Go Teon!

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Congratulations Teon Persaud for having the highest GPA (4.15) on the VIMSIA varsity basketball team.  This past Tuesday, he was recognized by the USVI Department of Education for his outstanding academic success.  Teon is executing the task of representing VIMSIA in a positive way in our island community.  Continue your success Teon, your VIMSIA family is proud of you. Let's show our love for Teon and the VIMSIA varsity basketball team by cheering them on during the MLK Basketball tournament this weekend. Their first game is against St. Croix Central High School Friday night at 9 pm at Ivanna Eudora Kean High School.  Click here to read in the VI Consortium. 

Click here for more information on the VI Consortium. 

 

 

 

Centennial Celebration: Danish Students Visit VIMSIA

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Students from Ranum Efterskole College in Denmark spent a day at Virgin Islands Montessori School & Peter Gruber International Academy on Tuesday Jan 17th.  The Danish students paired up with VI students to attend classes, become friends and to experience the curriculum at VIMSIA.

This visit was an effort to welcome the Danish students to St. Thomas as we celebrate our 100-year Centennial this spring.  The two schools are planning to embark on future visits, such as an annual student exchange program.

From the VIMSIA Dance Teacher, Ms. Helen Sidiropolous, "In our 11th grade Dance class, the visiting Danish students danced the Sevillanas from Spain, the Kalamatiano from Greece, the Bachata from the Dominican Republic and some hip hop dancehall fusion with the DP Dancers from the Virgin Islands!!  They took a true trip around the world."

Katherine Dohn, Michael Bornn, Olfert Andreasen, Gloria Zakers and Niels Kjaer

Spanish Exchange Program with Casvi IB School in Madrid

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Madrid group STT airport Jan 2017.JPG

Saskia C., Ava Jayne P. and, Kaia A.

Congratulations to these three 7th grade girls! They are off to Casvi IB School in Madrid, Spain for a 5-week Spanish immersion exchange program. We wish them safe travels while they represent PGIA in the international IB world. Go Spanish!

The Madrid students will be with us here at VIMSIA in February & March. 

PGIA Alumni Luncheon

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On Wednesday, January 4, the PGIA College Counseling office hosted the third annual Alumni Luncheon. This is a time when all alumni are invited to return to campus to offer pearls of wisdom to our current juniors and seniors. It's also a time for them to reflect on their experiences here and provide our administrative team with constructive feedback. This year, 19 alumni returned. Each of them shared stories of their college experience and future plans. It's so exciting to see the paths they have chartered! Our former Volts are certainly making their marks on the world.

Kai Bartlette '11 graduated Providence College with a BA in math and Spanish. She is currently getting her PhD in applied mathematics at the Colorado School of the Mines. Nathaniel Fuller '11 is getting his Bachelor's degree in Computer Science at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Kelsey Morrison '13 will graduate Ohio Wesleyan this May. She spent last semester in Chicago working with a law firm on human rights abuse cases. Her future plans are to pursue a JD/PhD program. Ariel Stolz '13 will graduate Brown University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. She plans to take a gap year to travel and then obtain a graduate degree in sustainable energy. PJ Chemont '14 is getting a Business Technology and Marketing degree at the University of Miami. He is also a drumline section leader. Isis Collier '15 is a dual sport athlete (soccer and lacrosse) at Cornell College in Iowa where she is pursuing a degree in music and kinesthesiology. She still plays the violin. Michael Emanuel '15 is at University of Rochester studying Political Science with hopes to attend law school in the future. Tariq Davis '15 is at Beacon College in Florida studying Business. Noah Stolz '15 is at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute studying computer science and cognitive science. He is currently conducting research at RPI in coordination with a professor at UVI. Jeremy Knight '15 is studying Environmental Science and Sustainability at Emory University. Whenever he's on island, he interns with the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Dakarai Potter '16 is studying Health Management Systems at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. CJ Fahie '16 is studying Computer Engineering at Indiana Tech and playing soccer. Kiyalyn Bump '16 is enjoying her Creative Writing and English program at Dalhousie University in Canada. Nicholas Figueroa '16 will begin a Bachelor's in Business Management at Embry Riddle Aeronautical Institute this month. He spent this semester on island getting his pilot's license. Naomi Laing '16 is attending UVI studying Business with a concentration in finance. She plans to transfer to a school in Florida for her sophomore year. Shakima Esprit '16 is also studying at UVI focusing on nursing. Isabel Setorie '16 is pursuing Pan-African Studies, Spanish, and Linguistics at Drew University. Abe Hamed '16 is studying Business at Valencia College. Jesse Wyatt '16 is studying Art at St. John's University.

 

INTERACT Visits Lucinda Millen Home

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Rotary Sunrise sends a special thank you to PGIA Interactors N'Quay, Skyler, Kaia and Taber, Interactor Advisor Mrs. Elizabeth Elger, and future Interact members Niall and Grady.  They joined Rotary Sunrise on Saturday at the Lucinda Millin Home.  The group threw a holiday party for the residents.

