By Daniel Lee- GAC2010 Student
During the last weekend of October 2009, students of the AlphaMax academy participated in the celebration of the great Mahatma Gandhi's 140th birth anniversary held at the Indian Cultural Center. They wrote essays and gave a PowerPoint presentation about Mahatma Gandhi and his influence on today's society. The evening was such a success that the His Excellency K.S Sodhi- the Ambassador from India invited the students to give an encore presentation. This was done before retired Ambassador of India and Managing Trustee of Sarvodaya International Trust, Pascal Alan Nazareth.
Pascal Alan Nazareth is dedicated to promoting, nationally and internationally the Gandhian values of Truth, non violence, communal harmony, humanitarian service and peace. Sarvodaya has ten regional chapters in India. Ambassador Nazareth is the author of the widely acclaimed book 'Gandhi's Outstanding Leadership'. He is also the recipient of the U Thant Peace Award for his 'Life Time Dedication and World Service by promoting the Gandhian Values of Truth, Non Violence, Communal Harmony and Humanitarian Service'.
On the 6th of November, a group of selected high school students of the AlphaMax Academy were invited to attend the presentation which was held at the Global Assessment Certificate facility. Two student presentations were done. Mahatma Gandhi and His Significance to Today's World was presented by Zikomo Mhango and Sabrina Vaseur, with the technical assistance of Daniel Lee and Khabir King. Marciano Proeve, Vijoya Taylor, and Peggy Dover then gave a video slideshow of the activities done on that weekend. Ambassador Nazareth praised the work of the students.
Ambassador Nazareth then gave a lecture on how Mahatma Gandhi had influenced many important social movements. He then showed us a movie describing how students in a particular Unites States University were trained in non violent techniques which they successfully to bring about social change in their city. Their success inspired many others to implement these techniques in the US in the 1960s.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
AlphaMax Academy School Year 2009/2010
This school year, which started on the 1st of September, saw 9 new students joining high school. We also have a new student in the GAC program: Marina Sew-Atjon.
This school year started like many others, except for me and the other high school seniors who were starting the 2009/2010 Global Assessment Certificate course. The GAC course was quite a change from our usual school experience, and some of us were struggling to come to terms with this.
One of our first extracurricular activities was our participation in "Following the Footsteps of Mahatma." This event was organized by ICC and the Embassy of India, in association with AlphaMax Academy, in honor of Gandhi's 140th birth anniversary. Students wrote essays on some part of his life, and on the night of the 2nd of October the most outstanding of these essays were read as part of a tribute to Gandhi's life.
This year's Christmas™ vacation starts on the 17th of December, and ends on the 6th of January. The Easter™ vacation is from April 4th to April 19th, and the summer vacation is from the 30th of June to the 1st of September. Graduation will probably be in the second week of June. An exact date is yet to be set.
Vincent Hilversum
This school year started like many others, except for me and the other high school seniors who were starting the 2009/2010 Global Assessment Certificate course. The GAC course was quite a change from our usual school experience, and some of us were struggling to come to terms with this.
One of our first extracurricular activities was our participation in "Following the Footsteps of Mahatma." This event was organized by ICC and the Embassy of India, in association with AlphaMax Academy, in honor of Gandhi's 140th birth anniversary. Students wrote essays on some part of his life, and on the night of the 2nd of October the most outstanding of these essays were read as part of a tribute to Gandhi's life.
This year's Christmas™ vacation starts on the 17th of December, and ends on the 6th of January. The Easter™ vacation is from April 4th to April 19th, and the summer vacation is from the 30th of June to the 1st of September. Graduation will probably be in the second week of June. An exact date is yet to be set.
Vincent Hilversum
AlphaMax students do portrait demonstration
During the activities ( "Following the Footsteps of Mahatma") held at the ICC on October 3rd 2009, in Suriname in the honour of Mahatma Gandhi’s 140th birth anniversary a group of art students held a demonstration of portrait drawing under the guidance of Mr. Ruben Karsters.
The group of students consisted of Sharen-Vess Schaap, Kristina Taylor, Vynantia Nandhlal, Jason Hoppy and Marina Sew-Atjon. The students’ all started with the same drawing of Mahatma Gandhi and worked hard to give the portrait their own touch.
The portrait demonstration was accompanied by a photographic exhibition created by the AlphaMax students Vijoya Taylor, Marciano Proeve and Marina Sew-Atjon under the guidance of Mr. S. Taylor. The photographic exhibition consisted of about sixty photographs depicting the life and teachings of Mahatma Gandhi.
