AlphaMax Academy lights 108 Diyas for Diwali

On Wednesday 22 October, students and staff from the AlphaMax Academy lit 108 diyas on the school's campus. This ritual was part of the school's celebration of Diwali, one of Suriname's important holidays.

Students put the diyas around four important areas. Each area has 27 diyas. The first area  is the garden around the bust of Rabindronath Tagore. Alphamax Academy is proud to be one of the fourteen locations in the world with a bust of Tagore.

The second major area to be lit is the schools Cosmic Heart crystal fountain. This special sculpture was done by renowned Barbadian artist Charles Barrow who is the father of one of our teachers Isadora Barrow.

AlphaMax Academy has a special garden called the Rainbow Garden. This garden of flowers and plants is designed in the shape of the school's logo. When viewed from the air the school's logo is seen. This garden will be lined with diyas.

The final area to be lit by diyas is a special project of the school. Students in the practical physics class will be building Mr. Krak's unique preservation dehydrator. This device is the first one its type in the world. This preservation system allows tropical fruit, vegetables, herbs and meat to be reserved without chemical additives.

People believe that the number 108 is a spiritually successful number. AlphaMax students are inviting prosperity and abandons in all their activities.

-Nomi-Brittanni Vriesde

Alphamax Academy

GAC Students visit Neotropical Butterfly Park for Research

Six are members of AlphaMax 's 2012 Global Assessment Program class visited The Neotropical Butterfly Park in Lelydorp on Thursday 17th May on a research field trip. The students are writing a research paper on a local environmental site for their science course 023. Their reports will be sent to Australia for moderation.


The GAC 2012 group consisted of Yamil Baptista, Gabriel Grauwde, Timothy Naarendorp, Vinantia Nandlal, Ruth Saman and Kristina Taylor, and was accompanied by three tutors--Mr. Milton Drepaul ( Director of the GAC program), Mr. Emiel Krak ( Deputy Principal and Head of Science) , Mr.Osafa Johnson -Science tutor, Ms. Sharon Hoppie ( Middle School Director) and Ms. Zabeeda Nazir( Middle School Tutor).

The Neotropical Butterfly Park is owned and operated by  Amera Eriks and Ewout Eriks.

The group left school at about 8.15 am and returned at 2pm. During the field trip the weather was sunny and fine but when they returned there was a tropical rainstorm in the city.

The tasks that the group did were: recording  abiotic variables they  in the park area;describing and recording the size and type of plant population in the study area;looking at  animal distribution on the site; selecting and classifying a total of six species; constructing food chains and webs for the ecosystem;describing human influence in the park and looking at the relationship between the various elements in the ecosystem.

The students thoroughly enjoyed the experience and also a delicious meal in their cafe. They appreciated the fact that Mrs. Eriks made the park available to them exclusively for the period they visited. Mr. & Mrs Eriks have two children attending the AlphaMax Academy and have previously extended their hospitality to the school.  In particular, the group would like to thank our tour guide, Rachel Dontono, for the excellent way in which she guided us through the park.
Ruth Saman

The Neotropical Butterfly Park is unique experience.  It is not only peaceful and relaxing, but also educational.  We would recommend that anyone who wants a taste of the Surinamese tropical rainforest should visit this beautiful park.

To the 2010 AMA Graduates--From Ros Washington, Academic Director, ACT Education Solutions.

A Tribute for Graduation Day, 24 June 2010

From Ros Washington, Academic Director, ACT Education Solutions.

Please read:

I truly regret being unable to be with you today on this wonderful occasion –the graduation of the third group of Global Assessment Certificate (GAC) students from the Alphamax Academy.

Although I have never met you, I do feel that I know each one of you. I have visited your wonderful and caring school twice in the past and can picture where you have studied, laughed, discussed and struggled over your study! Now that I have read all of your many, many assignments and looked at your PowerPoint presentations, I know where your interests lie by the topics you chose to study. I have observed – albeit from afar - your improvement bit by bit from Level 1, through level 2, and then level 3, and I see that you have all grown into thinking and mature adults. And it is so wonderful to learn that for some of you (Vincent), the research you did for GAC assessments has helped you to clarify your future direction in life.

