Lavonne Cort
EBENEZER--Methodist Agogic Center-Comprehensive Secondary Education (MAC-CSE) students will be immersed in the history and geography of St. Maarten, thanks to the introduction of the subject History & Geography of St. Maarten at the school this year.
This new subject will be taught at the “basisvorming” level (basic level) by educator K. de Weever from resources provided by Josiane Fleming-Artsen; St. Maarten’s UNESCO Coordinator Marcillia Henry, as well as the oral legacy of Department of Culture Head Clara Reyes, amongst other local writers and orators.
“This class promises to take us back to the basics of learning while showing futuristic thoughts and advancements in teaching that has become the trademark of MAC-CSE,” Head of MAC-CSE’s Management Team Lavonne Cort told The Daily Herald.
“It also ensures that our St. Maarten children become knowledgeable and proud of where they are from and what their island is made up of, completing the subject with the same international standards as they would any other CXC subject,” she added.
The school will also be introducing a new CXC-CCSLC subject, ‘Digital Literacy’ in Forms 1 and 2. “This academic year will also see the re-introduction of the first-ever Prefect System on St. Maarten and our several clubs, (MAC-CAP, Girls Club, Modern Languages Club and Sports Club), which were inoperable as a result of COVID-19,” Cort explained.
She stressed that MAC-CSE continues to be a secondary school of endless possibilities as the school does not limit its students to be just one thing or to specific subjects only. “We get to know their abilities and capabilities and we help with the full development of their talents. Imagine we only began this high school section of the MAC in August 2013, and we already have a pilot flying with a local airline WINAIR. How amazing is that! He received his Business Certificate from MAC-CSE at our first graduation ceremony in December 2018,” said a proud Cort.
“We have in this last academic year placed first in the Ministry of VSA [Public Health, Social Development and Labor] Speech Competition (Ms. Angeornee Canhigh); first and second in the first annual Ministry of Justice essay competition, (Ms. Chelcie Green and Ms. Tahaina Richardson) and second and third in the Governor’s Youth Excellence Award for Academics (Ms. Kesar Vasnani and Mr. Xavier Aventurin),” she said.
“We are also the reigning High School Netball Champions. We also won the prestigious Brown Pelican Award for Sports as a school, thanks to our students and our Physical Education teacher. Our list of achievements continues to grow as we mould the minds of winners and turn academic dreams into lifetime realities.”
The institution will start the new school year under the theme: “Moulding the minds of winners: Turning academic dreams into lifetime realities!” Cort said the school is fully prepared to continue the excellent legacy of its founders with the theme. “This theme speaks to our mission and vision, which is to provide quality education to all who enter our gates, leaving no child behind.
As a HAVO/VWO classified high school we require an entrance mark of 70% and above and 40 new students have met this requirement to join us at the “basisvorming” level.”
Full complement of teachers
The school is starting the new academic year with its full complement of teachers for each subject area. Each staff member is fully qualified in their field of instruction.
Cort said the school proudly offers 25 fields of instruction at the CXC-CCSLC and CXC-CSEC general proficiency levels. “Although we lost two teachers at the end of the last academic year, replacing them was easy as we always have a list of fully qualified applicants to choose from, and as is the MAC-CSE’s custom we try to source our staff from among the local talent pool.”
MAC-CSE looks forward to a successful academic year, as management, staff, parents/guardians and students work together for “victorious achievement.”
