By Susan Mann
Caribbean Net News US Virgin Islands Correspondent
Email: susan@caribbeannetnews.com
ST CROIX, USVI: The Office of the US Virgin Islands Governor has announced that both public high schools on St Croix have regained their accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools. St Croix Educational Complex was awarded full accreditation, while Central High School’s accreditation status was upgraded from limited to provisional accreditation.
“Improving the quality of education throughout the Virgin Islands is a top priority for my administration,” said Governor deJongh. “The notification of accreditation for both these high schools speaks volumes on the collaborations between my Administration and the teachers of both schools. We have kick- started many important initiatives at our public schools and some are beginning to yield positive results for our young people.”
DeJongh says his Administration will continue to take whatever steps are necessary to reform the public education system in the Virgin Islands.
At the Educational Complex, the four year accreditation takes effect on December 1 and could be extended for an additional five years following completion of a site visit by the Middle States organization. Prior to receiving full accreditation, Education Complex held limited accreditation status. At Central High, the term of provisional accreditation is for one year.
The Middle States Commission laid out specific objectives that must be met at the Central High School campus. Central High School’s administration will be required to report regularly to the Middle States Commission on progress being made in the completion of corrective actions. The reports are due mid-January; May 1 and September 1 of next year.
Superintendent of Schools on St Croix, Gary Molloy, congratulated the faculty, staff, administration, students and parents of the St Croix Educational Complex High School and St Croix Central High School on regaining their accreditation from the Middle States Commission.
“This accreditation process truly engaged the entire school community in a process of self evaluation, reflection and improvement,” said Molloy. “I am proud to know our schools went through the external scrutiny and welcomed the constructive feedback of our peers. The process demands rigor that is based in data, and the schools had to provide documentation of results to meet the standards for accreditation.”
Earlier this week, deJongh announced that contractors had been selected to perform three major capital projects at Central High: revamping the electrical distribution system to include the addition of a stand-by power generator, renovations to the Vocational Educational building and the replacement of bleachers at the gymnasium.
The selection of the replacement bleachers is critical, as they are required to meet Americans with Disabilities (ADA) requirements. The bleachers will be selected to maximize the available space while maintaining ample seating for the highly-utilized facility.
DeJongh said the regaining of accreditation for the public high schools on St Croix is but the first step in ensuring that the territory stays focused on a path of excellence in providing a quality education to students. “This is not the end, but the beginning of a process, which confirms that the participation of administrators, teachers, staff and parents are required to ensure that our students have all they need to be competitive in a world that is changing and to which they must possess the skills and academic foundation to compete.”
The formal accreditation status for both schools takes effect on December 1, 2008. |
