Weekly News – 5.27.22

Quick Announcements:

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Thank You! Merci! Gracias!

Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate Julie Crisler. You may have noticed that Julie sits out front every morning, welcoming everyone to school. Feel free to share your love and well wishes with her. In lieu of presents you can continue to celebrate Julie Crisler into the future by contributing to the Faculty Excellence Fund.

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Around Campus:

Spring Concert

GHCDS Spring Concert from ELC to Grade 12, GHCDS Panthers made beautiful music led by Tina Thompson and Michael Belgrave.

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Athletics: Soccer

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GHCDS Art and Fashion Show

After two years, the art department was delighted to host the annual student art show on campus. In the gallery (the pavilion) was an intermingled display of ELC through 12th grade creations. The artwork ranged from drawing studies such as portraits and still life, handmade grass paper, fashion and ceramics. This year we included artifacts from Ancient World History class and interactive activities such as a scavenger hunt and an Artist Trading Card Station. Special thanks to Tina Thompson, alum Chris Tirado, and Jr. Tri-M members Allegra Ferreras, Anna Simon, Li Green, and Alia Hamed for your performances at the closing reception. 

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NAHS Commissioned to Paint Sign

NAHS members were commissioned to paint Gallows Bay signs at the bank and the post office. Thanks to Izabelle Rodriguez for organizing this project, Tsehai Alfred, Gabrielle Evora, and Priya Mittal for helping to complete the job.

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Senior Pinning Ceremony

On Tuesday afternoon, GHCDS Faculty and Staff honored each and every senior with well wishes and joyful anecdotes

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Senior Skip Day

Thursday was another wonderful day of traditions when the seniors skip school after a night of preparing playful pranks!

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Agriculture and Food Fair of the Virgin Islands (Ag Fair) is Agriculture: A Golden Opportunity to Grow. 

Students from Nursery up to Seniors wove the theme into several projects to represent the “Golden Thread” we envision connecting our school community with each other and the island and the world. With a focus on Tropical Agriculture, classes provided projects which will be on display this weekend in the big building in the northwest corner of the Fairgrounds.  Stop and see the work and pick up some plants and fresh produce!

Hudson M. 4th Grade, Maya P, 8th grade, and Jaden G, 10th grade presented the school’s collection of projects to the judges Friday.

Projects included in the display show that students in…

• Nursery and Pre-Kindergarten planted seeds and made a book telling what would happen to their plants after they sprouted.

• First grade compiled a binder showing their experiences on a field trip to Sejah Farm. Eating fresh produce was a favorite memory!

• Second grade learned about pollination by moving “pollen” with pipe cleaners. They made a giant flower with anthers to tell about pollination.

• Third grade studied plants and flowers and made highly accurate scientific and artistic drawings of the plants they learned about. Their illustrations are presented in a paper quilt.

• Fourth grade made Tiano Amulets after a field trip to the National Park in Salt River.

• Fifth grade grew cashew seeds after trying the fruit brought to school by Sra. Velez.

• Sixth grade worked in pairs to learn about native birds. They created a Field Guide that includes their original illustrations along with information about how wild birds influence agriculture.

• Middle School wrote essays promoting VI Agriculture. Also on display are tree books created by Caribbean Topics classes and photos of students building the Dragon Fruit support structure behind the Middle School science classroom.

• Upper School built a market display table in the Construction elective, created infographics in the Digital Design elective, made molecular models representing the chemical equation of photosynthesis in Chemistry, made pinch pots from clay collected at Long Point in art class, and illustrated a coloring book of Crucian Sayings in the Caribbean Culture class.

Flower Power – Grade: 2nd Grade – Teacher: Ms. Lambert 

2nd-grade scientists learned how and why flowers are pollinated by discovering its super-power, pollen, and one of our most important pollinators, bees! Students closely observed local flora using magnifying glasses, locating the sticky stigma and golden pollen dusters. Then, each student created a paper flower model – complete with a sticky stigma – and bee out of pipe cleaners. Our busy bees then had the opportunity to buzz around the classroom, “pollinating” flowers with golden turmeric and cinnamon. We discussed and documented whether we thought our flowers would make seeds and what evidence we have. Our final project was creating one enlarged flower model lined with dried local bougainvillea to demonstrate our understanding of the importance of pollination.  

