Education Minister Silveria Jacobs and Interim Director of the CBA Board May-Ling Chun.
Jacobs with MAC board member Clayton Holiday.
PHILIPSBURG–Education Minister Silveria Jacobs officially handed over the keys of two of the three pavilions that the country received to Charlotte Brookson Academy (CBA) for the Performance Arts and the Methodist Agogic Center-Comprehensive Secondary Education (MAC-CSE), which were both affected by Hurricane Irma.
The handover took place on Friday, December 1. Jacobs handed over the keys to the front and back doors of the pavilions as well as keys to classrooms and restroom doors. She urged the students, teachers and faculty to use the pavilions to the full extent, keeping in mind they are temporary structures, which would not be able to endure too much wear and tear. The pavilions were part of the emergency aid that the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science OCW in the Netherlands sent to St. Maarten via the Karel Doorman. The pavilion for CBA is located on the Ring Road and that for the MAC-CSE is in Ebenezer.
CBA, which was located at the former Government Administration Building, sustained severe damage during Hurricane Irma rendering the building unfit and unsafe for students.
Jacobs made provisions for CBA to receive a pavilion to ensure the school was able to continue with classes in a safe and conducive environment for students, teachers and faculty, it was stated in a press release on Wednesday.
MAC-CSE lost the top part of the wooden structure of the building, which left the school’s fourth and fifth formers and some subject classes, with little to no classroom space. MAC-CSE’s pavilion is located on an open lot, next to the school premises, which was strategically placed near the main campus to cater to students and facilitate the rotation of classes. The CBA pavilion was placed on the Ring Road because it is in close proximity to the John Larmonie Center, where students take art classes and the L.B. Scot Sports Auditorium where their physical education classes are held.
Jacobs told CBA students, staff and board members who were present for the handing over of the keys, that she was excited to see the performing arts school receive a structure they can now call home.
“We experienced some delay in getting the pavilions usable for the schools. The preparatory works needed to erect the pavilions took some time. However, the Ministry [of Education Culture Youth and Sports – Ed.] would like to thank VROMI [Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure – Ed.] with the assistance of Windward Roads for ensuring the properties were well prepared for the foundation of the pavilions,” Jacobs said.
“Thereafter, electricity, water and sewage lines had to be installed on the properties to ensure the safety and hygiene for the students and teachers. Furthermore, the air-condition units, which were originally sent, were incompatible with the electrical system on St. Maarten. OCW, after much deliberation came to a consensus to purchase the new AC units which would be compatible on our electrical feed.”
Jacobs and the Ministry of Education continue to work closely with school boards to ensure all are well-equipped to teach the students and ensure the students are not lagging behind with school material post hurricane Irma, the release said.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/71636-minister-jacobs-hands-over-pavilions-to-cba-mac-cse
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