Elizabeth Greenaway, 75, died at home in Greenland, Tortola, on Sept. 23. Funeral services will be held at 4:15 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 30, at the East End SDA Church. Viewing will precede the sevice at the church begininning at 3:15 p.m.
She is survived by sons Noel, Joseph, and John Weekes; daughters Sarah Pickering, Cecelia Brown, Leona Buffoage, Margaret Weekes, and Uhura Weekes; two brothers; sisters Rossana Harris and Illva Bremble; and numerous other relatives and friends.
POLICE, GOVERNMENT NO CLOSER TO AGREEING
Sept. 28, 2001 — While the Turnbull administration is willing to return to the negotiating table with the territory’s police officers, union officials have dismissed the idea.
Talks between the administration and the territory’s two police unions broke down last Friday after three days. The unions exercised their option of taking their case before a three-member arbitration panel instead of remaining at the table.
After that decision, the unions held a press conference earlier this week where they criticized Karen Andrews, the government’s chief negotiator, for being late and dismissing officers’ proposals out of hand.
In response, Andrews, Police Commissioner Franz Christian and Attorney General Iver Stridiron held their own press conference Thursday.
"Quite frankly, I think it was premature to end the negotiations when they did," Andrews said. "I believe there is still room for us to sit down and have discussions."
But Naomi Joseph, president of the St. Croix Police Benevolent Association, said that was unlikely. Returning to the table would just result in the two parties "stonewalling" each other, she said.
"If they wanted to negotiated with us, they would have come to try and meet us half way," Joseph said. "Negotiations are a series of compromises … We were told throughout the whole three days ‘no, no, no.’ I mean, you can’t go further than no."
Andrews said that union wage proposals were too costly, especially since the government still must negotiate 23 other contracts with government employees. The government’s initial wage increase offer translated to about $10,000 per officer. The union’s proposal was about $12,000 per officer, Andrews said. The unions represent about 325 officers.
Police officers have been working day-to-day since their last contract expired in September 1999. Their last salary step increase was in 1994.
"We must do things in the concept of what is affordable," Andrews said. "We will not be promising things going in that we cannot afford."
Talks between the administration and the territory’s two police unions broke down last Friday after three days. The unions exercised their option of taking their case before a three-member arbitration panel instead of remaining at the table.
After that decision, the unions held a press conference earlier this week where they criticized Karen Andrews, the government’s chief negotiator, for being late and dismissing officers’ proposals out of hand.
In response, Andrews, Police Commissioner Franz Christian and Attorney General Iver Stridiron held their own press conference Thursday.
"Quite frankly, I think it was premature to end the negotiations when they did," Andrews said. "I believe there is still room for us to sit down and have discussions."
But Naomi Joseph, president of the St. Croix Police Benevolent Association, said that was unlikely. Returning to the table would just result in the two parties "stonewalling" each other, she said.
"If they wanted to negotiated with us, they would have come to try and meet us half way," Joseph said. "Negotiations are a series of compromises … We were told throughout the whole three days ‘no, no, no.’ I mean, you can’t go further than no."
Andrews said that union wage proposals were too costly, especially since the government still must negotiate 23 other contracts with government employees. The government’s initial wage increase offer translated to about $10,000 per officer. The union’s proposal was about $12,000 per officer, Andrews said. The unions represent about 325 officers.
Police officers have been working day-to-day since their last contract expired in September 1999. Their last salary step increase was in 1994.
"We must do things in the concept of what is affordable," Andrews said. "We will not be promising things going in that we cannot afford."
SECURITY FORCES LT. GOVERNOR’S OFFICE TO MOVE
Sept. 28, 2001 — Due to safety concerns, the Office of the Lieutenant Governor will be moved out of the newly renovated Government House on St. Croix.
The move, announced Thursday, was prompted by the Sept. 11 terror attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., that killed more than 7,000 people. According to a release from Gov. Charles W. Turnbull, whose St. Croix office and residence are in Government House along with the office of Lt. Gov. Gerard Luz James II, the move was recommended by national and local security experts.
"It is standard security practice for a chief executive and the next in the chain of command to avoid traveling together on the same airplane, boat or other carrier or occupying the same working environment for long periods of time," the release said.
Therefore, the lieutenant governor's administrative offices on St. Croix will soon be moved from Government House to an as-yet unidentified building.
"Nowhere in our country do you find two leaders housed in the same building," Police Commissioner Franz Christian said Thursday.
Turnbull decided, against Christian's advice, to put both offices in the St. Croix Government House while it was undergoing a lengthy $12 million renovation. The decision was made largely to cut government spending and rental costs.
Before the renovation, the two offices were housed in separate buildings on St. Croix as they are on St. Thomas.
The governor’s official residence on St. Thomas is the historic Catherineberg on Denmark Hill. When the governor is on St. Croix, he lives in Government House.
On St. Croix, the lieutenant governor lives at the executive mansion at Estate Sion Farm, where James will continue to live.
Turnbull and James have had some public spats since the administration began in 1998. They disagreed on the Beal Aerospace deal and the proposal to sell a portion of the Water and Power Authority to a mainland company.
But Attorney General Iver Stridiron said Thursday that he hopes people won’t interpret the decision to move James out of Government House as evidence of "an acrimonious relationship."
Prior to the reopening of Government House in June 2000, Turnbull said he planned to spend up to three days in a row on St. Croix. The renovated Government House has a conference room able to accommodate 26 people that can be used for Cabinet meetings.
The move, announced Thursday, was prompted by the Sept. 11 terror attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., that killed more than 7,000 people. According to a release from Gov. Charles W. Turnbull, whose St. Croix office and residence are in Government House along with the office of Lt. Gov. Gerard Luz James II, the move was recommended by national and local security experts.
"It is standard security practice for a chief executive and the next in the chain of command to avoid traveling together on the same airplane, boat or other carrier or occupying the same working environment for long periods of time," the release said.
Therefore, the lieutenant governor's administrative offices on St. Croix will soon be moved from Government House to an as-yet unidentified building.
"Nowhere in our country do you find two leaders housed in the same building," Police Commissioner Franz Christian said Thursday.
Turnbull decided, against Christian's advice, to put both offices in the St. Croix Government House while it was undergoing a lengthy $12 million renovation. The decision was made largely to cut government spending and rental costs.
Before the renovation, the two offices were housed in separate buildings on St. Croix as they are on St. Thomas.
The governor’s official residence on St. Thomas is the historic Catherineberg on Denmark Hill. When the governor is on St. Croix, he lives in Government House.
On St. Croix, the lieutenant governor lives at the executive mansion at Estate Sion Farm, where James will continue to live.
Turnbull and James have had some public spats since the administration began in 1998. They disagreed on the Beal Aerospace deal and the proposal to sell a portion of the Water and Power Authority to a mainland company.
But Attorney General Iver Stridiron said Thursday that he hopes people won’t interpret the decision to move James out of Government House as evidence of "an acrimonious relationship."
