami next week for another visit with her Doctors.
PGIA Senior Megan Godfrey organized a Valentine's fundraiser with the help of Ali Slimming of East End Flowers. The effort raised over $1,200 to help Lamyir's family fund their Miami trip next week. Way to go Megan - what a beautiful thing to do! The family also has a fundraising site setup for donations.
While PGIA students took the Iowa Standards on Wednesday, our foreign exchange students from Eurocolegio Casvi Villaviciosa in Madrid were guests of the St. Thomas Historical Trust. Muchas gracias to Vince "Doc" Palancia of the Historic Trust who met with these students on campus last week and then guided their tour around downtown Wednesday.
Congratulations to our Volts Varsity Basketball Team on the school's first basketball win! Basketball is pretty new to VIMSIA with this being our boys second season. Go Volts!
“Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”
Ms. Ferguson's Thursday Art Club started off with a bang last week. Her students did beautiful leaf rubbings and paintings - they look so proud, don't they!
The Thursday Art Club is for Full Day Primary and Lower Elementary students. Wednesday Art Club is for Upper El and PGIA. Anyone that may still be interested in joining either of Ms. Ferguson's Art Clubs, please let Ms. Hunt know.
From Michael Bornn: The students are immersed in science. Today we started at 9:00 am with our first lab, it's now 9:25 pm and they are still in a lab. And no one is complaining. In fact I have had to pull students out of labs to go to the next lab. One of our talented students asked the professor " if I could come back later". Each student is finding their interests. They are interacting with each other more and more. Mr. Palmer is observing their interests and adding more lessons over breakfast and dinner breaks. All I have to do is listen, watch and try and recall my science knowledge to follow the topics. They are also observing and learning about the Israeli way of life.
Six PGIA students are at the Weizmann Institute this week further igniting their passions for science. "Each student seems to be passionate about a different area of science. This is amazing to watch and will be life-altering for these students. We are seeing science right now that will change the world," from Head of School Michael Bornn, who is chaperoning the trip.
The Weizmann Institute of Science is one of the world’s leading multidisciplinary basic research institutions in the natural and exact sciences. It is located in Rehovot, Israel, just south of Tel Aviv. The Institute has a long history of investigation and discovery rooted in a mission of advancing science for the benefit of humanity.
Six PGIA students are traveling to Israel to visit the world renowned Weizmann Institute of Science. The PGIA has been collaborating with the Weizmann Institute online for the past several years as a part of our End Session STEM programs. This year we were invited to send students to a specially created Science Camp just for us! Mr. Bornn, Andy Palmer - Physics and Science Teacher, and Mr. Kevin Williams are chaperoning the group. PGIA 12th grader Marcus, 11th grader Aneesh, 10th graders Darby, Hannah and Vanshika and 9th grader Karen head out today and will return next Sunday.
The trip will begin with a three day science camp at the institute with some of the most accomplished scientific minds in the world! The group will also visit the Masada Desert, the Dead Sea and Jerusalem. What an amazing opportunity for these young minds!
This year alone, VIMSIA students will have traveled to Santa Domingo, Madrid, Israel, China, New York, Amsterdam and the Yucatan. Incroyable!
Eagle scouts: chaperones Andy and Kevin with student marcus
So here's a tip. If you are sending your child to the middle of the desert, send them with three Eagle Scouts!
“Life isn’t meant to be lived caged within walls and mindsets. The only way to break free from the shackles of monotony is to travel. Bon voyage.”
“I throw my glass, that others might throw their jade.”
A huge thank you to all of the donors that made this trip possible!
As part of her MYP Personal Project, a culminating event in year 10, Darby entertained an enthralled audience Wednesday evening with a Shakespeare performance including pieces from As You Like It, Romeo and Juliet, King Lear, The Tempest, The Taming of the Shrew and Othello.
Kudos, Darby. Very well done!
“It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.”
Congratulations to our VIMSIA chess players and Coach Allen. We had several students participate in the interscholastic chess tournament held January 16. Kudos to Amir, who took first place in the 12 and under category, Kinze who took second place in the 9 and under category and Keo who took third place in the 12 and under category. Go chess!
“ Parents may be familiar with the growth mind-set, but they may be using it toward the goal of the next test grade or school application. That’s not what it is. It’s about learning and improving and loving the process. Those other things come about as a byproduct.”