The events also included a sculpture exhibition and demonstration of sculpting Gandhi (George Ramjiawansingh & Mr Krishnapersad Khedoe).
By Marina Sew-Atjon, GAC2010 student
The group of students consisted of Sharen-Vess Schaap, Kristina Taylor, Vynantia Nandhlal, Jason Hoppy and Marina Sew-Atjon. The students’ all started with the same drawing of Mahatma Gandhi and worked hard to give the portrait their own touch.
The portrait demonstration was accompanied by a photographic exhibition created by the AlphaMax students Vijoya Taylor, Marciano Proeve and Marina Sew-Atjon under the guidance of Mr. S. Taylor. The photographic exhibition consisted of about sixty photographs depicting the life and teachings of Mahatma Gandhi.
The events also included a sculpture exhibition and demonstration of sculpting Gandhi (George Ramjiawansingh & Mr Krishnapersad Khedoe).
By Marina Sew-Atjon, GAC2010 student
Thursday, September 3, 2009
The 2010 GAC Group
GAC stands for Global Assessment Certificate. It is a college-preparatory course designed by ACT Education Solutions, Limited, a renowned worldwide association focused on preparing and testing students for college. There are three levels of GAC, each lasting three months.
Each subject (of which there are 6-7 for each level) is labeled with a three-digit number preceded by ‘GAC’ and followed by the title of the subject. For example, a subject in Level One is GAC006: Business, Science, and Social Science I: Communication Skills. GAC001, GAC002, GAC005, GAC006 are taught by Mr. Milton Drepaul, our ‘witty professor’ and GAC003 and GAC004 are taught by Mr. Sean Taylor, commander-in-chief of AMA, and Mr. Emiel Krak, second commander-in-chief of AMA, respectively.
Each student of GAC has a unique student ID number that begins with ‘ALPH’ and is followed by a 5-digit number. True to our ID, we are all unique and interesting in our own ways. This group of GAC students is a dynamic one.
Marina-future biochemist-is a pestering hot-headed teenager who likes to chew something every half hour. Sabrina, whose hopes lie in studying radiology, calls every one ‘sweety’ and has a memory stick constantly infected with aliens from Cybertron. Vincent, who dreams to be a marine biologist, is an intelligent nutcase aspiring to be an even greater intelligent nutcase through the course of his life. Michelle loves to imitate a German accent, look clueless even though she really is not, and wants to be forensic scientist. Tos loves the idea of computers so she wants to be a computer technologist. She loves tea (for some strange reason) and listening to music while she works. Stephan (potential hydrologist) likes producing movies and is a track-and-field star. I (possible pharmacognosist) am going to butter my profile up and just say that I do all my assignments with an elated smile on my face. Khabir loves football and has a laptop that constantly smells like it is on fire which probably has something to so with his want to become a mechanical engineer. Last, but surely not least, Daniel (aspiring electronics engineer) loves big bikes and anything electronic, especially computers.
This GAC group is a diverse one, there is no doubt about that, but if there is one thing we have in common, it is the realization that GAC Level One, which we are now completing, is really just the beginning.
by: Zikomo Mhango
Friday, June 26, 2009
Effective Leadership
Effective Leadership is the Essential Ingredient
“Leadership is the essential catalytic ingredient which pulls together the disparate forces and components of any entity, thereby transforming it into a focused, functional and efficient whole in pursuit of clearly defined, comprehensible and desirable goals.” So said Ambassador Kingsley C.A. Layne, C.M.G, in remarks in Paramaribo, Suriname, on Tuesday June 23, 2009.
The occasion was the 2009 Graduation and Awards ceremony of the prestigious AlphaMax Academy, at the Torarica Hotel Ballroom. The accomplished Caribbean diplomat was speaking after having been presented with a signed copy of the painting, “A Portrait of Hope and Peace,” by renowned Surinamese artist Ruben Karsters. The portrait, which was commissioned by the AlphaMax Foundation, captures the images of (4) four legendary leaders of the 20th century, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm (X) and Nelson Mandela. Dubbed the 4 Ms’: Mohan, Martin, Malcolm and Mandela, the artist’s express intent was to portray on canvas the legendary and inspiring leaders “whose stature, while undoubtedly significant in local fields of action, was nonetheless global in reach and consequences. Their legacies were to embody more than virtuoso political statements, but their exemplary lives of personal self-transformation, service and sacrifice were to embrace and reflect universally-accepted, living, spiritual values, in order to serve as role models for leaders who followed, and especially to inspire the thirsty generations of the 21st century, who stand on the threshold of a challenging world which demands and calls for other paradigms of power.”