Prior to the reopening of Government House in June 2000, Turnbull said he planned to spend up to three days in a row on St. Croix. The renovated Government House has a conference room able to accommodate 26 people that can be used for Cabinet meetings.
U.S. POLICY ON TERRORISM NEEDS RETHINKING
The leadership of the United States must think through its foreign policy on "international terrorism" in the Middle East, or it will launch a lethal war that will open up a Pandora's Box of conflicts that none of us can imagine.
President George W. Bush has promised to "rid the world of evil-doers" and punish the perpetrators of the hijacking-bombing attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon on Sept. 11. In lightening speed, the Bush-Cheney administration has begun preparations for a "global war against terrorism" and military strategy against the Al-Qaeda movement which is led by Osama bin Laden.
It is extremely disturbing that during a period of intense grief, sadness and mourning of the violent, surprise attacks on innocent civilians, warmongering has emerged. As Americans grieve, Islamaphobia, anti-Arab racism and jingoism/war hysteria are being flamed by many right-wing forces within the Bush-Cheney administration and reactionary sectors of American society.
If we, American citizens, intend to prevent another violent occurrence against America, we must carefully examine what is before us. In a liberal democratic society, the government serves the people — we make the decisions in defense of our interests. As a member of the progressive grouping that exists within American society, I am deeply disturbed by what has transpired for the last two weeks. As an African, African-Caribbean or African-American whose foreparents (biological and ideological) have fought to make American society a western democracy, I am shocked to see the reactionary response of the Bush-Cheney administration on democratic rights and privileges for all Americans.
Eventually, when this "war against terrorism" is over, many in our midst will agree with Congresswoman Barbara Lee: We rushed to judgment in the haste to punish the perpetrators of the hijacking-bombing. The U.S. government will eventually bestow a Bronze Heart for courage to Lee; she was the only member of Congress who voted against this new war, and for good reasons.
The roots of the radical attacks
I have the very unpleasant task of informing you that the U.S. government is in a quagmire due to its foreign policies, especially during the Cold War (1947-1989). I am not in any way justifying the atrocities that took place on Sept. 11, but I must inform you that it was inevitable that some radical forces, domestic and foreign, would launch attacks on the continental United States. So far, Osama bin Laden is the prime suspect. Many Americans had never heard of him, his group or his mission. We are now bombarded with numerous "facts" about him, some true and a lot at best questionable.
As high-ranking officials of the Bush-Cheney administration and veteran foreign-policy experts of the Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, elder Bush and Clinton administrations weigh in on Islamic terrorism, Osama bin Laden, and the Taliban, we cannot help but see stark contradictions.
If Al-Qaeda is the Islamic fundamentalist organization responsible for the suicide attacks in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania, the Reagan-Bush administration (1980-1988) must share some of blame for the predicament we are in.
Al-Qaeda ("military base") is a byproduct of the Mujaheddin, an intensely fanatic Islamic movement that fought against the leftist Afghan-Soviet alliance from 1980 to1989. In Afghanistan, the Mujaheddin developed as a counter-revolutionary force against the leftist Babrak Kamal government which had consolidated power in 1979. In the largest covert operation ever undertaken by the Central Intelligence Agency, the Mujaheddin project was turned into a "forward" projection of U.S. foreign policy.
The recruiting of Muslim militants
With the support of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence, the CIA provided $3 billion in arms, logistic support and training to the Mujaheddin during the war against the Soviet-Afghan military forces. In order to achieve strategic depth or the widest support possible, the CIA and the ISI recruited Muslim militants from 43 Islamic countries in North and East Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and the Far East. Approximately 35,000 militants would fight within the Mujaheddin against Soviet-Afghan forces. In all, over 100,000 militants served the Mujaheddin military forces from 1980-1990.
Besides military training, these militants received indoctrination in the most extreme versions of Islam. For example, Wahabbism, a strict and austere Islamic creed, was encouraged by Saudi Arabian benefactors. Wahabbi clerics and disgruntled Saudi radicals were sent to Afghanistan during the war. No one within the Saudi leadership foresaw the impact that returning battle-hardened veterans would have on the Saudi society.
The U.S. leadership was worse. In 1986, CIA chief William Casey intensified U.S. support for the Mujaheddin against the Soviet Union. He persuaded Congress to increase funding and training for the Mujaheddin. Thereafter, they received direct and indirect training by the CIA in modern insurgency, U.S.-made weapons (especially Stinger anti-aircraft missiles) and, ironically, tolerance for opium production. Yes, heroin. The number of heroin addicts in Pakistan went from near zero in 1979 to 1.2 million by 1985! And, as exposed in Iran-Contragate, U.S. foreign policy makers in the Reagan-Bush administration allowed narco-trafficking within the United States as a supplemental means of raising funds for covert operations.
High-grade heroin hit America's streets at an alarming rate throughout the Mujaheddin-Afghan-Soviet war. The U.S. war on drugs was subordinated to the war on Communists. In guerrilla bases in Afghanistan and Pakistan, multinational members of the Islamic movement trained, organized and studied together. During the war, these militants forged ideological, political and tactical links with each other. The camps became militant universities for future fundamentalist movements and armed forces.
Immediate objectives ignored long-term outcomes
During the 1980s, the United States, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia — the key supporters of the Mujaheddin, did not consider the long-term consequences of this multinational Islamic army. The only objectives were to defeat the leftist Afghan regime and eliminate the Soviet presence in the country. Not only were these objectives accomplished; the Soviet Union imploded due to its military involvement in Afghanistan.
In 1989, Arab-Afghan veterans of the Mujaheddin created Al-Qaeda in the provinces of Kunar, Nuristan and Badakhshan in Afghanistan. Bin Laden became the primary leader. In 1990, he returned to Saudi Arabia. After a brief political struggle with King Fahd and the rest of the royal family, bin Laden left for the Sudan in 1992 and then for Afghanistan in 1996.
Since then, Al-Qaeda has grown into an international Islamic movement that seeks to remove the U.S. military presence from Saudi Arabia and to destroy Zionism in the region. The United States' struggle to eradicate Al-Qaeda will be much more difficult and bloody than the mass media are stating. The militants of Al-Qaeda were former allies of the United States during the Cold War.
Al-Qaeda turned against the United States when the Mujaheddin-Afghan-Soviet war ended. Why? Because despite the sacrifices of the Afghani people, the promised reconstruction aid did not arrive. Imagine, 1.5 million Afghani civilians perished, and 2 million still live in refugee camps in Pakistan! During the internal conflicts within the Mujaheddin (1989-1995), both the CIA and the ISI supported the ascension of the Taliban in 1996.
Afghanistan is ranked as the poorest country in the world, with a per capital income of $35 a year! Life expectancy is 47 years, and 45 percent of the population is illiterate. These obscene figures generate despair, hatred and fanaticism.
It would have been cheaper to send development aid than to send tool s of destruction. Today we are reaping a bitter harvest from an earlier period when destroying Communism was the sole objective, and anyone who was willing and able to kill became our allies. We will have to stop evil-doers, but we American citizens who have principles must be willing to eliminate the evil that U.S. foreign policymakers create when they themselves make alliances with evil forces who turn against us.
