ST. CROIX, USVI—Education Commissioner Dr. Sharon Ann McCollum announced that some schools in the St. Croix District will reopen on Monday, October 23, 2017. During Governor Mapp’s Wednesday evening press conference, McCollum provided updates on the status schools in both districts, noting that all secondary education instruction will resume on Monday in St. Croix.
The St. Croix Central High School (CHS) will be placed on a split session schedule with the Elena L. Christian and John H. Woodson junior high schools at the CHS campus in Kingshill. Central High students will report for the morning session at 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and students of Elena Christian and John H. Woodson will attend the afternoon session from 12:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
The Arthur A. Richards Junior High School and the St. Croix Educational Complex (SCEC) will assume a split session schedule at the SCEC campus. Educational Complex students will report for the morning session and Arthur Richards for the afternoon session at the aforementioned times.
Also on split session and opening on Monday are the Juanita Gardine Elementary (JGES) and Pearl B. Larsen Elementary schools at the JGES campus in Richmond. Juanita Gardine will report for the morning session and Pearl B. Larsen for the afternoon session.
The Alternative Education Program, Adult Education and YRC schools will also reopen on Monday, October 23 at their regular times.
Commissioner McCollum announced that the school lunch program did not suffer loss, therefore, students in the St. Croix District will receive hot meals for lunch at the onset of school. The lunch period for morning session schools will be from 11:30 a.m. to 12 noon and afternoon session schools will have lunch from 12 noon to 12:30 p.m.
Citing only six operational buses of the Ann Abramson Bus Company fleet, Commissioner McCollum appealed to the community for assistance transporting students to schools. “Parents and community members, you’re going to have to come together to form car pools to help get children to school,” McCollum pled. The District is working with the Department of Public Works to possibly identify routes using the VITRAN system. The schedule for those six operational buses will be announced before the Monday reopening of schools.
Students are required to wear the appropriate school uniform, however, a grace period will be given to families who have suffered loss.
School sites in the St. Croix District that will not be operational for the 2017-18 school year are the Pearl B. Larsen Elementary; Lew Muckle Elementary; Alfredo Andrews Elementary; Eulalie Rivera Elementary; Alexander Henderson Elementary; John H. Woodson Junior High, Elena L. Christian Junior High; and the Arthur A. Richards Junior High School, which was condemned immediately after Hurricane Maria’s passage.
Assessments are in progress at the Ricardo Richards Elementary and the Claude O. Markoe Elementary school campuses, and an announcement on the resumption of instruction for the remaining elementary schools is forthcoming.
| The St. Croix District will be host general meetings for teachers, paraprofessionals, school staff and administrators on Thursday, October 19, 2017 in the Juanita Gardine Elementary School auditorium. |
| All school counselors are to report for a meeting in the JGES library at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday.The schedule for school staff is as follows:9:00 a.m. – Alternative Ed., Juanita Gardine, Pearl B. Larsen 10:00 a.m. – John H. Woodson, Elena Christian, Central High 11:00 a.m. – YRC, Adult Ed., Arthur Richards, Educational Complex 12:00 p.m. – Ricardo Richards, Lew Muckle 1:00 p.m. – Alfredo Andrews, Eulalie Rivera 2:00 p.m. – Alexander Henderson, Claude O. Markoe |
The Division of Music Education in collaboration with the Division of Cultural Education is hosting a relief concert in the St. Croix District on Sunday, October 29, 2017. In preparation, coordinators are asking secondary education music students and music educators to report for rehearsal at the designated times. Students are asked to bring water and a snack.
The schedule is as follows:
Monday – Thursday
UVI Albert A. Sheen Campus Room T100
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Concert Band
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Steel Ensemble (on Thursday rehearsal will be from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m.) 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Jazz Ensemble
St. Thomas – St. John District
On Monday, October 23 the Ulla F. Muller Elementary School and Gladys Abraham Elementary School will begin split session instruction at the Muller campus in Contant. Muller students will attend the morning session from 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and Gladys Abraham students will report for the afternoon session 11:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The status of Yvonne Milliner-Bowsky/E. Benjamin Oliver and Lockhart Elementary schools will be announced.