Since 2007, the student councils from the major secondary schools on the island have joined together to form the United Student Government Front (USGF). This organization is unique, comprising student leaders from St. Dominic High School, St. Maarten Academy Academic and PSVE, Milton Peters College, Sundial and St. Maarten Vocational School.
At the onset, a unanimous decision was made to meet on a monthly basis. The goal of the meetings has been to share successful ideas and activities among USGF members. Participating students were then able to share the ideas with their respective schools and enhance or build their own student councils.
Since 2007, USGF has grown from strength to strength with each school contributing ideas and new platforms. The organization has moved from being a mere meeting and sharing ground, to one that offers leadership, financial and Parliamentary training, as well as opportunities to interact socially, for members and mentors of the participating schools.
In the 2007-2008 academic year, participating members of the various schools designed a “Unity” flag and walked the St. Peters school district to bring awareness of the organization. That same year, there were monthly USGF meetings, a board game competition, a Christmas party, and the first Youth Toastmaster Gavel Club was formed on the island. Many of these activities were published in the island’s daily newspapers. The games played by the members of the organization were chess, checkers and dominoes.
In 2008-09, the Youth Toastmaster Gavel Club expanded with Beginners and Advanced sections. Here, under USGF, these trainings aided the leadership and communication skills of the young scholars. There were workshops teaching Executive Board and Parliamentary Procedure Workshops. This lets the students understand the roles members of boards play. This is when CIA and LU joined and became active USGF members.
The 2009-2010 school year saw further growth of USGF. That year, the organization formulated its year plan with the approval of all high school principals and mentors. For the first time, a motto was devised to be used as part of all USGF correspondences: “To promote civic involvement, leadership, and academic excellence in a unified manner among students of secondary schools on St. Maarten since 2007.”
Early in 2010, there was a treasure hunt for the front held by WIB. They provided funds at that time to open up a dedicated website. This stayed active for two years. Throughout all this time, the games and workshops continued. Like previous years, there was a board-game competition with prizes sponsored by businesses and two social activities, all published by the media.
WEEKender met with USGF faculty sponsor Sinatra Rouse, who has been gathering recollections of students and former students from USGF to mark the 10th anniversary of the organization. Here are some fond memories of the last 10 years:
Georgia Nelson
Currently a St. Dominic student, Georgia has been on the board for three years. She says the parliamentary procedure workshop taught her how to correctly run a meeting and provided her a delightful way to make friends with fellow council members from other schools. “USGF has impacted the development of my school’s student council in major ways. Our members obtained skills that were an extension of their formal education. USGF taught our council members the right terms which are to be used during meetings, for example, Point of Order, Point of Privilege. USGF also taught us the importance of teamwork.”
Georgia finds that USGF contributes to St. Maarten by bettering the skills and the mindset of the youths. “In my opinion, students, who participated in events planned by USGF, learned organization skills and learned how to think logically. Students developed knowledge for project management, event planning, and fundraising skills. Students also learned how to work in groups, a developed skill which is beneficial for college life. Most importantly, USGF encourages leadership, which can only benefit our island positively.”
Georgia credits her participation in the USGF with making new friends and new connections, and networking. “I learned how to engage with diverse groups of people. I was also provided with practical experience which will benefit me in my area of study interest.”
Prasanjit Paul
This St. Dominic High 2016 graduate says he enjoyed the 2013 USGF Board Games competition the most. Prasanjit recalls that it was held after school hours in St. Dominic High: “That scholastic year, four schools participated in the competition – PSVE, Academy Academic, MPC and St. Dominic of course. This was the event I enjoyed the most because, overall, it was my first ever interscholastic competition as treasurer of S.G.O. [Student Government Organization] of St. Dominic. The atmosphere that day was fantastic and the people who turned up were amazing board-game players. I actually learned a lot of new concepts of the games from them that day. It was truly a day that I won’t forget. Everything went well by the end of the massive event and all the planning and organization my S.G.O. board had done at the time was practically successful. Being a part of the success as treasurer was also bonus and a wonderful feeling.”
“USGF was taking place even before I came to St. Dominic High School. Over the years, as I moved up the ranks in our own S.G.O. from class representative to treasurer and finally president, I have seen many students participate in USGF. Believe it or not, all those students have definitely benefited from this foundation. Specifically looking at the students in our S.G.O. and myself, we improved our social skills, presentation tactics and spoken word. The unity and perseverance of each individual student are always present, allowing others to follow in their footsteps.
“USGF has definitely impacted the youth of our community. They allow young students every year to express themselves and develop into wonderful human beings. Unity and integrity drive the nature of the organization itself and there’s always motivation and goals set for every student so they can focus and develop themselves by the end of the scholastic year.
“USGF has helped me become a better person. Honestly speaking, a part of me that I am proud of today is because I was part of a USGF during my earlier years in high school. I have become more attentive and focused ever since. My social skills have greatly improved and I can easily work with any group of individuals. The unity I learned from USGF has allowed this part of me to dwell and mature into the strongest attribute I pose today.”
David Chapman
David of the Academy class of 2017 recalled how much he enjoyed the chess match. “It’s a great game that stimulates the mind! USGF contributed to the development of my school council and it has given the youths something constructive to do in their free time. The USGF influence has impacted me in so many ways that I can’t even put it into words!”
Kim Lukas-Felix
This Academy student said she most enjoyed the interscholastic board-games competition each year because it gave students of various schools an opportunity to meet and interact with each other socially. She notes that through USGF, St. Maarten Academy was able to establish its Student Government Association; and over the years was also able to grow bigger and better by sharing ideas with other schools.
“USGF has made a great impact on the St. Maarten community in various ways, as many of the former members gained confidence to become leaders within the society, either at their jobs or at university. It also provided a platform for students to learn about networking and working together – attributes that can benefit all. It was through USGF that I was able to connect with mentors of various schools and create bonds that will last a lifetime. Activities such as the Parliamentary Procedure workshops helped to underscore the importance of time management.”
Sinatra Rouse
A faculty sponsor and tireless organizer, Sinatra Rouse shared that last year they gave out artefacts to the various schools to commemorate their participation in USGF. Each school was presented with a gavel, board games and a book about parliamentary procedure: “We want to thank all the companies and the society in general for assisting us over these 10 years, but special thanks to Domino’s who never hesitated to provide us with prizes and support. We also have a big debt of gratitude to Windward Islands Bank, Nagico and Bimaco.” Sinatra Rouse adds that the students and the school mentors themselves are the real stars who made it all work by their participation and willingness to do whatever it took for the betterment of the students and the schools.