A Collection of Essays – Middle School Life Science – Jane Coles

As a part of our study of ecosystems and adaptations, each student dug a little deeper into a particular tropical crop that could help grow our economy in the Virgin Islands.  From Avocados to Tamarinds, we found out about productivity, fruiting seasons, and growing conditions.  Students incorporated their learning into persuasive essays.

Seeds to Plants – Nursery and Pre-K – Gwen Lake

Pre-K and Nursery students read the book The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle, then planted their own seeds. While they waited for their seeds to grow, the students wrote their own book about their predictions and plans for their plants.

The Beauty of St. Croix’s Gardens – A Paper Quilt of Leaves and Flowers – Grade: 3rd – Cindy Mault

This was 3rd grade’s golden opportunity to share the bounty of their home gardens! Contributions were brought to school, and a daily display was created as students introduced native leaves and flowers then explained how they are used for decoration, cooking and soothing ailments! The experience of making each square, and in turn making a quilt, showed their growth as a community with shared appreciation for beauty found in their own backyards.

Taino Amulets – 4th Grade – Ms. Bishop & Ms. Hill

4th grade took a field trip (sponsored by Project Promise)  to Salt River Bay. The National Park rangers taught us all about the local plants and animals, as well as the history of the natives who once lived there. After the field trip, they provided us with materials to create jewelry inspired by Taino symbols. This was a great opportunity for students to grow their knowledge of our beautiful island with its rich history. 

GHCDS Bird Field Guide Book – 6th Grade – Ms. Wood & Ms. Mo

The 6th grade students utilized BirdSleuth Caribbean (a partnership with Birds Caribbean, The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and St. Croix Environmental Association) lessons to index common birds found on the Good Hope Country Day School campus.  To share their knowledge and foster a golden thread of love and understanding of birds, the students created a field guide for the Good Hope Country Day School Campus.  The guide incorporates general information related to the importance of wild birds in agriculture.   

Crucian Sayings Coloring Book – Upper School – Ms. Sackey-Jaffurs

The Caribbean Culture class explored the power of language and the history of Virgin Islands Creole. Using Proverbs of the West Indies, by Rafael Lito, students read and explored different sayings that used plants and animals.  Each student then chose one to three sayings and drew an accompanying sketch for a coloring book.

Exploration of Agriculture as an – Artistic Medium – LS Art – Mr. Francis

What is a golden opportunity?  In art and education we see it as another chance to learn about something new. A chance to explore ideas and stimulate our minds. We ask questions – Where is the craft in the agriculture we are naturally surrounded by? What is the science behind how our environment is affected and how can we use it in artmaking and to tell a story?

A golden opportunity is an opportunity to watch grass turn into paper and dirt into pottery. It’s a chance to break down the science of our everyday things in our lives and understand the process better. 

Children become empowered through these opportunities and continue to build on the basis of those creative and explorative foundations as they grow up and put forward towards the next generation. 

Cashew Fruits and Seedlings – Grade: 5th Grade – Mrs. Dongar and Mrs. Fitzgerald

Cashew fruits, or cashew apples, grow on evergreen trees related to Mangoes. The true fruit is the shell around the seed at the end of the apple. The golden “fruit” we eat is called an accessory fruit, or false fruit, since it doesn’t surround the seeds.

The fifth grade students heard about cashews from Sra. Velez in Spanish class. We tried tasting the fruit and realized that when you bite into it, its flesh is spongy, fibrous, juice and soft, but it dries the mouth.  We decided to use it as a golden opportunity for the Agriculture Fair and planted the seeds. Some seedlings grew in soil with composting worms and some in plain soil without worms. We found out that the soil with the composting worms helped the plants grow faster than the soil without the worms. We discovered the critical role earthworms play in decomposing dead material and releasing nutrients into the soil. 

Market Display Table – Upper School Construction – Dr. Turk

The Upper School Construction elective class constructed this market table to show off the projects and products made and grown by the whole school.  The class made this table based on a sketch, cutting the boards to the correct lengths with the correct angles and then using a power driver to fasten the boards together with screws. The frame stabilizes the table and offers a place for an extra storage shelf underneath. 

