redemption through reading

Inmates in four federal prisons holding some of Brazil's most notorious criminals will be able to read up to 12 works of literature, philosophy, science or classics to trim a maximum 48 days off their sentence each year, the government announced.

Prisoners will have up to four weeks to read each book and write an essaywhich must "make correct use of paragraphs, be free of corrections, use margins and legible joined-up writing," said the notice published on Monday in the official gazette.

A special panel will decide which inmates are eligible to participate in the program dubbed "Redemption through Reading".

"A person can leave prison more enlightened and with an enlarged vision of the world," said Sao Paulo lawyer Andre Kehdi, who heads a book donation project for prisons.

"Without doubt they will leave a better person," he said.

2012 Awards - AlphaMax Academy High School

SCHOOL AWARDS WINNERS

ACADEMY EXCELLENCE AWARDS

Best GAC Award                   Kristina Taylor

Best ACT                                Isabella Sew-Atjon

Best IELTS                             Kristina Taylor

Best PSAT                              Isabella Sew-Atjon

[Special Mention: Reann Kersenhout, Justin Ho]

Best TOEFL                            Kristina Taylor, Yamil Baptista

Humanities Award                  Reann Kersenhout, Isabella Sew-Atjon, Vinantia Nandlal

Tagore Award for Literature   Tiffany Hoashin, Reann Kersenhout, Michael Grauwde

HIGH SCHOOL

Math Excellence                      Vinantia Nandlal, Jason Hoppie, Li-Jun Xu, Tiffany Hoashin

Science Excellence                  Tiffany Hoashin, Michael Grauwde, Ruth Saman, Kristina Taylor

English& Writing                    Li-Jun Xu, Justin Ho,Grabriel Grauwde, Michael Grauwde,

Isabella Sew-Atjon

Technical Drawing                  Candice Ameerali, Keith Tjon-Kie-Sim, Yamil Baptista,

Kristina Taylor

Merit Awards                          Yamil Baptista, Michael Grauwde, Justin Ho, Jason Jones,

Alain Soekhlal

Art Most Outstanding             Ruth Saman, Vinantia Nandlal

Art Most Improved                 Alain Soekhlal, Daniel Kolf, Aaqil Wazir

Business Awards                    Li Jun Xu

[Special Mention: Jonathan Liu, Nicole Moeljadi]

Sports Excellence                    Michael Grauwde, Daniel Kolf, Renzo Tjon A Joe

[Special Mention: Gabriel Grauwde]

Most Improved                       Nicole Moeljadi, Keith Tjon-Kie-Sim, Dion deBie

[Special Mention: Chiara Van-Leeuwaarde, Jason Jones]

AMA Lower and Middle School Results for 2011 - 2012

LOWER SCHOOL

Best Performance                    Alana Eriks, Dhwani Singh Sobti, Noelle Stiaram, Akash Lewis

Best Conduct                           Dhwani Singh Sobti, Shemaiah Johnson

Best English                            Iva Ameerali, Mariska Van de Werken, Angelina Wip

Phonics Excellence                  Christine Bai, Shemaiah Johnson, Martijn Van de Werken

Science Excellence                  Joshua Hoashin, Noelle Sitaram, Lanay Fernandes

Math Excellence                      Beren Yikilmazlar, As’ad Karamati Ali, Leonardo Batista

Arts & Craft                            Kay-Lynn Tjon En Fa, Neal Sitaram, Lanay Fernandes,

Mariska Van de Werken

Merit Awards                          Angelina Wip, Jael Eriks, Stephanie Bai

Most Improved                       Malik King, Dominic Coutinho, Fabian Benschop, Yada-Marie MoiThukShung

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Best Performance                    Winnie Siu, AlyshaWazir, Tamia Hoppie, Emile Bram

Math Excellence                      Winnie Siu, Joy Jones, Emile Bram, Sally Siu

Science Excellence                  Tamie Hoppie, Andrea Lau, Emile Bram, Lanay Fernandes,

Dylan Bouterse, [SpPecial Mention: Sally Siu]

English Excellence                  Winnie Siu, Noor Patadin, Andrea Lau, Neo Ameerali

Best Music                              Alysha Wazir, Cimara Proeve

Most Improved                       Cimara Proeve, Deante Burgzorg, Gabriel De Miranda,

Giel Van Ommeren,Santiago Chehin

[Special Mention: Ana Paula Menezes]

2012 Class Graduation to be at Cheric's on Wed.27 June

Graduation for the 2012 class will be At Cheric's Special Event Facility--Chericlaan, Morgenstroon ( side street of Anton Dragtenweg). Wednesday ,27 June,2012,18.30 hours.

