PHILIPSBURG--“With the introduction of technology in our schools our students will be better equipped to function in this digital age with confidence,” said Director Asha Stevens during a ceremony on Friday morning at the Helmich Snijders Hillside Christian School campus in St. Peters.
DigiKidz is an initiative of Foresee Foundation and several sponsors and supporters of the project, including Prime Minister William Marlin and President of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams, were on hand to congratulate the foundation for equipping another school with the DigiKidz programme.
“This celebration would not have been possible without a visionary who is looking ahead of her time and who has a powerful plan for change in the future for all the students of St. Maarten. With her shared vision she enlisted others in a shared view of the future of our students, reason why she named her foundation-Foresee. With her team she was able to convince Windsong International Foundation to invest in DigiKidz for the first school, Asha Stevens Campus, followed by the Seventh-Day Adventist.
“For the third school she had to raise funds locally and used her power of persuasion to convince our local business leaders to sponsor this worthy mission. Her leadership skills and visionary outlook benefited the schools tremendously as she encouraged teamwork- understanding and collaboration, as is evident today. Thank you, Jose Sommers,” said Stevens during the ceremony.
DigiKidz envisions bringing information communication technology (ICT) to St. Maarten primary schools through joint efforts of public and private entities. This project focuses on a modern physical ICT infrastructure and includes 21st-century learning and teaching. The project aims to increase and improve the use of technology among students and staff at the primary school level, acknowledging the fact that education does not stop after school closes.
The DigiKidz team comprises young St. Maarteners skilled in different areas of education, information technology, business and management, and marketing and communications. The Digikidz project rolls out a comprehensive ICT project for elementary schools, including laptops/tablets, wired and wireless network, and professional development for staff for those schools that are motivated to teach students innovative 21st-century learning skills.
Through an initial commitment of Windsong International Foundation in the US/Anguilla, St. Maarten received up to US $1 million in funding for the first two schools. The business community came out in full force and supported the third school, making possible the launch on Friday.
The donation for the programme is part of a comprehensive ICT/technology project not only to equip St. Maarten schools with hardware and software, but also to train teachers to integrate technology in the teaching of the Foundation-Based Education curriculum.
Foresee Foundation thanked sponsors who contributed to the programme, with plaques and words of appreciation. Interested businesses and persons can contact the Foundation by emailing
[email protected]/* */ or visiting the website
www.digikidzsxm.org .
Source: Daily Herald
Helmich Snijders Hillside Christian School gets DigiKidz programme