 Pinch Pots from Long Point Bay – Upper School Art/ VI History – Ms.Banwaree/ Ms. Sackey-Jaffurs

 Upper School students from Ceramic and VI History classes visited Fort Frederik, then traveled to Long Point Bay, in search of local clay. While in Frederiksted, and off the Melvin H. Evans Highway, we took a short walk towards the beach and found brownish, yellow clay on the shoreline. The clay was gritty, sticky and really fun to play with. Students created small pinch pots and returned them to school to air dry. 

Tropical Plant Books – 7th grade Caribbean Topics – Jane Coles

In this class, seventh grade students started the trimester with a walk around campus in which they listed the plants they could recognize and name.  Since then, they have learned about different shapes of trees and different kinds of leaves. The last assignment of the plant identification unit was to catalog and document all of the plants they could easily identify and describe.  What a long way we’ve come!

Dragon Fruit Support – Middle School and Upper School Construction – Mrs. Coles and Dr. Turk

After Eighth grade student Maylin propagated dragon fruit plants for her Science Fair project, Middle School decided to build a trellis to properly support multiple dragon fruit plants.  The plant only flowers and fruits where it is horizontal or falling, and we didn’t want spiky octopuses all over the ground.  Some Middle School students used recess time and after school to cut lumber to fit an existing raised bed, and painted it to match.  Here is a picture of our first flower!  

The Upper School Construction class built the small model version of the stand for our display.

Chemical Processes of Plant Growth – Chemistry – Mrs. Dykstra

 Upper School Chemistry students utilized their knowledge of photosynthesis and balancing chemical equations to create a display relating to plant growth.  The reactant and product molecules are displayed using molecular models.  Use of the models reinforce that the same number of atoms are on both sides of the reaction; the rearrangement of bonds in the reactants creates the products, one of which is glucose, a building block of plant growth.

The balanced chemical equation is:

6 H₂O + 6 CO₂  —>  6 O₂  +  C₆H₁₂O₆

Leatherback Turtle: Our 3rd graders started out by talking about the shape of the turtle and compared them to the arches in palm fronds. Weaving became a game and we explored the patterns we could make by playing with the direction of the fronds. 

Green Turtle: We explored basket weaving and combined it with palm weaving. Our basket weaving let us focus on the shape and structure of the shell and the palm frond squares gave us the chance to center in on the pattern of the scales on the shell.

As material was needed we walked outside of the classroom and got more. 

Solar Oven: Who knew a solar oven would be so important in a classroom?! We made our solar oven with recycled material and household items – recycled box, tin foil, and plexiglass. The solar oven collects the sun’s energy and uses it to heat or cook up what’s inside. We have used our solar oven to dry clay, make paper stain infusions and as a dehydrator with experiments in natural pigments. We’ve also used it to help rehydrate dry natural material to help make things more pliable. 

Pigment Paint: Color is all around us and the Virgin Islands has some of the best! We spoke about how pigment can be added to different paint mediums for different styles of painting and made tests. We used a mortar and pestle to grind down charcoal and local turmeric and mixed it with an acrylic binder to help the longevity and stability. We played with lines and patterns on our homemade grass paper.

 Island Food Infographics – Digital Design – Ms. Holt

Some students in the Upper School Digital Design class created infographics about different foods grown on the island. Others created infographics about local dishes they grew up eating with their families.  It was a delicious way to look at the beauty of our islands! 

 First Grade Field Trip to Sejah Farm – First Grade – Ms. Deevey

Good Hope Country Day School First Graders had a field trip to Sejah Farm. Mr. Browne gave us a tour of his farm. We tasted things we never tried before. One of these surprising things were Squash Blossoms. We learned that you can eat many parts of the plant. This Golden Anniversary of the Agriculture Fair gave us the idea to make a book about our experience and the Golden Squash Blossom. We hope you enjoy our book as much as we enjoyed our trip to Sejah Farm!