President George W. Bush has promised to "rid the world of evil-doers" and punish the perpetrators of the hijacking-bombing attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon on Sept. 11. In lightening speed, the Bush-Cheney administration has begun preparations for a "global war against terrorism" and military strategy against the Al-Qaeda movement which is led by Osama bin Laden.
It is extremely disturbing that during a period of intense grief, sadness and mourning of the violent, surprise attacks on innocent civilians, warmongering has emerged. As Americans grieve, Islamaphobia, anti-Arab racism and jingoism/war hysteria are being flamed by many right-wing forces within the Bush-Cheney administration and reactionary sectors of American society.
If we, American citizens, intend to prevent another violent occurrence against America, we must carefully examine what is before us. In a liberal democratic society, the government serves the people — we make the decisions in defense of our interests. As a member of the progressive grouping that exists within American society, I am deeply disturbed by what has transpired for the last two weeks. As an African, African-Caribbean or African-American whose foreparents (biological and ideological) have fought to make American society a western democracy, I am shocked to see the reactionary response of the Bush-Cheney administration on democratic rights and privileges for all Americans.
Eventually, when this "war against terrorism" is over, many in our midst will agree with Congresswoman Barbara Lee: We rushed to judgment in the haste to punish the perpetrators of the hijacking-bombing. The U.S. government will eventually bestow a Bronze Heart for courage to Lee; she was the only member of Congress who voted against this new war, and for good reasons.
The roots of the radical attacks
I have the very unpleasant task of informing you that the U.S. government is in a quagmire due to its foreign policies, especially during the Cold War (1947-1989). I am not in any way justifying the atrocities that took place on Sept. 11, but I must inform you that it was inevitable that some radical forces, domestic and foreign, would launch attacks on the continental United States. So far, Osama bin Laden is the prime suspect. Many Americans had never heard of him, his group or his mission. We are now bombarded with numerous "facts" about him, some true and a lot at best questionable.
As high-ranking officials of the Bush-Cheney administration and veteran foreign-policy experts of the Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, elder Bush and Clinton administrations weigh in on Islamic terrorism, Osama bin Laden, and the Taliban, we cannot help but see stark contradictions.
If Al-Qaeda is the Islamic fundamentalist organization responsible for the suicide attacks in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania, the Reagan-Bush administration (1980-1988) must share some of blame for the predicament we are in.
Al-Qaeda ("military base") is a byproduct of the Mujaheddin, an intensely fanatic Islamic movement that fought against the leftist Afghan-Soviet alliance from 1980 to1989. In Afghanistan, the Mujaheddin developed as a counter-revolutionary force against the leftist Babrak Kamal government which had consolidated power in 1979. In the largest covert operation ever undertaken by the Central Intelligence Agency, the Mujaheddin project was turned into a "forward" projection of U.S. foreign policy.
The recruiting of Muslim militants
With the support of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence, the CIA provided $3 billion in arms, logistic support and training to the Mujaheddin during the war against the Soviet-Afghan military forces. In order to achieve strategic depth or the widest support possible, the CIA and the ISI recruited Muslim militants from 43 Islamic countries in North and East Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and the Far East. Approximately 35,000 militants would fight within the Mujaheddin against Soviet-Afghan forces. In all, over 100,000 militants served the Mujaheddin military forces from 1980-1990.
Besides military training, these militants received indoctrination in the most extreme versions of Islam. For example, Wahabbism, a strict and austere Islamic creed, was encouraged by Saudi Arabian benefactors. Wahabbi clerics and disgruntled Saudi radicals were sent to Afghanistan during the war. No one within the Saudi leadership foresaw the impact that returning battle-hardened veterans would have on the Saudi society.
The U.S. leadership was worse. In 1986, CIA chief William Casey intensified U.S. support for the Mujaheddin against the Soviet Union. He persuaded Congress to increase funding and training for the Mujaheddin. Thereafter, they received direct and indirect training by the CIA in modern insurgency, U.S.-made weapons (especially Stinger anti-aircraft missiles) and, ironically, tolerance for opium production. Yes, heroin. The number of heroin addicts in Pakistan went from near zero in 1979 to 1.2 million by 1985! And, as exposed in Iran-Contragate, U.S. foreign policy makers in the Reagan-Bush administration allowed narco-trafficking within the United States as a supplemental means of raising funds for covert operations.
High-grade heroin hit America's streets at an alarming rate throughout the Mujaheddin-Afghan-Soviet war. The U.S. war on drugs was subordinated to the war on Communists. In guerrilla bases in Afghanistan and Pakistan, multinational members of the Islamic movement trained, organized and studied together. During the war, these militants forged ideological, political and tactical links with each other. The camps became militant universities for future fundamentalist movements and armed forces.
Immediate objectives ignored long-term outcomes
During the 1980s, the United States, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia — the key supporters of the Mujaheddin, did not consider the long-term consequences of this multinational Islamic army. The only objectives were to defeat the leftist Afghan regime and eliminate the Soviet presence in the country. Not only were these objectives accomplished; the Soviet Union imploded due to its military involvement in Afghanistan.
In 1989, Arab-Afghan veterans of the Mujaheddin created Al-Qaeda in the provinces of Kunar, Nuristan and Badakhshan in Afghanistan. Bin Laden became the primary leader. In 1990, he returned to Saudi Arabia. After a brief political struggle with King Fahd and the rest of the royal family, bin Laden left for the Sudan in 1992 and then for Afghanistan in 1996.
Since then, Al-Qaeda has grown into an international Islamic movement that seeks to remove the U.S. military presence from Saudi Arabia and to destroy Zionism in the region. The United States' struggle to eradicate Al-Qaeda will be much more difficult and bloody than the mass media are stating. The militants of Al-Qaeda were former allies of the United States during the Cold War.
Al-Qaeda turned against the United States when the Mujaheddin-Afghan-Soviet war ended. Why? Because despite the sacrifices of the Afghani people, the promised reconstruction aid did not arrive. Imagine, 1.5 million Afghani civilians perished, and 2 million still live in refugee camps in Pakistan! During the internal conflicts within the Mujaheddin (1989-1995), both the CIA and the ISI supported the ascension of the Taliban in 1996.
Afghanistan is ranked as the poorest country in the world, with a per capital income of $35 a year! Life expectancy is 47 years, and 45 percent of the population is illiterate. These obscene figures generate despair, hatred and fanaticism.
It would have been cheaper to send development aid than to send tool s of destruction. Today we are reaping a bitter harvest from an earlier period when destroying Communism was the sole objective, and anyone who was willing and able to kill became our allies. We will have to stop evil-doers, but we American citizens who have principles must be willing to eliminate the evil that U.S. foreign policymakers create when they themselves make alliances with evil forces who turn against us.
Editor's note: Malik Sekou is an assistant professor of political science and history at the University of the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas campus.
We welcome and encourage readers to keep the dialogue going by responding to Source commentary. Letters should be e-mailed with name and place of residence to source@viaccess.net.