Bienvenido to the eleven 7th and 8th grade Spanish exchange students that joined us from Madrid last week. We are so excited that we have embarked on an exchange program with the Eurocolegio Casvi School just outside of Madrid, Spain. These 7th and 8th graders will be here at the PGIA for six weeks. In February, 13 of our PGIA 7th and 8th graders will travel to their school in Madrid for six weeks. The Madrid students are being hosted by the VIMSIA families whose children will travel in February.
What an amazing opportunity for these students to improve their foreign language development, immerse themselves in cultural interaction, and make international friends for a lifetime! As our Head of School often states...
“We don’t live on simply an island, we don’t live in simply the United States - we live in the world, and our students must become conscientious global citizens. ”
The weekends for these students and their hosts are filled with great island and Caribbean excursions, we are so proud to show off our island to these friends from Spain. Thanks to Mr. Williams for putting together this video of their trip to Coral World. Spanish friends, share this with your friends at home so they can see what you're up to!!
Students in Ms. Ferguson's Thursday Art Club experimented with mixing the primary colors, creating patterns and painting between the lines on canvas! Looks like they had fun creating these beautiful works.
Each year, the Hebrew Congregation of St. Thomas honors Martin Luther King by recognizing local seniors with the Martin Luther King Service Award. PGIA Senior Khalese Potter was among the honorees this year and in true Khalese fashion - held the audience in rapt attention. After her speech at the synagogue, Khalese was asked to present her speech to the VI Legislature.
Khalese is invited to present her speech to the VI Legislature
“One of the proudest moments is to give these students a moment to speak their mind and feel empowered. We want them to know that their words really matter and they can make difference. More valuable than the monetary award is their moment to shine and be an advocate for what’s right in the world.”
Seeing Khalese at the podium, making her views heard is a sight that will certainly not end here. Khalese will most certainly go on to great things and make a difference in this world. Be the change, Khalese! We are so proud of you.
“Understanding our differences begins the journey to regarding each other as individuals and allows us to recognize differences as just that rather than viewing them as threats to the sanctity of another group’s ideals.
My ideas seem idealistic Dr. King, but as education and the celebration of diversity progress they become more realistic each day. So to paraphrase your words, I accept my finite disappointment today, but never loose my infinite hope for tomorrow.”
VI Culture with Ms. Francis, Coding Plus Plus with Ms. Schlesinger and Mr. Fong, Organic Gardening with Mr. Berry, Shakespeare with Ms. New, Photography with Clay Jones, Yearbook with Ms. Tess, Martial Arts with Master Scott - Huge thanks to all of our enrichment instructors and to Ms. Helen for putting together such a great enrichment schedule!
Any parent with more than one child knows that all children are unique individuals with traits, tendencies, likes and dislikes of their own. For that matter we all know that each individual should be valued. Thus it should be no surprise that in education there are numerous correct and successful methods to maximize student learning.
It is imperative that a community has more than one successful education method or school to facilitate the teaching of all its members. The span of education techniques and philosophies is indeed impressive. Years of dedicated research and efforts by talented teachers have created numerous methods to achieve student learning. The challenge is to develop and to sustain many methods in a community and to match each student with the most appropriate learning method or school.
Many of us know of students that "failed" in one school and "excelled" at another. Whether it was because of a different environment, student learning method, or teachers, some students perform better in different schools.
It is not as simple as one school is better than another. Instead it is a matter of what program best matches the child’s unique personality, home environment, DNA, culture, and other traits and conditions. Yet it is also a function of a school's and family's commitment to identify a student’s best learning method.
I say all of the above to emphasize our need to support, enhance, and improve as many schools in the V.I. as possible; not just a select few. In my previous article, I wrote that one commonality between South Korea and Finland was to educate ALL their residents and not only a portion of their country. The same principle should be promoted in the V.I., whereby the community should help numerous schools improve and facilitate the student learning of ALL.
Do not think "help" merely means money. Many times what is needed to improve is not just money but an array of other items from focus to philosophy to conviction to leadership to implementation of a growth mindset to parental support to vision to...
Of course, investing money wisely cannot be overlooked.
The price of improving as many schools as possible is that schools which do not maximize their effort, nor student learning methods and overall performance, will disappear from the educational landscape.
Virgin Islands Montessori School and Peter Gruber International Academy - a Montessori and International Baccalaureate Toddler through grade twelve private school in the beautiful U.S. Virgin Islands. Ask for Admissions 340-775-6360.
VIMSIA 6936 Vessup Lane, St. Thomas USVI 00802 info@vimsia.org Phone: 340.775.6360 Maps and Directions Staff Portal