The original was presented to Her Excellency Lisa Bobby Schreiber-Hughes, outgoing Ambassador of the USA to the Republic of Suriname by Academy Director and Principal, Sean F. Taylor, and the artist himself, Professor Ruben Karsters, for transmission to the 44th President of the USA, His Excellency Barack Hussein Obama, whose example of perseverance, courage and pragmatic ambition has inspired the Academy’s Leadership program, and was highlighted in Ambassador Schreiber-Hughes’ keynote address at the graduation ceremony.
In his remarks Ambassador Layne, a Vincentian and a former Dean of Caribbean Ambassadors in Washington, DC, and Director of the OAS in Suriname, praised the school’s emphasis on Leadership skills and pointed out the fact that there was virtual parity between boys and girls in the graduating class. He noted that this is a rare occurrence these days in the Caribbean, where the ratio between males and females in graduating classes is heavily lopsided in favour of the females. He wondered aloud, “Where will these fine ladies find compatible mates?”
Ambassador Layne, who is a trustee of the AlphaMax Foundation, which runs the school, in reflecting on the portrait, traced the long line of leadership fostered by Mohandas Gandhi, which runs through Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of Independent India, his daughter Indira Gandhi, (no blood relation to Mohandas), who became the first, and so far only female Prime Minister of India, her son Rajiv, another Prime Minister, and now his wife Sonia Gandhi, President of the ruling Congress Party, and her progeny. He lauded the contribution of women in leadership, in homes and families, communities, business, the professions and government.
Paramaribo, Suriname, 24 June 2009.
“Leadership is the essential catalytic ingredient which pulls together the disparate forces and components of any entity, thereby transforming it into a focused, functional and efficient whole in pursuit of clearly defined, comprehensible and desirable goals.” So said Ambassador Kingsley C.A. Layne, C.M.G, in remarks in Paramaribo, Suriname, on Tuesday June 23, 2009.
The occasion was the 2009 Graduation and Awards ceremony of the prestigious AlphaMax Academy, at the Torarica Hotel Ballroom. The accomplished Caribbean diplomat was speaking after having been presented with a signed copy of the painting, “A Portrait of Hope and Peace,” by renowned Surinamese artist Ruben Karsters. The portrait, which was commissioned by the AlphaMax Foundation, captures the images of (4) four legendary leaders of the 20th century, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm (X) and Nelson Mandela. Dubbed the 4 Ms’: Mohan, Martin, Malcolm and Mandela, the artist’s express intent was to portray on canvas the legendary and inspiring leaders “whose stature, while undoubtedly significant in local fields of action, was nonetheless global in reach and consequences. Their legacies were to embody more than virtuoso political statements, but their exemplary lives of personal self-transformation, service and sacrifice were to embrace and reflect universally-accepted, living, spiritual values, in order to serve as role models for leaders who followed, and especially to inspire the thirsty generations of the 21st century, who stand on the threshold of a challenging world which demands and calls for other paradigms of power.”
The original was presented to Her Excellency Lisa Bobby Schreiber-Hughes, outgoing Ambassador of the USA to the Republic of Suriname by Academy Director and Principal, Sean F. Taylor, and the artist himself, Professor Ruben Karsters, for transmission to the 44th President of the USA, His Excellency Barack Hussein Obama, whose example of perseverance, courage and pragmatic ambition has inspired the Academy’s Leadership program, and was highlighted in Ambassador Schreiber-Hughes’ keynote address at the graduation ceremony.
In his remarks Ambassador Layne, a Vincentian and a former Dean of Caribbean Ambassadors in Washington, DC, and Director of the OAS in Suriname, praised the school’s emphasis on Leadership skills and pointed out the fact that there was virtual parity between boys and girls in the graduating class. He noted that this is a rare occurrence these days in the Caribbean, where the ratio between males and females in graduating classes is heavily lopsided in favour of the females. He wondered aloud, “Where will these fine ladies find compatible mates?”
Ambassador Layne, who is a trustee of the AlphaMax Foundation, which runs the school, in reflecting on the portrait, traced the long line of leadership fostered by Mohandas Gandhi, which runs through Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of Independent India, his daughter Indira Gandhi, (no blood relation to Mohandas), who became the first, and so far only female Prime Minister of India, her son Rajiv, another Prime Minister, and now his wife Sonia Gandhi, President of the ruling Congress Party, and her progeny. He lauded the contribution of women in leadership, in homes and families, communities, business, the professions and government.