THE DISCUSSION HAS BEGUN — AND MUST CONTINUE
Dear Source,
Tillett Gardens and our tenants would like to thank the community for taking part last Saturday in expressing themselves, with their children, about the tragic events in the states. We would like to especially thank the children. They need to be heard and hugged every day.
Thank you to Dr. Olaf Hendricks, Dr. Ann Bernard, Dr. Iris Kern, Dilsa Capdeville, Mr. Briggs, Mr. Mohamad, Michael Bornn, Michal Rhymer, Cynthia Farmer and Evelyn Vazquez. If I have left out anyone, please forgive me.
We hope to see this discussion continue in every home, place of worship and institution. This was just a heartfelt beginning. Thank you.
Rhoda Tillett and Jason Budsan
St. Thomas
Tillett Gardens and our tenants would like to thank the community for taking part last Saturday in expressing themselves, with their children, about the tragic events in the states. We would like to especially thank the children. They need to be heard and hugged every day.
Thank you to Dr. Olaf Hendricks, Dr. Ann Bernard, Dr. Iris Kern, Dilsa Capdeville, Mr. Briggs, Mr. Mohamad, Michael Bornn, Michal Rhymer, Cynthia Farmer and Evelyn Vazquez. If I have left out anyone, please forgive me.
We hope to see this discussion continue in every home, place of worship and institution. This was just a heartfelt beginning. Thank you.
Rhoda Tillett and Jason Budsan
St. Thomas
Editor's note: We welcome and encourage readers to keep the dialogue going by responding to Source commentary. Letters should be e-mailed with name and place of residence to source@viaccess.net.
THE DISCUSSION HAS BEGUN — AND MUST CONTINUE
The organizers of a gathering on St. Thomas to talk about feelings in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks say it was "a heartfelt beginning" and thank those who contributed.
Dear Source,
Tillett Gardens and our tenants would like to thank the community for taking part last Saturday in expressing themselves, with their children, about the tragic events in the states. We would like to especially thank the children. They need to be heard and hugged every day.
Thank you to Dr. Olaf Hendricks, Dr. Ann Bernard, Dr. Iris Kern, Dilsa Capdeville, Mr. Briggs, Mr. Mohamad, Michael Bornn, Michal Rhymer, Cynthia Farmer and Evelyn Vazquez. If I have left out anyone, please forgive me.
We hope to see this discussion continue in every home, place of worship and institution. This was just a heartfelt beginning. Thank you.
Rhoda Tillett and Jason Budsan
St. Thomas
Dear Source,
Tillett Gardens and our tenants would like to thank the community for taking part last Saturday in expressing themselves, with their children, about the tragic events in the states. We would like to especially thank the children. They need to be heard and hugged every day.
Thank you to Dr. Olaf Hendricks, Dr. Ann Bernard, Dr. Iris Kern, Dilsa Capdeville, Mr. Briggs, Mr. Mohamad, Michael Bornn, Michal Rhymer, Cynthia Farmer and Evelyn Vazquez. If I have left out anyone, please forgive me.
We hope to see this discussion continue in every home, place of worship and institution. This was just a heartfelt beginning. Thank you.
Rhoda Tillett and Jason Budsan
St. Thomas
ISSUES RAISED ABOUT GETTING GARBAGE TO ST. CROIX
Sept. 27, 2001 – As the Water and Power Authority board ponders whether to commit to buying $10 million worth of water and electricity annually for the next 30 years from the company selected by the government to build a waste-to-energy plant on St. Croix, questions are being raised about the project's impact on St. Thomas and St. John.
The plant, to be built and operated by Caribe Waste Technologies, is intended to put an end to dumping at the Bovoni and Anguilla landfills on St. Thomas and St. Croix, respectively. The garbage will undergo a chemical conversion process that does not involve incineration and is entirely a recycling process, according to CWT officials.
A proposal submitted to the V.I. government on June 16 by the company, Caribe Waste Technologies, calls for using the Port Authority's Red Hook facility to move garbage from St. Thomas — and, by extension, from St. John — to the plant on St. Croix.
However, Caribe Waste Technologies' local spokesman, Osbert Potter, says the company now plans to ship the waste from the Port Authority's Crown Bay facility on St. Thomas's southwestern shore. He said the change came about after CWT officials realized that the shipping operation was too large for the Red Hook facility to accommodate.
Potter said that garbage from St. John would arrive at the Bovoni landfill in the same way it does now — via trucks transported to St. Thomas by barge. Waste from the two islands would be consolidated at Bovoni into sealed 40-foot containers, which would then be trucked to Crown Bay. From there, the containers would be shipped to St. Croix on 240-foot barges owned by Caribe Waste Technologies.
The proposal calls for unloading the garbage on St. Croix at either the Gordon Finch Molasses Pier or the Port Authority pier by the former St. Croix Alumina property, depending on where the plant is to be built. Potter said CWT plans to move the waste during the overnight hours when the shipping facility sees less use. The proposal indicates it would happen from midnight to 7 a.m.
This doesn't sit well with some residents.
Doug White, a St. Thomas architect who lives in the Red Hook area, sees problems with using either the Crown Bay or the Red Hook facility. If the waste goes through Crown Bay, he said, it will have to be trucked across the island, and noise will be a factor. But if CWT plans to use the Red Hook facility, he said, Red Hook area residents will go "berserk."
"The community would be 100 percent opposed to it," White predicted. Several years ago, he said, Red Hook residents succeeded in squelching plans to use the Port Authority's Red Hook facility as a shipping point for construction materials slated for development on Hans Lollick. "The issue is noise and odor," he said.
Further, White said, if the containers are sealed, methane gas generated by the decomposing waste could cause an explosion.
A source close to the project said opting to transport the waste across the island to Crown Bay for shipping rather than shipping it from Red Hook would cost more money, because it would take more time. "Time costs money when you're trucking," the individual said.
And if that's the case, the source said, the increased expense would likely be passed on to consumers in the waste-disposal fee, called a tipping fee, to be paid by each household.
Caribe Waste Technologies officials have said the whole project hinges on WAPA's willingness to contract to buy the water and power produced. Joseph Thomas Jr., WAPA executive director, has said the utility is able to meet consumer demands on its own without buying the gasification plant output, but that it hopes "to work with CWT in whatever way it can to help solve the Virgin Islands' waste problem."
The overall Caribe Waste Technologies project will be the topic for discussion Friday at the weekly Rotary Club of St. John meeting. Michael Bornn will be the guest speaker. The meeting begins at 12:30 p.m. in the conference room at the Westin Resort.
The plant, to be built and operated by Caribe Waste Technologies, is intended to put an end to dumping at the Bovoni and Anguilla landfills on St. Thomas and St. Croix, respectively. The garbage will undergo a chemical conversion process that does not involve incineration and is entirely a recycling process, according to CWT officials.
A proposal submitted to the V.I. government on June 16 by the company, Caribe Waste Technologies, calls for using the Port Authority's Red Hook facility to move garbage from St. Thomas — and, by extension, from St. John — to the plant on St. Croix.
