Saskia C., Kaia A., and Ava Jayne P
Our three 7th grade girls were warmly welcomed by their student buddies from Casvi IB School in Madrid, Spain. Our students are taking part in a 5-week Spanish Immersion Program. We can't wait to hear about their wonderful experiences! Go Spanish!
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.
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.
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
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!
Thank you all so much for your support of Giving Tuesday in support of VIMSIA's Annual Fund! Our classes raised over $350 in their Be Part of the Change drive, and alumni, parents, staff and friends helped us to reach our $9000 #GivingTuesday goal!
Thank you!
We have passed the half-way mark of Giving Tuesday! Why are we asking our students, parents, alumni and community to give today? Because we set the example for the leaders of tomorrow.
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!
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 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!
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.
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 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.
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.
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!
The Varsity Volts played both Gifft Hill and St. Peter and Paul this week and won each game in 4 sets. Congratulations Volts!
Photo credit: Scott Williams Photography
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!
This lab was about decomposing cells.
Here they are studying blood vessel traits
Garlic as a cure for colon cancer
The students have seen the difference in an atom of copper and an atom of gold.
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.
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
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