Paramaribo, Suriname, 24 June 2009.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Keynote address by US Ambassador to the 2009 AlphaMax Graduates
Thank you, Mr. Taylor, for your kind introduction and for giving me the honor of addressing this distinguished assembly. Last year at this time I was seated in the audience, enjoying the Keynote Address of Mr. Cromwell Crawford, IICA Representative in Suriname, and thinking how much I myself would enjoy addressing the community of the AlphaMax Academy. Well, clearly, wishes do come true. It therefore gives me great pleasure to greet:
• The Honorable Chairman and members of the Board of Trustees of AlphaMax;
• The Administration, Faculty, and staff of the Academy;
• Fellow members of the Diplomatic Corps;
• Parents and guardians and family members and honored guests;
• And, most especially, the graduating Seniors.
To the class of 2009: you are the best and the brightest. You are very high academic achievers. You are National Merit Scholarship Finalists and soccer fanatics and tennis champions. You are the pride of your parents and guardians and the pride of AlphaMax Academy and you make me proud that, this evening, in the 11th year of this fine Academy and in the final months of my Ambassadorship to the Republic of Suriname, I have the honor to address you, the graduating class. So why, on this very proud occasion, have I chosen as the title for this speech, “Be Prepared for Failure”? Because you, the class of 2009, have so far in your lives had so little experience with failure. Each one of you is a star, a winner, an individual with great promise.
But even so, you will experience setbacks in your lives, and how you deal with those setbacks will, ultimately, determine the outcome of your life. When failure comes, you must be prepared to reach down into your reservoir of gifts: to your natural talents and abilities and to the love and support and education that you have received. Elbert Hubbard said, “there is no failure except in no longer trying”. And he is correct. I’d like to illustrate this point to you, by reading a passage from a book written by a well-known American politician who lost a very important election nine years ago:
“I still burn, for example, with the thought of my one loss in politics, a drubbing in 2000 at the hands of incumbent Democratic Congressman Bobby Rush. It was a race in which everything that could go wrong did go wrong, in which my own mistakes were compounded by tragedy and farce. Two weeks after announcing my candidacy, with a few thousand dollars raised, I commissioned my first poll and discovered that Mr. Rush’s name recognition stood at about 90 percent, while mine stood at 11 percent. His approval rating hovered around 70 percent – mine at 8. In that way I learned one of the cardinal rules of modern politics: do the poll before you announce.”
“Things went downhill from there. In October, on my way to a meeting to secure an endorsement from one of the few (Democratic) party officials who had not already committed to my opponent, I heard a news flash on the radio that Congressman Rush’s adult son had been shot and killed by a pair of drug dealers outside his house. I was shocked and saddened for the congressman, and effectively suspended my campaign for a month.”
“Then, during the Christmas holidays, after having traveled to Hawaii for an abbreviated five-day trip to visit my grandmother and reacquaint myself with Michelle and then-eighteen-month old Malia, the state legislature was called back into special session to vote on a piece of gun control legislation. With Malia sick and unable to fly, I missed the vote, and the bill failed. Two days later, I got off the red-eye at O’Hare Airport, a wailing baby in tow, Michelle not speaking to me, and was greeted by a front-page story in the Chicago Tribune indicating that the gun bill had fallen a few votes short, and that state senator and congressional candidate Obama ‘had decided to remain on vacation’ in Hawaii. … And so, less than halfway into the campaign, I knew in my bones that I was going to lose.”
“I’m not suggesting that politicians are unique in suffering such disappointments. It’s that unlike most people, who have the luxury of licking their wounds privately, the politician’s loss is on public display. There’s the cheerful concession speech you have to make to a half-empty ballroom, the brave face you put on as you comfort staff and supporters, the thank-you calls to those who helped, and the awkward requests for further help in retiring debt. You perform these tasks as best you can, and yet no matter how much you tell yourself differently – no matter how convincingly you attribute the loss to bad timing or bad luck or lack of money – it’s impossible not to feel at some level as if you have been personally repudiated by the entire community, that you don’t quite have what it takes, and that everywhere you go the word “loser” is flashing through people’s minds.”
Of course, the politician I am talking about is the 44th President of the United States of America, Barack Husssein Obama, and the passage is from his best-selling 2006 book, The Audacity of Hope. As we all know, President Obama’s story did not end nine years ago with that terrible political loss. My own mother, the Artist D.A. Schreiber, used to admonish me that all experiences in life have value, provided you learn from them. And clearly, this is what Mr. Obama chose to do. In fact, his setback in 2000 may actually have helped him to become President of the United States in 2008!