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Ag Fair and Greek Mythology

For the Ag Fair animal frenzy contest art students created a goat inspired by the Greek mythological story of the Golden Fleece. The fleece was kept in a sacred grove, granting prosperity and wealth to the kingdom. It is a symbol of authority and protection. We named our goat Kris, short for Chrysomallos. He was built with chicken wire, scrap wood, cans, cardboard, tape, plastic and cloth. Thanks to Jeff Turk and the construction class for assisting. (Pictured: Lola Kohl and Tsehai Alfred)

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Parents’ Association:

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College Acceptances:

(bolded entries indicate enrollment commitment)

Alexandra Bhola: University of Pennsylvania; Boston University; Duke University; Fordham University; University of Miami; Howard University; Northeastern University; Georgetown University; Spelman College

James Bugg: Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute w/scholarship; University of Vermont w/scholarship

Syrena Carter: Griffith University, Queensland, Australia; Bond University, Queensland, Australia; University of South Australia; University of Newcastle, Australia; University of Wollongong, Australia; James Cook University, Australia; American International College w/scholarship; Johnson and Wales University w/scholarship; Susquehanna University w/scholarship

Christopher Cawley: University of Tampa; University of North Florida; East Carolina University; Western Carolina University; University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Michael Dizon-Bumann: Cornell University College of Engineering, Tufts University;; Georgetown University; Wingate University w/scholarship; University of Tampa, w/scholarship; Rider University w/scholarship; Bryant University w/scholarship

Frances Falcon Vasquez: Universidad Sagrado Corazón; Baylor University; Hawaii Pacific University; University of Tampa; Universidad de Puerto Rico, Arecibo

Uchenna Ferris: University of the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas; Ball State University w/Ball State Scholars Award; Hollins University w/scholarship; Loyola University, New Orleans w/scholarship; University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Drexel University w/scholarship; Case Western Reserve University w/scholarship

Melvyn Fox: Howard University w/scholarship; Northern Illinois University w/scholarship; Lynn University w/scholarship; Nova Southeastern University w/scholarship; Stetson University w/scholarship

Elyssa Franklin: Roger Williams University w/scholarship; University of Tampa w/scholarship; Rider University w/scholarship; College of Charleston; Gannon University w/scholarship

Gabriel Gelardi: University of the Virgin Islands

Hakeem Hamed: Quinnipiac University  w/Trustee’s Scholarship; University of Dayton w/the Dean’s merit Scholarship; Roberts Wesleyan College w/Dean’s Scholarship; Mercyhurst University; New York Institute of Technology, w/scholarship; University of Pittsburgh, Johnstown; The College of New Jersey, w/scholarship; University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Clarkson University w/scholarship, Bentley University; Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia

Christopher Hasson: University of Colorado at Boulder;  University of Tampa w/scholarship; Arizona State University w/scholarship; State University of New York at Buffalo w/scholarship; George Mason University w/scholarship; Adelphi University w/scholarship

Croix Hess-Rivers: Quinnipiac University w/scholarship; Bridgewater State University w/scholarship; University of Maine w/scholarship; University of Massachusetts, Lowell w/scholarship; Virginia Commonwealth University w/scholarship, University of New Hampshire w/scholarship

Kenyon Jean-Baptiste: Undecided

Malik John: Howard University; New York Institute of Technology; Gannon University w/scholarship; Bentley University

Dawson Kohl: Palm Beach Atlantic University; Jacksonville University; Oklahoma State University; University of Oklahoma; Florida International University; Texas Tech University

Aleah Mann:   Xavier University w/scholarship; The University of Kansas w/scholarship; Seton Hall University w//scholarship; Baylor University; Michigan State University; Indiana University w/scholarship; Villanova University

Makari Matthew: Curry College; Eastern Michigan University; Baylor University; Gettysburg College; Louisiana State University; New Jersey City University; West Chester University of Pennsylvania

Imani Persaud: University of the Virgin Islands

Shana Sargeant: Boston University w/scholarship, Wharton School of theUniversity of Pennsylvania;;  University of Tampa w/scholarship; Penn State University; University of Miami

Lucy Sullivan: Fashion Institute of Technology; Texas State University

Amirah Yusuf: Undecided

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Good Hope Country Day School Facebook Page

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