On December 11, 2012, His Excellency Governor Eugene B. Holiday paid a visit to the Milton Peters College, to observe the work of and talk to six 4th formers of the Milton Peters College VSBO-PKL/PBL, division carpentry.
The students are building a small Norwegian-style boat known as a Skerry as part of the project Build Your Future. The students showed the Governor in great detail how the boat was built. During the visit, the Governor discussed the challenges and learning experiences of the project with the students. Governor Holiday based on the experiences of the students with building the boat advised them not to let anyone tell them they cannot do something and that if they put their mind to something and work towards it they can achieve anything.
The Build Your Future Project is a joint initiative of St. Maarten Marine Trades Association (SMMTA) and St. Maarten Sailing School. The students are coached by Norman van Engel and Rens Heestermans, both teachers at MPC. In addition, Mr. Garth Steyn, a qualified mentor with knowledge of the marine industry and marine carpentry, coaches and advises the students on this project. The Build Your Future Project began on November 26, 2012 is scheduled to close off on December 19, 2012.