Perhaps most of you here tonight have never heard of a radio show called “Morning Edition” on National Public Radio in the United States, but it is a very popular “drive to work” show, somewhat like the “Ontbijt” show on Radio 10 that I listen to every morning here in Paramaribo. Well, on September 19, 2007, as the presidential campaign season was just beginning to heat up in the United States, the NPR Journalist, Don Gonyea, broadcast a story entitled, “Obama’s Loss May Have Aided White House Bid.” How did it help? Well, according to Mr. Gonyea:
“Even in losing, Obama gained plenty in losing to Rush. He vastly improved his name recognition. He made political friends and gained fundraising experience. And he ran a relatively positive campaign, emerging without having burned any political bridges.”
“Mr. Chris Sautter, a consultant who worked on the Obama 2000 congressional campaign, said ‘it was almost as though Obama hadn't lost at all. After the election, editorials cited Obama as a rising star.’”
"When a candidate loses, the question is, 'will you ever hear from him or her again?' But after Barack Obama lost in 2000, the question was, 'when will you hear from him again?' Sautter said.”
“After that loss, Obama indeed went on to a U.S. Senate run four years later. His victory in that race brought him the national prominence that led to his presidential run. Sautter believes Obama would not have the same name recognition today had he defeated Rush.”
“Today, Obama would likely still be in the U.S. House, Sautter said. A rising star? Perhaps. But not the serious contender for the presidency that he is today.”
That radio show was broadcast almost two years ago. As we all know now, Barak Obama did go on to become a serious contender for the presidency and, ultimately, to win: Yes we can!
I mentioned at the beginning of my remarks that, when failure comes, you must be prepared to reach down into your reservoir of gifts: to your natural talents and abilities and to the love and support and education that you have received. I’d like to conclude by speaking a bit more on the value and importance of education.
Clearly the value of education is appreciated by all here in this room tonight. I understand that it is the centerpiece, the guiding principle, of the AlphaMax experience. Once again to quote the artist D.A. Schreiber, my inspiration and my mother who passed away just before I assumed my Ambassadorship in 2006, “your education is the one thing that no-one can ever take away from you.”
“The object of education,” said Robert Maynard Hutchins, “is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives. My idea of education is to unsettle the minds of the young and to inflame their intellects.”
And so, to the AlphaMax class of 2009: go out into the world with your minds unsettled and your intellects inflamed. I hope that you succeed in whatever you undertake but, if at first you do not succeed, then do try, try again. Be prepared for failure, secure in the knowledge that you, the stars of 2009, just like the 44th President of the United States of America, have the gifts and the ability to rise above any failure and, ultimately, to succeed.
Thank you very much for this opportunity to speak to you this evening. I wish you all good luck, and godspeed.
• The Honorable Chairman and members of the Board of Trustees of AlphaMax;
• The Administration, Faculty, and staff of the Academy;
• Fellow members of the Diplomatic Corps;
• Parents and guardians and family members and honored guests;
To the class of 2009: you are the best and the brightest. You are very high academic achievers. You are National Merit Scholarship Finalists and soccer fanatics and tennis champions. You are the pride of your parents and guardians and the pride of AlphaMax Academy and you make me proud that, this evening, in the 11th year of this fine Academy and in the final months of my Ambassadorship to the Republic of Suriname, I have the honor to address you, the graduating class. So why, on this very proud occasion, have I chosen as the title for this speech, “Be Prepared for Failure”? Because you, the class of 2009, have so far in your lives had so little experience with failure. Each one of you is a star, a winner, an individual with great promise.
But even so, you will experience setbacks in your lives, and how you deal with those setbacks will, ultimately, determine the outcome of your life. When failure comes, you must be prepared to reach down into your reservoir of gifts: to your natural talents and abilities and to the love and support and education that you have received. Elbert Hubbard said, “there is no failure except in no longer trying”. And he is correct. I’d like to illustrate this point to you, by reading a passage from a book written by a well-known American politician who lost a very important election nine years ago:
“I still burn, for example, with the thought of my one loss in politics, a drubbing in 2000 at the hands of incumbent Democratic Congressman Bobby Rush. It was a race in which everything that could go wrong did go wrong, in which my own mistakes were compounded by tragedy and farce. Two weeks after announcing my candidacy, with a few thousand dollars raised, I commissioned my first poll and discovered that Mr. Rush’s name recognition stood at about 90 percent, while mine stood at 11 percent. His approval rating hovered around 70 percent – mine at 8. In that way I learned one of the cardinal rules of modern politics: do the poll before you announce.”