However, Caribe Waste Technologies' local spokesman, Osbert Potter, says the company now plans to ship the waste from the Port Authority's Crown Bay facility on St. Thomas's southwestern shore. He said the change came about after CWT officials realized that the shipping operation was too large for the Red Hook facility to accommodate.
Potter said that garbage from St. John would arrive at the Bovoni landfill in the same way it does now — via trucks transported to St. Thomas by barge. Waste from the two islands would be consolidated at Bovoni into sealed 40-foot containers, which would then be trucked to Crown Bay. From there, the containers would be shipped to St. Croix on 240-foot barges owned by Caribe Waste Technologies.
The proposal calls for unloading the garbage on St. Croix at either the Gordon Finch Molasses Pier or the Port Authority pier by the former St. Croix Alumina property, depending on where the plant is to be built. Potter said CWT plans to move the waste during the overnight hours when the shipping facility sees less use. The proposal indicates it would happen from midnight to 7 a.m.
This doesn't sit well with some residents.
Doug White, a St. Thomas architect who lives in the Red Hook area, sees problems with using either the Crown Bay or the Red Hook facility. If the waste goes through Crown Bay, he said, it will have to be trucked across the island, and noise will be a factor. But if CWT plans to use the Red Hook facility, he said, Red Hook area residents will go "berserk."
"The community would be 100 percent opposed to it," White predicted. Several years ago, he said, Red Hook residents succeeded in squelching plans to use the Port Authority's Red Hook facility as a shipping point for construction materials slated for development on Hans Lollick. "The issue is noise and odor," he said.
Further, White said, if the containers are sealed, methane gas generated by the decomposing waste could cause an explosion.
A source close to the project said opting to transport the waste across the island to Crown Bay for shipping rather than shipping it from Red Hook would cost more money, because it would take more time. "Time costs money when you're trucking," the individual said.
And if that's the case, the source said, the increased expense would likely be passed on to consumers in the waste-disposal fee, called a tipping fee, to be paid by each household.
Caribe Waste Technologies officials have said the whole project hinges on WAPA's willingness to contract to buy the water and power produced. Joseph Thomas Jr., WAPA executive director, has said the utility is able to meet consumer demands on its own without buying the gasification plant output, but that it hopes "to work with CWT in whatever way it can to help solve the Virgin Islands' waste problem."
The overall Caribe Waste Technologies project will be the topic for discussion Friday at the weekly Rotary Club of St. John meeting. Michael Bornn will be the guest speaker. The meeting begins at 12:30 p.m. in the conference room at the Westin Resort.
V.I. HAS 7 NATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP SEMIFINALISTS
Sept. 27, 2001 – The territory's high schools have seven new stars in their academic crowns — seniors who have qualified as semifinalists in the national 2002 Achievement Scholarship Competition. That the honor comes to these students is no surprise to their school administrators: Without exception, principals, headmistresses and counselors praise the youngsters as role models in many areas — academic, social, extracurricular, sports, music and community service.
The competition, sponsored by the privately financed National Merit Scholarship Corp., was initiated in 1964 to honor outstanding black students and to increase their educational opportunities. More than 110,000 students nationwide entered the competition this year, and 1,500 semifinalists have been chosen. Approximately 700 finalists will be selected early next year to receive college scholarship awards.
The Virgin Islands qualifiers are:
Latoya Best, Charlotte Amalie High School
Jellana Canton, St. Croix Country Day School
Noelene Jeffers, Good Hope School
Bobbie King, All Saints Cathedral School
Antoinette Nibbs, Antilles School
Nicholas Phillips, Antilles School
Elenoe Crew Smith, Antilles School.
Latoya, the daughter of Chriszilear Best, has been at CAHS from ninth grade. Principal Jeannette Smith said she is "very serious about her education," and guidance counselor Nan Mulcare notes that she takes challenging classes. She studies piano, is on the yearbook staff and holds a part-time job. Latoya, who says "I thank God for bringing me this far," is interested in a career in the field of child psychology. There are approximately 300 seniors at CAHS.
Jellana has been a student at Country Day since seventh grade. Guidance counselor Mariska Nurse calls her a "meticulous student" who has held leadership positions throughout her school days. Jellana, daughter of Jurenne Walcott, is editor-in-chief of the yearbook, is active in Future Business Leaders of America, sings in the school chorus, and is a founding member of the student task force. Her graduating class has 24 seniors.
Noelene has been at Good Hope School since first grade. She says she's "excited, and it's a great honor." The director of the Good Hope Upper School, Mary Jane Provost, observes that not only is Noelene an excellent student, but for three years she has been yearbook editor — an unmatched feat of endurance. Noelene, daughter of Noel and Ermine, has tutored sixth-grade students for three years under the U.S. Attorney's mentoring program. Her senior class has 33 members.
Bobbie has been an All Saints student since third grade. Principal Louise S. Brady is "delighted and proud" but not surprised, because Bobbie has been an excellent student and has received highest honors on earlier national standard tests. Brady says he is an excellent role model in his extracurricular and social activities, and she predicts he will move on to high levels. Bobbie is the son of Robert and Mytsookko King.
Of Antilles School's three honorees in a senior class of 42 students, Headmistress Kathleen Knoepfel said, "These students are outstanding in every way. They have already made us proud of them as students and contributors in the community."
Antoinette's activities at Antilles include being secretary of the National Honor Society, singing with the school group Expressions. She also is a member of the Territorial Court Rising Stars Steel Orchestra, and last summer she worked as an instructor for the steelpan group. She has been at Antilles since ninth grade. The daughter of Cecily Charles and Alfonso Nibbs, she does volunteer work with peer tutoring, Family Resource Center and the Humane Society of St. Thomas.
Nicholas plays soccer and is a former captain of Antilles' cross country team. He has received coach's awards for cross country. He has been a student at Antilles since the age of 3. A member of the National Honor Society, he works with volunteer programs that benefit the community. The son of Juanita Young and John Phillips, he works part-time during the school year, and last summer he worked in the food-service field.
Crew, the name she goes by, is senior class president at Antilles, and she has been a class officer every year of high school. She has received coach's awards for citizenship in tennis and basketball and is a student of martial arts. Musically talented, she has won intermediate and advanced piano awards at the Arts Alive/Innovative Classical Music Competitions; she plays flute as well, and sings in her church choir and in the Antilles group Expressions. Crew, who started her studies at Antilles in fourth grade, is the daughter of Dr. Henry and Muriel Smith.
Despite such sterling credentials, the semifinalists cannot rest on their laurels.
The program provides that to be considered for Achievement Scholarship awards, "Semifinalists must advance to the finalist level of the competition by fulfilling a number of requirements." They must have a record of high academic performance throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by their school principal, and earn Scholastic Aptitude Test scores that confirm their earlier national testing performance.
In addition, each semifinalist and an official of his or her high school must complete a scholarship application in which they provide information about "the student's participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, and educational goals."
