New housing Governor de Graaff School officially into use

Photo caption:Pupils of the GdG school performing a flash mob together with their teacher at the end of the opening ceremony

On Friday, January 11th, headmaster Floyd Woodley together with Commissioner Carlyle Tearr and acting lieutenant governor Kenneth Lopes of St. Eustatius cut the opening ribbon of the brand new school building of Governor de Graaff School in the Lynch area of St. Eustatius.

School principal Floyd Woodley said that he and his school were lucky to have a new school building like this and expressed his gratitude to RCN/OCW as well as the Public entity St. Eustatius. Commissioner Tearr of Education: "As Commissioner of Education, I am delighted to know that the students will be educated in such a wonderful, stimulating setting.". Head of RCN/OCW Fleur Lagcher: "The State Secretary requested me to congratulate you on his behalf with this milestone. He wishes students and teachers success with their brand new school building. A pleasant and healthy school accommodation contributes positively to the learning results. We all work hard to achieve this, on all three islands of the Dutch Caribbean."

Now the students and teachers of the GdG have access to a modern school with four classrooms, two offices, a staff room/kitchen, sanitary facilities for both students and teachers, a technical room and a schoolyard. The building is also equipped with air conditioning systems that provide the premises and workplaces with a pleasant temperature and a constant supply of fresh air. The implementation of the construction project was in the hands of HODES Bouwsystemen.

Education Housing Plan
The realization of this construction project for the GdG School is part of the Education Housing Plan for St. Eustatius, which is jointly financed by the Public Entity of St. Eustatius and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (In Dutch: Ministerie van Onderwijs Cultuur en Wetenschap (OCW)). The Dutch Government Building Department, on behalf of the Public Entity of St. Eustatius and OCW, coordinates the implementation of the various projects that are part of this plan.

New construction GDG School
One of the priorities of the Education Housing plan is an adequate housing for the GdG School. In the past few years, the building of the GDG School has become too large for the number of pupils visiting the school. At the same time, at the Gwendoline van Putten School the problem of lack of space arose. It was therefore agreed that the GdG School would get a new building, which fits better with the number of pupils. The former premises of the GdG School are now available for the Gwendoline van Putten School. With that, a portion of the space problem of that school is solved.

Projects St. Eustatius
Based on the Education Housing plan, all schools of St. Eustatius, by turns, will be renovated and/or (re) constructed. In September 2012, a new covert space was built for the Gwendoline van Putten School. Future projects on St. Eustatius include renovations of school buildings of the Golden Rock, the Bethel Methodist, the Gwendolyne van Putten and the Seven Day Adventist School.

The realization of this construction project for the GdG School is part of the Education Housing Plan for St. Eustatius, which is jointly financed by the Public Entity of St. Eustatius and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (In Dutch: Ministerie van Onderwijs Cultuur en Wetenschap (OCW)). The Dutch Government Building Department, on behalf of the Public Entity of St. Eustatius and OCW, coordinates the implementation of the various projects that are part of this plan. Based on the Education Housing plan, all schools of St. Eustatius, by turns, will be renovated and/or (re) constructed. In September 2012, a new covert space was built for the Gwendoline van Putten School. Future projects on St. Eustatius include renovations of school buildings of the Golden Rock, the Bethel Methodist, the Gwendolyne van Putten and the Seven Day Adventist School.

The realization of this construction project for the GdG School is part of the Education Housing Plan for St. Eustatius, which is jointly financed by the Public Entity of St. Eustatius and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (In Dutch: Ministerie van Onderwijs Cultuur en Wetenschap (OCW)). The Dutch Government Building Department, on behalf of the Public Entity of St. Eustatius and OCW, coordinates the implementation of the various projects that are part of this plan. Based on the Education Housing plan, all schools of St. Eustatius, by turns, will be renovated and/or (re) constructed. In September 2012, a new covert space was built for the Gwendoline van Putten School. Future projects on St. Eustatius include renovations of school buildings of the Golden Rock, the Bethel Methodist, the Gwendolyne van Putten and the Seven Day Adventist School.