“Things went downhill from there. In October, on my way to a meeting to secure an endorsement from one of the few (Democratic) party officials who had not already committed to my opponent, I heard a news flash on the radio that Congressman Rush’s adult son had been shot and killed by a pair of drug dealers outside his house. I was shocked and saddened for the congressman, and effectively suspended my campaign for a month.”
“Then, during the Christmas holidays, after having traveled to Hawaii for an abbreviated five-day trip to visit my grandmother and reacquaint myself with Michelle and then-eighteen-month old Malia, the state legislature was called back into special session to vote on a piece of gun control legislation. With Malia sick and unable to fly, I missed the vote, and the bill failed. Two days later, I got off the red-eye at O’Hare Airport, a wailing baby in tow, Michelle not speaking to me, and was greeted by a front-page story in the Chicago Tribune indicating that the gun bill had fallen a few votes short, and that state senator and congressional candidate Obama ‘had decided to remain on vacation’ in Hawaii. … And so, less than halfway into the campaign, I knew in my bones that I was going to lose.”
“I’m not suggesting that politicians are unique in suffering such disappointments. It’s that unlike most people, who have the luxury of licking their wounds privately, the politician’s loss is on public display. There’s the cheerful concession speech you have to make to a half-empty ballroom, the brave face you put on as you comfort staff and supporters, the thank-you calls to those who helped, and the awkward requests for further help in retiring debt. You perform these tasks as best you can, and yet no matter how much you tell yourself differently – no matter how convincingly you attribute the loss to bad timing or bad luck or lack of money – it’s impossible not to feel at some level as if you have been personally repudiated by the entire community, that you don’t quite have what it takes, and that everywhere you go the word “loser” is flashing through people’s minds.”
Of course, the politician I am talking about is the 44th President of the United States of America, Barack Husssein Obama, and the passage is from his best-selling 2006 book, The Audacity of Hope. As we all know, President Obama’s story did not end nine years ago with that terrible political loss. My own mother, the Artist D.A. Schreiber, used to admonish me that all experiences in life have value, provided you learn from them. And clearly, this is what Mr. Obama chose to do. In fact, his setback in 2000 may actually have helped him to become President of the United States in 2008!
Perhaps most of you here tonight have never heard of a radio show called “Morning Edition” on National Public Radio in the United States, but it is a very popular “drive to work” show, somewhat like the “Ontbijt” show on Radio 10 that I listen to every morning here in Paramaribo. Well, on September 19, 2007, as the presidential campaign season was just beginning to heat up in the United States, the NPR Journalist, Don Gonyea, broadcast a story entitled, “Obama’s Loss May Have Aided White House Bid.” How did it help? Well, according to Mr. Gonyea:
“Even in losing, Obama gained plenty in losing to Rush. He vastly improved his name recognition. He made political friends and gained fundraising experience. And he ran a relatively positive campaign, emerging without having burned any political bridges.”
“Mr. Chris Sautter, a consultant who worked on the Obama 2000 congressional campaign, said ‘it was almost as though Obama hadn't lost at all. After the election, editorials cited Obama as a rising star.’”
"When a candidate loses, the question is, 'will you ever hear from him or her again?' But after Barack Obama lost in 2000, the question was, 'when will you hear from him again?' Sautter said.”
“After that loss, Obama indeed went on to a U.S. Senate run four years later. His victory in that race brought him the national prominence that led to his presidential run. Sautter believes Obama would not have the same name recognition today had he defeated Rush.”
“Today, Obama would likely still be in the U.S. House, Sautter said. A rising star? Perhaps. But not the serious contender for the presidency that he is today.”
That radio show was broadcast almost two years ago. As we all know now, Barak Obama did go on to become a serious contender for the presidency and, ultimately, to win: Yes we can!
I mentioned at the beginning of my remarks that, when failure comes, you must be prepared to reach down into your reservoir of gifts: to your natural talents and abilities and to the love and support and education that you have received. I’d like to conclude by speaking a bit more on the value and importance of education.
Clearly the value of education is appreciated by all here in this room tonight. I understand that it is the centerpiece, the guiding principle, of the AlphaMax experience. Once again to quote the artist D.A. Schreiber, my inspiration and my mother who passed away just before I assumed my Ambassadorship in 2006, “your education is the one thing that no-one can ever take away from you.”