For further information, visit the National Achievement Scholarship Program web site.
The competition, sponsored by the privately financed National Merit Scholarship Corp., was initiated in 1964 to honor outstanding black students and to increase their educational opportunities. More than 110,000 students nationwide entered the competition this year, and 1,500 semifinalists have been chosen. Approximately 700 finalists will be selected early next year to receive college scholarship awards.
The Virgin Islands qualifiers are:
Latoya Best, Charlotte Amalie High School
Jellana Canton, St. Croix Country Day School
Noelene Jeffers, Good Hope School
Bobbie King, All Saints Cathedral School
Antoinette Nibbs, Antilles School
Nicholas Phillips, Antilles School
Elenoe Crew Smith, Antilles School.
Latoya, the daughter of Chriszilear Best, has been at CAHS from ninth grade. Principal Jeannette Smith said she is "very serious about her education," and guidance counselor Nan Mulcare notes that she takes challenging classes. She studies piano, is on the yearbook staff and holds a part-time job. Latoya, who says "I thank God for bringing me this far," is interested in a career in the field of child psychology. There are approximately 300 seniors at CAHS.
Jellana has been a student at Country Day since seventh grade. Guidance counselor Mariska Nurse calls her a "meticulous student" who has held leadership positions throughout her school days. Jellana, daughter of Jurenne Walcott, is editor-in-chief of the yearbook, is active in Future Business Leaders of America, sings in the school chorus, and is a founding member of the student task force. Her graduating class has 24 seniors.
Noelene has been at Good Hope School since first grade. She says she's "excited, and it's a great honor." The director of the Good Hope Upper School, Mary Jane Provost, observes that not only is Noelene an excellent student, but for three years she has been yearbook editor — an unmatched feat of endurance. Noelene, daughter of Noel and Ermine, has tutored sixth-grade students for three years under the U.S. Attorney's mentoring program. Her senior class has 33 members.
Bobbie has been an All Saints student since third grade. Principal Louise S. Brady is "delighted and proud" but not surprised, because Bobbie has been an excellent student and has received highest honors on earlier national standard tests. Brady says he is an excellent role model in his extracurricular and social activities, and she predicts he will move on to high levels. Bobbie is the son of Robert and Mytsookko King.
Of Antilles School's three honorees in a senior class of 42 students, Headmistress Kathleen Knoepfel said, "These students are outstanding in every way. They have already made us proud of them as students and contributors in the community."
Antoinette's activities at Antilles include being secretary of the National Honor Society, singing with the school group Expressions. She also is a member of the Territorial Court Rising Stars Steel Orchestra, and last summer she worked as an instructor for the steelpan group. She has been at Antilles since ninth grade. The daughter of Cecily Charles and Alfonso Nibbs, she does volunteer work with peer tutoring, Family Resource Center and the Humane Society of St. Thomas.
Nicholas plays soccer and is a former captain of Antilles' cross country team. He has received coach's awards for cross country. He has been a student at Antilles since the age of 3. A member of the National Honor Society, he works with volunteer programs that benefit the community. The son of Juanita Young and John Phillips, he works part-time during the school year, and last summer he worked in the food-service field.
Crew, the name she goes by, is senior class president at Antilles, and she has been a class officer every year of high school. She has received coach's awards for citizenship in tennis and basketball and is a student of martial arts. Musically talented, she has won intermediate and advanced piano awards at the Arts Alive/Innovative Classical Music Competitions; she plays flute as well, and sings in her church choir and in the Antilles group Expressions. Crew, who started her studies at Antilles in fourth grade, is the daughter of Dr. Henry and Muriel Smith.
Despite such sterling credentials, the semifinalists cannot rest on their laurels.
The program provides that to be considered for Achievement Scholarship awards, "Semifinalists must advance to the finalist level of the competition by fulfilling a number of requirements." They must have a record of high academic performance throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by their school principal, and earn Scholastic Aptitude Test scores that confirm their earlier national testing performance.
In addition, each semifinalist and an official of his or her high school must complete a scholarship application in which they provide information about "the student's participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, and educational goals."
For further information, visit the National Achievement Scholarship Program web site.
V.I. HAS 7 NATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP SEMIFINALISTS
Sept. 27, 2001 – The territory's high schools have seven new stars in their academic crowns — seniors who have qualified as semifinalists in the national 2002 Achievement Scholarship Competition. That the honor comes to these students is no surprise to their school administrators: Without exception, principals, headmistresses and counselors praise the youngsters as role models in many areas — academic, social, extracurricular, sports, music and community service.
The competition, sponsored by the privately financed National Merit Scholarship Corp., was initiated in 1964 to honor outstanding black students and to increase their educational opportunities. More than 110,000 students nationwide entered the competition this year, and 1,500 semifinalists have been chosen. Approximately 700 finalists will be selected early next year to receive college scholarship awards.
The Virgin Islands qualifiers are:
Latoya Best, Charlotte Amalie High School
Jellana Canton, St. Croix Country Day School
Noelene Jeffers, Good Hope School
Bobbie King, All Saints Cathedral School
Antoinette Nibbs, Antilles School
Nicholas Phillips, Antilles School
Elenoe Crew Smith, Antilles School.
Latoya, the daughter of Chriszilear Best, has been at CAHS from ninth grade. Principal Jeannette Smith said she is "very serious about her education," and guidance counselor Nan Mulcare notes that she takes challenging classes. She studies piano, is on the yearbook staff and holds a part-time job. Latoya, who says "I thank God for bringing me this far," is interested in a career in the field of child psychology. There are approximately 300 seniors at CAHS.
Jellana has been a student at Country Day since seventh grade. Guidance counselor Mariska Nurse calls her a "meticulous student" who has held leadership positions throughout her school days. Jellana, daughter of Jurenne Walcott, is editor-in-chief of the yearbook, is active in Future Business Leaders of America, sings in the school chorus, and is a founding member of the student task force. Her graduating class has 24 seniors.
Noelene has been at Good Hope School since first grade. She says she's "excited, and it's a great honor." The director of the Good Hope Upper School, Mary Jane Provost, observes that not only is Noelene an excellent student, but for three years she has been yearbook editor — an unmatched feat of endurance. Noelene, daughter of Noel and Ermine, has tutored sixth-grade students for three years under the U.S. Attorney's mentoring program. Her senior class has 33 members.
Bobbie has been an All Saints student since third grade. Principal Louise S. Brady is "delighted and proud" but not surprised, because Bobbie has been an excellent student and has received highest honors on earlier national standard tests. Brady says he is an excellent role model in his extracurricular and social activities, and she predicts he will move on to high levels. Bobbie is the son of Robert and Mytsookko King.
Of Antilles School's three honorees in a senior class of 42 students, Headmistress Kathleen Knoepfel said, "These students are outstanding in every way. They have already made us proud of them as students and contributors in the community."