Interactors helped organize the gift bags, trimmed the tree, passed out refreshments and sang carols.  They helped Santa pass out gifts to all the seniors at the party and hand delivered gift bags throughout the home for less mobile residents confined to their rooms.  Their smiling faces certainly brightened the day. 

Many thanks.

Rotary Sunrise

We make learning special

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The Montessori Method takes learning away from memorization and brings it to real-world applications.  Math can be a particularly daunting subject for many children and adults, but as parent Jeanne Walters explains in the video below, learning in the Montessori classroom is a process that makes abstract concepts real.

Show your support and help us engage our students using a variety of methods, including the Montessori! Make a donation to the Annual Fund by clicking here; it's 100% tax deductible and your money goes to support student learning. You'll be glad you did! 

Giving Tuesday - Mrs. Patricia Gruber Issues A Challenge

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Mrs. Patricia Gruber has donated $50,000 for Giving Tuesday! She is now challenging our VIMSIA community to come together and match her donation! Mrs. Gruber wants to provide an avenue for any child of the VI to be a part of the experiential educational opportunities VIMSIA provides. Can our VIMSIA community match her donation? We're in the Giving Tuesday mood...

Haven't made your donation yet?  We'll make it easy for you - click here!  Remember to post your giving activity on your Facebook page and Twitter accounts - #givingtuesday. 

We thank you, Mrs. Gruber, for your generous donation!

Giving Tuesday - Invest in the Future from Lisa Aqui

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As we kick off the giving season, we asked Lisa Chamely-Aqui to tell us why it is important to invest in VIMSIA today and every day. Have a listen to what she says!

Haven't made your donation yet?  We'll make it easy for you - click here!  Remember to post your giving activity on your Facebook page and Twitter accounts - #givingtuesday.  Thank you! 

Giving Tuesday - So it Begins!

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Giving Tuesday at VIMSIA started out this morning with a buzz (a coffee buzz, that is). Thank you Cathy and Ramsey Smith of Virgin Islands Coffee Roasters and Lattes in Paradise for providing coffee and cups. Our cool coffee sleeves were designed by our very own talented Montessori students.   Enjoy your morning - more to come!

Haven't made your donation yet?  We'll make it easy for you - click here!  Remember to post your giving activity on your Facebook page and Twitter accounts - #givingtuesday.  Thank you! 

Design Class Cardboard Boat Races!

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Dr. Staples' 10th grade design class has been working on designing and building cardboard boats this year.  Each group was tasked with designing and building a boat out of 4 cardboard Home Depot boxes and tape.  

Today was race day at Secret Harbor.  Our PGIA students kept the tourists well-entertained this afternoon.   Big thanks to John Phillips at West Indies Wind Surfing for lending us the kayak paddles.  

We will let the videos tell the story.  Suffice it to say - learning can be fun!

The PGIA's 10th grade design class was given an assignment to build a boat out of cardboard and a few other specific items. The project culminated in this boat race held at Secret Harbor. Great project! Kudos Dr. Staples.

DP Dancers - Workshop on the Royal Caribbean with Cast of Mama Mia!

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Ms. Helen Sidiropoulos and he DP Dancers partook in an educational tour & dance workshop with the cast of Mama Mia on the Royal Caribbean Allure Cruise Ship. Our students learned part of the original choreography of the finale piece of Mama Mia and performed it on the Amber Stage on the Allure Ship this past Wednesday. This was all made possible by Harbour Pilot Captain John Amaro & the production staff of the Allure Cruise Ship. It was truly an unforgettable experience and our students were very inspired and grateful to have the opportunity to perform with professional dancers!

PGIA Students Visit Petra, Jordan

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PGIA students on the Weizmann trip to Israel and Jordan spent their final day touring the ancient city of Petra.  All five students and their chaperones are now in route from Paris and are due back tomorrow.  We are so anxious to hear the student reflections and to see the presentation that they put together to document this amazing adventure.

Israel Trip - Jerusalem

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The students are now embarking on their tours through Israel and Jordan.  Today was spent in the City of Jerusalem.  Imagine the history!  What an experience.

Volts: JV Boys Tied for 1st

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The JV boys volleyball team and Coach Mitch Gibbs finished their regular season on Wednesday with a win over Antilles.  They went three sets and were down 8-11 in that third set to 15, to come back and win!  That is a tough position to recover from - GRIT!  Way to go gentlemen!

Their only loss this season was to CAHS.  They will have a playoff game with CAHS later this month for first place.

Kudos Coach Gibbs and his Volts!

Israel Trip: Days 1-3, Weizmann Institute of scientific research

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Our students have just completed their three day science session at the Weizmann Institute.  As you can see from the photos below, they were immersed in a wide variety of scientific topics and cutting edge research.  From curing cancer to curing Alzheimer's - covering topics in chemistry, physics, biology and astronomy - our students will return from Israel having had an experience unique to only a very few high school students in the world.  We are so thankful for our relationship with the Weizmann Institute and the amazing benefits it yields for these curious student minds.

The remainder of the trip will take the group to Jerusalem, Masada and the Dead Sea, and across the border to Petra in Jordan.  Watch for posts journaling the remainder of this great adventure!