Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School is a public educational institution located on the island of St. Maarten in the Dutch Quarter area, an area classified as “at risk” but with a high level of talented young people eager to learn and improve to make a difference in their society. Our main objectives: to provide adequate education to children in the area and neighboring areas of the Middle and Belvedere Region, to provide opportunities for growth, development and advantages to children in these areas, to help train them to become worthy citizens who can truly make a difference in their community, to provide additional training through afternoon school in several activities such as Sports, Education, Art and Culture. We offer students and teachers experiences that will improve both the teaching-learning process and their preparation to enter the various high schools on the island. As a school, we aim to support students in their personal and holistic development, to promote students who demonstrate an interest in developing their interpersonal skills, to establish models and practices of behaviors and cooperation between students, which will help them both in secondary education and in their afterlife; to encourage the development of creative arts such as Drama, Music and Dance. Among others, these are activities in which this organization is involved: it provides basic education to students between the ages of 4 and 12/13 or primary education, it provides a healthy breakfast through its breakfast program to over 50 students every day, it trains teachers (educational assistants, possible teacher trainees) in the various aspects of education such as classroom management, teaching methods, how to deal with stress, preparing and executing lesson plans, how to approach problems of behavior among students, among others, it provides students with the tools and instruction necessary to acquire the necessary skills that will equip them for postsecondary education. It teaches the students ways and mechanisms they can use to improve their interpersonal skills, it provides school uniforms and other related school supplies to students in need (over 20 students), it helps students develop sportsmanship and other skills they can use every day, it offers interesting experiences to students through extracurricular activities such as sports, cheerleading and others to help with comprehensive training. Our island faces many ecological problems: from the invasion of tourists to erosion and the extinction of some species. That is why it is necessary for the school to prepare students in the field of prevention and combating pollution. Plastic pollution affects birds and marine species of fish, molluscs, small invertebrates, etc. In order for students and parents to be aware of the effects of human actions on the environment, we periodically do observation activities in nature followed by art sessions. We recently had a plastic art competition that had recycling as its theme; this turned the little artists into supporters of recyclable materials. We also encourage teachers, children and parents to volunteer in the field of environmental protection.
HOLLAND