Antoinette's activities at Antilles include being secretary of the National Honor Society, singing with the school group Expressions. She also is a member of the Territorial Court Rising Stars Steel Orchestra, and last summer she worked as an instructor for the steelpan group. She has been at Antilles since ninth grade. The daughter of Cecily Charles and Alfonso Nibbs, she does volunteer work with peer tutoring, Family Resource Center and the Humane Society of St. Thomas.
Nicholas plays soccer and is a former captain of Antilles' cross country team. He has received coach's awards for cross country. He has been a student at Antilles since the age of 3. A member of the National Honor Society, he works with volunteer programs that benefit the community. The son of Juanita Young and John Phillips, he works part-time during the school year, and last summer he worked in the food-service field.
Crew, the name she goes by, is senior class president at Antilles, and she has been a class officer every year of high school. She has received coach's awards for citizenship in tennis and basketball and is a student of martial arts. Musically talented, she has won intermediate and advanced piano awards at the Arts Alive/Innovative Classical Music Competitions; she plays flute as well, and sings in her church choir and in the Antilles group Expressions. Crew, who started her studies at Antilles in fourth grade, is the daughter of Dr. Henry and Muriel Smith.
Despite such sterling credentials, the semifinalists cannot rest on their laurels.
The program provides that to be considered for Achievement Scholarship awards, "Semifinalists must advance to the finalist level of the competition by fulfilling a number of requirements." They must have a record of high academic performance throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by their school principal, and earn Scholastic Aptitude Test scores that confirm their earlier national testing performance.
In addition, each semifinalist and an official of his or her high school must complete a scholarship application in which they provide information about "the student's participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, and educational goals."
For further information, visit the National Achievement Scholarship Program web site.
The competition, sponsored by the privately financed National Merit Scholarship Corp., was initiated in 1964 to honor outstanding black students and to increase their educational opportunities. More than 110,000 students nationwide entered the competition this year, and 1,500 semifinalists have been chosen. Approximately 700 finalists will be selected early next year to receive college scholarship awards.
The Virgin Islands qualifiers are:
Latoya Best, Charlotte Amalie High School
Jellana Canton, St. Croix Country Day School
Noelene Jeffers, Good Hope School
Bobbie King, All Saints Cathedral School
Antoinette Nibbs, Antilles School
Nicholas Phillips, Antilles School
Elenoe Crew Smith, Antilles School.
Latoya, the daughter of Chriszilear Best, has been at CAHS from ninth grade. Principal Jeannette Smith said she is "very serious about her education," and guidance counselor Nan Mulcare notes that she takes challenging classes. She studies piano, is on the yearbook staff and holds a part-time job. Latoya, who says "I thank God for bringing me this far," is interested in a career in the field of child psychology. There are approximately 300 seniors at CAHS.
Jellana has been a student at Country Day since seventh grade. Guidance counselor Mariska Nurse calls her a "meticulous student" who has held leadership positions throughout her school days. Jellana, daughter of Jurenne Walcott, is editor-in-chief of the yearbook, is active in Future Business Leaders of America, sings in the school chorus, and is a founding member of the student task force. Her graduating class has 24 seniors.
Noelene has been at Good Hope School since first grade. She says she's "excited, and it's a great honor." The director of the Good Hope Upper School, Mary Jane Provost, observes that not only is Noelene an excellent student, but for three years she has been yearbook editor — an unmatched feat of endurance. Noelene, daughter of Noel and Ermine, has tutored sixth-grade students for three years under the U.S. Attorney's mentoring program. Her senior class has 33 members.
Bobbie has been an All Saints student since third grade. Principal Louise S. Brady is "delighted and proud" but not surprised, because Bobbie has been an excellent student and has received highest honors on earlier national standard tests. Brady says he is an excellent role model in his extracurricular and social activities, and she predicts he will move on to high levels. Bobbie is the son of Robert and Mytsookko King.
Of Antilles School's three honorees in a senior class of 42 students, Headmistress Kathleen Knoepfel said, "These students are outstanding in every way. They have already made us proud of them as students and contributors in the community."
Antoinette's activities at Antilles include being secretary of the National Honor Society, singing with the school group Expressions. She also is a member of the Territorial Court Rising Stars Steel Orchestra, and last summer she worked as an instructor for the steelpan group. She has been at Antilles since ninth grade. The daughter of Cecily Charles and Alfonso Nibbs, she does volunteer work with peer tutoring, Family Resource Center and the Humane Society of St. Thomas.
Nicholas plays soccer and is a former captain of Antilles' cross country team. He has received coach's awards for cross country. He has been a student at Antilles since the age of 3. A member of the National Honor Society, he works with volunteer programs that benefit the community. The son of Juanita Young and John Phillips, he works part-time during the school year, and last summer he worked in the food-service field.
Crew, the name she goes by, is senior class president at Antilles, and she has been a class officer every year of high school. She has received coach's awards for citizenship in tennis and basketball and is a student of martial arts. Musically talented, she has won intermediate and advanced piano awards at the Arts Alive/Innovative Classical Music Competitions; she plays flute as well, and sings in her church choir and in the Antilles group Expressions. Crew, who started her studies at Antilles in fourth grade, is the daughter of Dr. Henry and Muriel Smith.
Despite such sterling credentials, the semifinalists cannot rest on their laurels.
The program provides that to be considered for Achievement Scholarship awards, "Semifinalists must advance to the finalist level of the competition by fulfilling a number of requirements." They must have a record of high academic performance throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by their school principal, and earn Scholastic Aptitude Test scores that confirm their earlier national testing performance.
In addition, each semifinalist and an official of his or her high school must complete a scholarship application in which they provide information about "the student's participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, and educational goals."
For further information, visit the National Achievement Scholarship Program web site.
V.I. HAS 7 NATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP SEMIFINALISTS
Sept. 27, 2001 – The territory's high schools have seven new stars in their academic crowns — seniors who have qualified as semifinalists in the national 2002 Achievement Scholarship Competition. That the honor comes to these students is no surprise to their school administrators: Without exception, principals, headmistresses and counselors praise the youngsters as role models in many areas — academic, social, extracurricular, sports, music and community service.
The competition, sponsored by the privately financed National Merit Scholarship Corp., was initiated in 1964 to honor outstanding black students and to increase their educational opportunities. More than 110,000 students nationwide entered the competition this year, and 1,500 semifinalists have been chosen. Approximately 700 finalists will be selected early next year to receive college scholarship awards.
The Virgin Islands qualifiers are:
Latoya Best, Charlotte Amalie High School
Jellana Canton, St. Croix Country Day School
Noelene Jeffers, Good Hope School
Bobbie King, All Saints Cathedral School
Antoinette Nibbs, Antilles School
Nicholas Phillips, Antilles School
Elenoe Crew Smith, Antilles School.
Latoya, the daughter of Chriszilear Best, has been at CAHS from ninth grade. Principal Jeannette Smith said she is "very serious about her education," and guidance counselor Nan Mulcare notes that she takes challenging classes. She studies piano, is on the yearbook staff and holds a part-time job. Latoya, who says "I thank God for bringing me this far," is interested in a career in the field of child psychology. There are approximately 300 seniors at CAHS.