“The object of education,” said Robert Maynard Hutchins, “is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives. My idea of education is to unsettle the minds of the young and to inflame their intellects.”
And so, to the AlphaMax class of 2009: go out into the world with your minds unsettled and your intellects inflamed. I hope that you succeed in whatever you undertake but, if at first you do not succeed, then do try, try again. Be prepared for failure, secure in the knowledge that you, the stars of 2009, just like the 44th President of the United States of America, have the gifts and the ability to rise above any failure and, ultimately, to succeed.
Thank you very much for this opportunity to speak to you this evening. I wish you all good luck, and godspeed.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Ros Washington's Remarks to 2009 AlphaMax Graduating Class
A Tribute for Graduation Day, 26 June 2008
From Ros Washington, Senior Academic Manager, ACT Education Solutions.
I truly regret being unable to be with you today on this very auspicious occasion –the graduation of the second group of Global Assessment Certificate students from the AlphaMax Academy.
I really do feel most fortunate and privileged to have been able to meet you all, because even though my time with you in Suriname was brief in February this year, I feel that I do know each and every one of you! I can picture where you have struggled over your study! I observed your dedication to the program; I saw your growth every time you listened to the wisdom of your teachers; I saw your thirst for knowledge in every question you asked and felt the depth of your ambitions for the future.
Now that I have read all of your many assignments and looked at your PowerPoint presentations, I also know where your interests lie by the topics you chose to study. When I was reading your many, many assessments I could picture you and hear your written ‘voices” in the opinions you gave. I have observed – albeit from afar - your improvement bit by bit from Level 1, through level 2, and then the level 3 assignments, and I see that you have all grown into thinking and mature adults.
I felt proud of you when I met you and even prouder now that you have completed the GAC with such good grades – as you promised me you would! You can start the next stage of life with the confidence that the skills and strategies you have learnt in the GAC have indeed prepared you to succeed well in your chosen university course.
For this, of course, you must give great thanks to your wonderful teachers – and in particular Milton but also of course Sean, Emile,Hortense,Renuskaand Atma all of whom have nurtured you with love and dedication.
Can I leave you with a couple of thoughts on this day for the future? Thoughts which I think are so important to remember as you travel through life.
First from, a well known American scholar, Lou Holtz, who said:
Ability is what you’re capable of doing
Motivation determines what you do
Attitude determines how well you do it
And second from a prolific American author Dr Zeuss – best known for his children’s books which I know you will have read at sometime. He said:
“You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
In any direction you choose.
You are on your own now.
YOU are the person
who’ll decide where to go.”
Make decisions wisely but be prepared to take risks.
Do everything to the very best of your ability and with enthusiasm.
Always have a positive and caring attitude to others as well as for yourself. And NEVER lose faith in yourself and what you can do!
And remember that a true test of a person’s worth lies in how much a person gives to the society rather than how much they gain.
Good luck and congratulations to you all! You have made me very proud of you as you have ALL of the staff and Alpha max!
Congratulations also from Gaye Pullyn, the General Manager of ACT Education Solutions and all the staff at ACT.
Ros Washington
From Ros Washington, Senior Academic Manager, ACT Education Solutions.
I truly regret being unable to be with you today on this very auspicious occasion –the graduation of the second group of Global Assessment Certificate students from the AlphaMax Academy.
I really do feel most fortunate and privileged to have been able to meet you all, because even though my time with you in Suriname was brief in February this year, I feel that I do know each and every one of you! I can picture where you have struggled over your study! I observed your dedication to the program; I saw your growth every time you listened to the wisdom of your teachers; I saw your thirst for knowledge in every question you asked and felt the depth of your ambitions for the future.
Now that I have read all of your many assignments and looked at your PowerPoint presentations, I also know where your interests lie by the topics you chose to study. When I was reading your many, many assessments I could picture you and hear your written ‘voices” in the opinions you gave. I have observed – albeit from afar - your improvement bit by bit from Level 1, through level 2, and then the level 3 assignments, and I see that you have all grown into thinking and mature adults.
I felt proud of you when I met you and even prouder now that you have completed the GAC with such good grades – as you promised me you would! You can start the next stage of life with the confidence that the skills and strategies you have learnt in the GAC have indeed prepared you to succeed well in your chosen university course.
For this, of course, you must give great thanks to your wonderful teachers – and in particular Milton but also of course Sean, Emile,Hortense,Renuskaand Atma all of whom have nurtured you with love and dedication.