Daniel Kolf wins the 100 meter backstroke in the Bahamas

Daniel Kolf  a student at AlphaMax Academy, was the youngest person to win the 100 M backstroke National Short Course Championships in the Bahamas held in June 2012.

During the 13th Giovanni Linscheer Memorial Swim Meet June 15th - 17th, Daniel swam 7 events and won an incredible 3 gold and 2 silver medals.  In the 400 M with the Oase Relay team, Daniel set a national record in his age group.

Daniel has high hopes of winning gold at the Caribbean Islands Swimming Championships to be held in Aruba, Cuba, Jamaica and Puerto Rico from June 18th - July 6th, 2012.

His friends at the AlphaMax Academy know Daniel as a "cool" person who has not allowed the spotlight to change his attitude.  We all congratulate Daniel and his parents and wish him continued success in school and at the upcoming meets!

GAC 2012 successfully completed

Students in the 2012 GAC class successfully completed their course last Monday, June 11.


Six students were in the course--Yamil Baptisa, Gabriel Grauwde, Timothy Naarendorp,  Vinantia Nandlal, Ruth Saman and Kristina Taylor.


Four of the group have already chosen their next step in the academic world. Grabriel Grauwde will be going to the University of West Virginia to Study Engineering. He was also accepted by Dalhousie University in Canada for the same field of study. .Vinantia Nandlal will be going to the Medical University of Dalian in China to study medicine. She represented AlphaMax and Suriname at the GLYC conference in Beijing last year.

Timothy Naarendorp plans to do IT at UTT in Trinidad and Tobago.Ruth Saman plans to do dentistry at UWI in Trinidad and Tobago.She also represented AlphaMax and Suriname at the GYLC conference in Beijing last year.

Kristina Taylor and Yamil Baptisa are still considering their options but plan to start University studies in September this year.

AMA Youth Challenge Program on Tonka Island

The AlphaMax Academy Youth Challenge Programme will take place this year from Monday, June 18^th to Thursday, 21^st June, at Tonka Island in Brokopondo.

High school students are invited to participate in this special programme which we started in 2011.  Fritz van Troon, respected Surinamese field botanist, will host the Academy and guide the three day educational programe.

Tonka Island  has separate  male/female dormitories,  dining hall facilities and a nature museum. Several members of staff including Director Sean Taylor and Deputy Emiel Krak  will attend the three day event at Tonka Island with the high school students.

Students and staff will depart from the Academy on Monday, June 18^th at 8.30 am, and will begin the journey back from Tonka Island to Paramaribo at 10.00 am on Thursday, June 21^st.

Suriname Msiba My Love selected for Belize Film Festival

Msiba, My Love has been selected for Belize International Film Festival 2012 to be held from the 13-17 July.  Msiba, My Love is one of eight films selected in the animation category.  From the huge number of submissions it will be one of the 64 featured films.  It is the first time that a film from Suriname will be represented at the festival.

The Official Selection boasts films from 24 different nations including Belize, Trinidad and Tobago and the USA, who all submitted the most films to be a part of this year’s festival.  Msiba, My Love was Suriname's only entry.  It is a 9 minute movie by Lily Strand Publishing and is directed by Milton Drepaul and Sean Taylor.

Stunning images of the Suriname rain forest tell the story of an ecological crime committed on the Saramakan people in Suriname in 1964 when a hydro electric dam was built and a huge artificial lake submerged their homes.

The DVD features the reading of The Tagore Prize Winning poem - Msiba, My Love by Ivan Khayiat -- read in seven languages -- English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Hindi, Saran Tongo and Saramakan.

The central message in both the book and DVD is that humanity needs to appreciate that Mother Earth bestows gifts to us and we must have a humble and sacred relationship with her.

The editor for the film was Shafeek Nazir who also won the 1^st prize for art in the 2011 Tagore National Competition.  Shafeek Nazir , AlphaMax Graduate (2011 Class) was editor, graphics and animation director.  The pictures in the DVD were done by Rohit  Badatljawdharie, Rudi Moredjan and Studio TMC. 

A specially composed sound track by Rohit Badatljawdharie with hypnotic and haunting tones is in the background and gives its own signature to the DVD.

Msiba was chosen a state gift by the government of Suriname and a copy of the book and DVD was presented to 15 Caribbean heads of state.

A group in Brazil has invited Lily Strand Publishing to be part of their RIo 20 + participation in June 2012.

The organizers of the Festival expressed the hope that Msiba, My Love will garner more attention and perhaps progress to more success in other festivals, television, or even the big screen!