Jellana has been a student at Country Day since seventh grade. Guidance counselor Mariska Nurse calls her a "meticulous student" who has held leadership positions throughout her school days. Jellana, daughter of Jurenne Walcott, is editor-in-chief of the yearbook, is active in Future Business Leaders of America, sings in the school chorus, and is a founding member of the student task force. Her graduating class has 24 seniors.
Noelene has been at Good Hope School since first grade. She says she's "excited, and it's a great honor." The director of the Good Hope Upper School, Mary Jane Provost, observes that not only is Noelene an excellent student, but for three years she has been yearbook editor — an unmatched feat of endurance. Noelene, daughter of Noel and Ermine, has tutored sixth-grade students for three years under the U.S. Attorney's mentoring program. Her senior class has 33 members.
Bobbie has been an All Saints student since third grade. Principal Louise S. Brady is "delighted and proud" but not surprised, because Bobbie has been an excellent student and has received highest honors on earlier national standard tests. Brady says he is an excellent role model in his extracurricular and social activities, and she predicts he will move on to high levels. Bobbie is the son of Robert and Mytsookko King.
Of Antilles School's three honorees in a senior class of 42 students, Headmistress Kathleen Knoepfel said, "These students are outstanding in every way. They have already made us proud of them as students and contributors in the community."
Antoinette's activities at Antilles include being secretary of the National Honor Society, singing with the school group Expressions. She also is a member of the Territorial Court Rising Stars Steel Orchestra, and last summer she worked as an instructor for the steelpan group. She has been at Antilles since ninth grade. The daughter of Cecily Charles and Alfonso Nibbs, she does volunteer work with peer tutoring, Family Resource Center and the Humane Society of St. Thomas.
Nicholas plays soccer and is a former captain of Antilles' cross country team. He has received coach's awards for cross country. He has been a student at Antilles since the age of 3. A member of the National Honor Society, he works with volunteer programs that benefit the community. The son of Juanita Young and John Phillips, he works part-time during the school year, and last summer he worked in the food-service field.
Crew, the name she goes by, is senior class president at Antilles, and she has been a class officer every year of high school. She has received coach's awards for citizenship in tennis and basketball and is a student of martial arts. Musically talented, she has won intermediate and advanced piano awards at the Arts Alive/Innovative Classical Music Competitions; she plays flute as well, and sings in her church choir and in the Antilles group Expressions. Crew, who started her studies at Antilles in fourth grade, is the daughter of Dr. Henry and Muriel Smith.
Despite such sterling credentials, the semifinalists cannot rest on their laurels.
The program provides that to be considered for Achievement Scholarship awards, "Semifinalists must advance to the finalist level of the competition by fulfilling a number of requirements." They must have a record of high academic performance throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by their school principal, and earn Scholastic Aptitude Test scores that confirm their earlier national testing performance.
In addition, each semifinalist and an official of his or her high school must complete a scholarship application in which they provide information about "the student's participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, and educational goals."
For further information, visit the National Achievement Scholarship Program web site.
The competition, sponsored by the privately financed National Merit Scholarship Corp., was initiated in 1964 to honor outstanding black students and to increase their educational opportunities. More than 110,000 students nationwide entered the competition this year, and 1,500 semifinalists have been chosen. Approximately 700 finalists will be selected early next year to receive college scholarship awards.
The Virgin Islands qualifiers are:
Latoya Best, Charlotte Amalie High School
Jellana Canton, St. Croix Country Day School
Noelene Jeffers, Good Hope School
Bobbie King, All Saints Cathedral School
Antoinette Nibbs, Antilles School
Nicholas Phillips, Antilles School
Elenoe Crew Smith, Antilles School.
Latoya, the daughter of Chriszilear Best, has been at CAHS from ninth grade. Principal Jeannette Smith said she is "very serious about her education," and guidance counselor Nan Mulcare notes that she takes challenging classes. She studies piano, is on the yearbook staff and holds a part-time job. Latoya, who says "I thank God for bringing me this far," is interested in a career in the field of child psychology. There are approximately 300 seniors at CAHS.
Jellana has been a student at Country Day since seventh grade. Guidance counselor Mariska Nurse calls her a "meticulous student" who has held leadership positions throughout her school days. Jellana, daughter of Jurenne Walcott, is editor-in-chief of the yearbook, is active in Future Business Leaders of America, sings in the school chorus, and is a founding member of the student task force. Her graduating class has 24 seniors.
Noelene has been at Good Hope School since first grade. She says she's "excited, and it's a great honor." The director of the Good Hope Upper School, Mary Jane Provost, observes that not only is Noelene an excellent student, but for three years she has been yearbook editor — an unmatched feat of endurance. Noelene, daughter of Noel and Ermine, has tutored sixth-grade students for three years under the U.S. Attorney's mentoring program. Her senior class has 33 members.
Bobbie has been an All Saints student since third grade. Principal Louise S. Brady is "delighted and proud" but not surprised, because Bobbie has been an excellent student and has received highest honors on earlier national standard tests. Brady says he is an excellent role model in his extracurricular and social activities, and she predicts he will move on to high levels. Bobbie is the son of Robert and Mytsookko King.
Of Antilles School's three honorees in a senior class of 42 students, Headmistress Kathleen Knoepfel said, "These students are outstanding in every way. They have already made us proud of them as students and contributors in the community."
Antoinette's activities at Antilles include being secretary of the National Honor Society, singing with the school group Expressions. She also is a member of the Territorial Court Rising Stars Steel Orchestra, and last summer she worked as an instructor for the steelpan group. She has been at Antilles since ninth grade. The daughter of Cecily Charles and Alfonso Nibbs, she does volunteer work with peer tutoring, Family Resource Center and the Humane Society of St. Thomas.
Nicholas plays soccer and is a former captain of Antilles' cross country team. He has received coach's awards for cross country. He has been a student at Antilles since the age of 3. A member of the National Honor Society, he works with volunteer programs that benefit the community. The son of Juanita Young and John Phillips, he works part-time during the school year, and last summer he worked in the food-service field.
Crew, the name she goes by, is senior class president at Antilles, and she has been a class officer every year of high school. She has received coach's awards for citizenship in tennis and basketball and is a student of martial arts. Musically talented, she has won intermediate and advanced piano awards at the Arts Alive/Innovative Classical Music Competitions; she plays flute as well, and sings in her church choir and in the Antilles group Expressions. Crew, who started her studies at Antilles in fourth grade, is the daughter of Dr. Henry and Muriel Smith.
Despite such sterling credentials, the semifinalists cannot rest on their laurels.
The program provides that to be considered for Achievement Scholarship awards, "Semifinalists must advance to the finalist level of the competition by fulfilling a number of requirements." They must have a record of high academic performance throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by their school principal, and earn Scholastic Aptitude Test scores that confirm their earlier national testing performance.
In addition, each semifinalist and an official of his or her high school must complete a scholarship application in which they provide information about "the student's participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, and educational goals."
For further information, visit the National Achievement Scholarship Program web site.