Can I leave you with a couple of thoughts on this day for the future? Thoughts which I think are so important to remember as you travel through life.
First from, a well known American scholar, Lou Holtz, who said:
Ability is what you’re capable of doing
Motivation determines what you do
Attitude determines how well you do it
And second from a prolific American author Dr Zeuss – best known for his children’s books which I know you will have read at sometime. He said:
“You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
In any direction you choose.
You are on your own now.
YOU are the person
who’ll decide where to go.”
Make decisions wisely but be prepared to take risks.
Do everything to the very best of your ability and with enthusiasm.
Always have a positive and caring attitude to others as well as for yourself. And NEVER lose faith in yourself and what you can do!
And remember that a true test of a person’s worth lies in how much a person gives to the society rather than how much they gain.
Good luck and congratulations to you all! You have made me very proud of you as you have ALL of the staff and Alpha max!
Congratulations also from Gaye Pullyn, the General Manager of ACT Education Solutions and all the staff at ACT.
Ros Washington
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Surviving The Ordeal
Surviving The Ordeal-A Collection of Creative Essays by AlphaMax Students:Gabriëlle Goedhart, Vijoya Taylor, Shoghi Mantri, Sun Woo Kim,Marciano Proeve, Seon Gomes and Zikomo Mhango will be launched after Graduation on Tuesday 23rd March at 8.00p.m.At the same time the school will be launching the DVD " A portrait of Hope and Peace".
The essays were edited by Academy Director Sean F. Taylor. There is an an Introduction by Milton Drepaul, Senior Humanities History and Literature teacher.
The collection of essays is produced by LilyStrand Publishers for AlphaMax Foundation. There are illustrations by Ruben Karsters ( the cover) and Almond A. Carr ( the back cover).
Two excerpts of poems from the book "Msiba, My Love" by Ivan Khayiat are featured. Photos for the book were done by Paul San A Jang and Rudi Moeridjan (Intersnap).Chad Abdoellah did the graphic design. Quick O print did the printing
The essays were edited by Academy Director Sean F. Taylor. There is an an Introduction by Milton Drepaul, Senior Humanities History and Literature teacher.
The collection of essays is produced by LilyStrand Publishers for AlphaMax Foundation. There are illustrations by Ruben Karsters ( the cover) and Almond A. Carr ( the back cover).
Two excerpts of poems from the book "Msiba, My Love" by Ivan Khayiat are featured. Photos for the book were done by Paul San A Jang and Rudi Moeridjan (Intersnap).Chad Abdoellah did the graphic design. Quick O print did the printing
Monday, June 15, 2009
Alphamax Academy to release DVD --A Portrait of Hope and Peace
Last Christmas the AlphaMax Senior students presented "Great Thoughts, Great Minds, Great Moments in Time". Celebrating over two centuries of great oratorical statements (from the 18th century to the contemporary), this program included speech excerpts from Patrick Henry, Abraham Lincoln, Chief Seattle, Winston Churchill, John F. Kennedy, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, and President Barack Obama.
Now the Academy is releasing this program as a DVD under the theme, “A Portrait of Hope & Peace.” This DVD presentation features the remarkable skills and talents of AlphaMax Academy scholars who aim to inspire people with a renewed vision of idealism for a peaceful and better world.
The Presenters & Co-Producers are: 18 English-speaking scholars (ages 16-19) who attend the AlphaMax Academy in Paramaribo, Suriname.
Now the Academy is releasing this program as a DVD under the theme, “A Portrait of Hope & Peace.” This DVD presentation features the remarkable skills and talents of AlphaMax Academy scholars who aim to inspire people with a renewed vision of idealism for a peaceful and better world.
The Presenters & Co-Producers are: 18 English-speaking scholars (ages 16-19) who attend the AlphaMax Academy in Paramaribo, Suriname.
Monday, June 8, 2009
US Ambassador to be Guest Speaker at this year's Graduation ceremony
Her Excellency Lisa Bobbie Schreiber Hughes has kindly consented to be the guest speaker at this year's AlphaMax Academy graduation ceremony to be held on Tuesday June 23rd at the Torarica Hotel Ballroom.
Ms. Schreiber Hughes is the 12th American diplomat and the 3rd female to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Suriname. She is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service and daughter of the American painter, D.A. Schreiber.
Ms. Schreiber Hughes is the 12th American diplomat and the 3rd female to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Suriname. She is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service and daughter of the American painter, D.A. Schreiber.
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