Dear Editor,
From 2011 ’til 2017 I visited Saint Dominic High. Every year one week in November. I am Niek Bogaard, coordinator of internationalization of Comenius College, Capelle aan den IJssel in The Netherlands.
The reason: the fabulous education the students of Dominic High receive. Seven years ago Comenius College started with bilingual education and with the IB-program for English. We looked for other schools, because we met a lot of problems. We went to IB-schools in The Netherlands, but they had more or less the same problems. Students lacked motivation to really go for it.
In the past we had a project with Saint Dominic High. This project, a so-called Kans-project, was structured around languages. Both schools were very satisfied with this project. So, when we were looking for schools with an IB-program we asked Saint Dominic High to help us. And they did.
During the last five years I visited the school together with colleagues. We got the money from het Europees Platform, nowadays called Nuffic.
What did we learn from the management, teachers and students from Saint Dominic High? Motivation techniques, structure in selecting our students, behaviour towards our students, a lot of skills for our students (debating, depth-thinking, attitude towards homework, etc,), But perhaps most of all to be proud of your school and work as a group, not only as individuals. And a lot more.
Comenius College is very grateful for the help we have received over the years. Education at Saint Dominic High is of an outstanding quality. The people of Sint Maarten should be proud to have a fantastic school like this on the island.
Principal Gianne de Weever and her team work so hard to stay at the top. Even after the terrible disaster that struck the island they started working again. A lot of teachers lost roofs, windows, sheds or their complete house, like a lot of others did. But they are there at school, working for their students’ future.
Students of Saint Dominic High have a bright future ahead of them. This, because of the passionate teachers, the very qualified management team, all students and all personnel that help the school going on.
Comenius College is very grateful for all the support we received and we are looking forward to work together in a new international project.
Niek Bogaard
Coordinator of Internationalisation
Comenius College
Capelle aan den IJssel
The Netherlands
