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!

Bon Voyage to Our Students Heading to Israel

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Weizmann Institute of Science has graciously invited our PGIA students back this year for another science camp at their amazing university.  World renowned scientists from Weizmann will have sessions with our students from Sunday through Wednesday, at which point the group will travel throughout Israel and Jordan.  Six students attended this trip last year with life altering results.  There are no words.  This year the students are Skyler, Silas, Aneesh, Megan and Ni'quay.

An excerpt from Vanshika's reflection of last year's trip:

This journey has thoroughly broadened my horizons, both scientifically and culturally. While being introduced to new customs and science, I found deeper meanings for both. Science isn’t simply knowledge, though knowledge is a poignant part of it; it is the ability to apply what knowledge you have and to solve questions that have never been asked before. Curiosity is the origin of all breakthroughs in science, because if scientists weren’t curious, they wouldn’t ask these excellent questions. 

Vanshika last year at the Dead Sea

Vanshika last year at the Dead Sea

PGIA SENIOR SPOTLIGHT FOR KAYLA RIVERS

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1. My best moment at PGIA? Thus far, with memories still to come in my journey through PGIA, my best moment has been during last year’s End Session to China with Mr. and Mrs. Stocking. Having the opportunity to travel internationally with peers- a group that was predominantly comprised of members of my class- was a culmination of all that is PGIA for me: a growth mindset, engaging with issues of importance trans-culturally, learning/applying classroom information outside of a class context and being with the family that I have developed throughout my 5 years here.

 2. Being a student at the PGIA means…growth-intellectually, emotionally, socially, physically, and spiritually.

 3. During my time as a Volt, I’ve shown a growth mindset on a daily basis, but particularly during the second semester of the Diploma Program Higher Level Spanish course when I received the lowest grade in the class on two separate occasions on a particular style of exam that recurs continually throughout the program. Rather than accepting my failure as inevitable, I studied harder, took more practice exams after class and have since received the highest scores in the class.

 4. Dinner for four; you and who else? Martin Luther King Jr, Michelle Obama, and Lupita N’yongo.

 5. On my favorite playlist is: 

●      Rise Up - Andra Day

●      Video Indie Arie

●      Doo Wop- Lauryn Hill

●      This Is How We Do It - Montell Jordan

●      Get Your Back up Off the Wall - Kool & the Gang

●      Who You Are - Jessie J

●      One Love- Bob Marley

●      Three Little Birds - Bob Marley

 

6. Ten years from now, though I don't know in what specific setting, I will be working internationally, loving life, applying the lessons from my undergraduate degree, pushing myself to do better and surrounded by people that make me happy and have my best interest at heart.

7. If I could change one thing about myself, it would be improving on my organizational skills.


8. Words to live by

“Just be the best you, you can be; Always use humor as your therapy; Don’t ever take life too seriously; Just do you because you do you so perfectly”. - Jessie J

PGIA SENIOR SPOTLIGHT FOR CAELIN VANNELLI

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1.     My best moment at PGIA? My first moment on campus was special. I immediately felt at home.

2.     Being a student at the PGIA means…treating others with respect

3.     During my time as a Volt, I’ve shown a growth mindset when I…learned the VIMSIA way.

4.     Dinner for four; you and who else? Ben Carson, Quentin Tarantino, and George W. Bush, Jr.

5.     On my favorite playlist is…Wu tang clan

6.     Ten years from now, I’ll be…making movies and living the American dream!

7.     If I could change one thing about myself, it would be…to have a stronger work ethic

8.     Words to live by… “Life is divided into the horrible and the miserable.” –Woody Allen