Loved ones can be a part of the Welcome ceremony
On Saturday, August 2, 2008 at about 9:00 am (St. Maarten time), relatives and loved ones will be able to listen to the welcome ceremony of the students that will be leaving St. Maarten on August 1, 2008. 1st Line Radio.com, a student-run online radio station that caters to young Caribbean residents living in the Netherlands, will be streaming live from the event at the Schiphol A4 Hotel. Everyone can log in to website www.1stlineradio.com to be a part of the ceremonies.
As part of the official welcoming ceremony, Leader of Government and Commissioner of Education, Mrs. Sarah Wecot-Williams will give an address to the students. Deputy Minister Plenipotentiary of the Antilles, Mrs. Mavis Brooks, will also address the students. A delicious buffet dinner that has been specially prepared for the students will follow the welcoming ceremony. Representatives of ABN Amro Bank, which is normally closed on weekends, will be present to identify the students, as it is obligatory by law to do so in order for the accounts to be opened. Some of the VIP that are confirmed are officials from the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science as well as representatives of a few universities in the Netherlands.
"We are so excited that we have such esteemed educators and policy makers coming to welcome our students. It is important for them to also see who we are and what we do and how we can make the quest for tertiary education a success for all our students. In this light, I am pleased and grateful that some of our students have offered to record the event live using a medium that has not been fully utilized by S4 before. More importantly, we are thrilled that the loved ones back home can also be a part of our program", Drs. Linda Richardson, Director of S4 Foundation, stated.
1st Line Radio.com, an upcoming radio station based in The Hague, strives to provide its listeners with 24 hours of CarUrban, the genre of music which is a mixture of Caribbean genres such as reggae, soca, and zouk, with hip-hop. They have organized the All Out Sound Clash 2008, which was a DJ competition for mostly rising Caribbean celebrity DJâ??s.
The ceremony will not only include addresses by top officials. Gisella Hilliman, the last Miss St. Maarten Universe as well as a student in the US will be doing a special song for the students. Gabriel Smith, a young student and talented vocalist will also be singing. Lastly, Godfatha Sounds, a popular DJ crew made up of Windward Island youngsters will be playing hits during the dinner buffet. Godfatha sounds have opened up for the likes of Sean Paul and Destra in the Netherlands.
"To date, we are receiving the largest group to come the Netherlands to study. We do not just want to welcome them but we want them to feel at home and relaxed. We have seen that this helps them to succeed in their studies and academic goals. So we are going to great lengths to make sure that this happens." Drs. Richardson stated in closing.