Now that you have worked your way through the sometimes seemingly gruelling expectations of the GAC (!!), may I assure you that now in your academic life there will be nothing you will not know how to do. You can start the next stage of your life with the confidence that the academic and social skills you have learnt in the GAC have indeed prepared you to - not only succeed well in your chosen university course,- but also succeed in your lives as capable, well adjusted, and high achieving people with the ability to go forward in an increasingly competitive world.

However it is not easy out there..in this competitive world and it is important to remember just a few things:

First NEVER lose faith in yourself and what you can do!
To quote Steve Jobs (CEO and co-founder of APPLE) in his 2005 Stanford Inaugural address:
“The only way to be truly satisfied in your work is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. So if you don’t know yet what it is you really want to do: Keep looking! Don’t settle!”
So Believe in yourself and Follow your heart!

A second thing to remember is don’t ever compromise your basic values – only ever do what you truly believe – believe right deep inside of you - is the right thing to do. Even if everyone else is doing something else, trust in yourself and the values you have been taught by your parents and your teachers.
Don’t compromise values!

And lastly, always have a positive and caring attitude to others as well as for yourself.
Remember that a true test of a person’s worth lies in how much a person gives to society rather than how much they gain.
Consider and Care for others!

And so to each of you in this class of 2010: Good luck! Congratulations! and all the very best for your future whether it be in Suriname, the USA, Holland or even Japan. Wherever you end up studying, we all know you will do exceptionally well; you have been given the foundation...now go on and make the most of yourselves! And make sure you enjoy yourselves along the way!

Of course, you must give great thanks to your wonderful teachers who have guided you through this part of your education– and in particular Milton, Sean, Hortence and Emiel all of whom have nurtured you with love and dedication.

Congratulations!
Ros Washington


Congratulations also from Gaye Pullyn, the General Manager of ACT Education Solutions and all the staff at ACT.

2010 AlphaMax Class Best Performers on ACT -In Top 5 % worldwide

2010-06-22 18:16:23 - Four AlphaMax students- Vincent Hilversum, Zikomo Mhango, Marina Sew Atjon, and Stephan Playfair, received scores of 31, 30, 29, and 29, respectively on the international American College Test (ACT) examination during the current academic year.

“The Class of 2010 is to date the best performing class of Academy scholars on the American College Test since we began taking this international university-entrance examination almost a decade ago,” said Academy Administrator Hortence M. Taylor-Claver, C.P.A..

This year, four Surinamese graduating students from the AlphaMax Academy, have raised [the Academy’s and] Suriname’s bar of achievement and excellence in international collegiate entrance examinations to a new height. The students, Vincent Hilversum, Zikomo Mhango, Marina Sew Atjon, and Stephan Playfair, received scores of 31, 30, 29, and 29, respectively on the international American College Test (ACT) examination during the current academic year.

“The Class of 2010 is to date the best performing class of Academy scholars on the American College Test since we began taking this international university-entrance examination almost a decade ago,” said Academy Administrator Hortence M. Taylor-Claver, C.P.A..

“These scores on the ACT place our graduating students in the top 5% worldwide,” said Ir. Emiel A. Krak, Deputy Director of the AlphaMax Academy. “This recent achievement positions our school in a coveted position, not only in Suriname, but in the Caribbean region, especially as we prepare to embark on a new decade of education for Surinamese young people within a wider international and global context.”

During their senior year of study at the Academy, all four Academy scholars completed their VWO-level course of study in addition to the Global Assessment Certificate program – a special first-year university program from ACT Education Solutions. The GAC program is moderated from Australia and upon completion students have access to over 150 universities worldwide.

Whereas Zikomo Mhango, with the second top ACT score, produced the best overall high school academic performance for the class of 12 graduates, Marina Sew-Atjon, a top ACT scorer, had the best results in this year’s GAC international course of study. The two students will co-deliver the Valedictorian Address at the Academy’s graduation ceremonies on Thursday evening, June 24th. The two valedictorians have both been selected to represent Suriname this summer at the 2010 Global Youth Leaders’ Conference in the U.S.A..

In April this year, the AlphaMax Academy acquired new facilities in Zorg-en-hoop and renovation and construction work will begin shortly to establish for Surinamese students a state of the art educational facility – complete with gymnasium.

Vincent Hilversum’s top ACT score of 31 this year matches the scores of two graduates from the Academy, Vijoya D. Taylor (Valedictorian, Class of 2009), and Rachel A. Chee-A-Tow (Class of 2005).