A Tribute for Graduation Day-Kaye Dunn ACT Education Solutions Ltd.

A Tribute for Graduation Day, 29th June 2015

From Kaye Dunn Senior Academic Manager (Global) ACT Education Solutions, Ltd.

I would dearly love to be with you today on this wonderful occasion –your graduation from the Global Assessment Certificate (GAC)! This year’s cohort has worked hard with their teachers to develop the skills that will help them to succeed in their future studies, career and life.

Michelle Chow GAC Graduate and Valedictorian

Although I have never met you, I do feel that I know each of you very well and have in many ways been on the GAC journey with you. I have observed your academic and personal development from afar throughout this academic year. I have read all of the assessments that come into our shared Dropbox folder and watched with great pleasure your role plays, oral presentations and seminars. Now I do have to admit one guilty pleasure – I always look forward to moderating assessments from AlphaMax Academy as they always demonstrate confidence and a willingness to examine complex and difficult issues. This can only come from a supportive educational environment that encourages all those involved to push the envelope. Through your written and spoken work I have been privileged to be participant – in a small way – in preparing you for a life in a new and changing world. I am confident that you will all make great contributions in the coming years. It has also been a great pleasure to continue learning about Suriname and I look forward to visiting in person!

I would also like to applaud you because now you are part of a large global family of high-achievers who can proudly claim, “I survived the GAC!” and as you know from experience, this is a well-earned achievement and not for the faint at heart! I am sure that there were times you thought you would never get to this day! You have worked your way through the sometimes seemingly endless expectations of the GAC and are now ready for the next stage of your life. You can be sure that all the academic and social skills that you have developed over the course of this academic year in the GAC have prepared you for a successful future in whatever course you choose to follow. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said; “The things taught in schools and colleges are not an education, but the means of education.” It is my hope that GAC has provided you with the building blocks that will foster your ongoing growth and development as you move through life’s journey.

As you embark on this new journey I would ask that you keep three things in your mind and heart:

First of all, NEVER lose faith in yourself and what you can do. Follow your heart and your intuition. Let them lead you towards to person you really want to become and help you achieve everything you really want to achieve. Believe in yourself and follow your heart! As Steve Jobs once said: Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice, heart, and intuition

Secondly, don’t ever compromise your basic values – do only what you truly believe 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, your community, your school and your teachers. Define your values – commit to your values. As Time Cook, CEO of Apple said: “Your values matter. They are your North Star. You don’t have to choose between doing good and doing well. It’s a false choice, today more than ever. Your challenge is to find work that pays the rent, puts food on the table, and lets you do what is right and good and just. Find your North Star. Let it guide you in life and work and in your life’s work.”


And finally please remember to dream! After all, as Mark Twain said, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

And so to each of you in this graduating class of 2015 – Congratulations and Good Luck!

And many congratulations to your wonderful teachers who have guided and nurtured you through this stage of your education with a great deal of care and dedication.

Congratulations and best wishes to all of you!


From Kaye Dunn, Senior Academic Manager(Global) on behalf of Ros Washington, the Academic Director and all the staff of ACT Education Solutions Ltd.

Michelle Chow's Valedictorian sppech -AlphaMax Academy Class of 2015

Dr. Merkus, Chair of the AlphaMax Academy Board of Directors, Fellow distinguished board members, Distinguished Guest Speaker Ambassador Subrashini,Other Distinguished Guests, Academy staff, Parents, family, friends, fellow students it is a great honor to speak on behalf of the class of 2015.

First and for most I would like thank God for giving me the opportunity to stand here tonight!

Michelle Chow

For the last two months, we have been counting down to this day. Now we are finally here feeling both excited and nervous. We are finally at the end of this stage of our lives. We are ready for the next stage.

There are times where I think that I was destined to come and study at the academy. It was my mother who convinced me to come to this school. In my first days I felt unsure of my English speaking and writing skills. I was not a fluent speaker. I had to work on my grammar and writing every day in school. It was difficult and not exciting.

Last year I was invited to enter the GAC class, but I personally I did not feel up to the task. Both Mr. Taylor and Mr. Drepaul, however, convinced me that I would do well on the GAC course. And here I am today, valedictorian, speaking on behalf of the GAC class and the Graduating class of 2015. The GAC course has made me and my group confident to face the next level of academic work and to face society and its challenges.

Today I would like to thank all our teachers, parents and family members for supporting and believing in us. To all the teachers who watched and helped us grow, I know we all have caused lots of headaches and maybe even heartaches. I want to thank you all for not giving up on us and for continuing to believe in us.

Michelle Chow 

Mr. Drepaul who is the head of the GAC class did not only teach us but he did also guided and prepared us for our further studies. He likes to sit and talk about life for hours. Many of us were not thrilled by these talks.

There were many times where we did not want to hand in our assignments just because we were lazy. But Mr.Drepaul still stayed with us, so thank you Mr. Drepaul for all your patience and for everything you have done for us. You were always there for us! Thank you!

Mr. Taylor, I really do not know where to start with you! The first year when I came here I was so scared of you. I don’t even know why! When I am at school I think about Mr. Taylor, when I do homework and assignments I think about Mr. Taylor, even at night when I sleep I dream about Mr. Taylor! His name, his voice is engraved in my head.

It is really hard to express my thoughts when it comes to Mr. Taylor! But, after getting to know him better, I realized that he could also as sweet as chocolate! So right now, I am not scared of Mr. Taylor anymore! And guess what, he is my favorite teacher now! He taught us all the important aspects of life. He tried to prepare us for our upcoming battles in college. I’m pretty sure most of the parents know that Mr. Taylor likes to teach overtime. But please understand that it is because he just wants to teach us as much as he can!

So Mr. Taylor, on behalf of the class of 2015 I would like to thank you for your time, effort, and love. You are not only a great principal but also a great teacher!

 Class of 2015, we had a great year! There were bad times and there were good times! We struggled together and we were always there to support each other! Good or bad, I will never forget the experience and memories I’ve had with all of you. Now that we have come to an end we will all have go our own way. It will be difficult for all of us to reunite again after this separation but our memories with each other will stay forever! I am really happy and I really appreciate getting to know each one of you! I love you all and I will really miss you guys! I wish you all the best after this!

Once again, the class of 2015 wants to thank all our teachers and family members! We thank all who have made this wonderful evening possible. We sincerely thank you all from the bottom of our heart!

The GAC program at AlphaMax Academy

My name is Chayenne Crystal Flohr.  I am one of the members of the 2015 AlphaMax Academy graduating class. This year was my 3rd year at AlphaMax. During this year, I got the opportunity to participate in the Global Assessment Certificate (GAC) program which is a preparation program for college and university. I am thankful, blessed, and have no regrets  taking this great opportunity.

Chayenne Flohr

The Global Assessment Certificate program prepares each student for college and university. It provides students from mostly non-English-speaking backgrounds with the knowledge and skills to prepare them for tertiary education. The GAC is accredited in Australia by ACT Education Solutions Ltd. 

All our  the tests and assignments were moderated there. For all subjects assignments and tests need to be done. Then, the tests and assignments will be corrected by a teacher, and then sent to Australia for moderation.

The GAC consists of three levels. Level 1 has six subjects – Academic English 1, Mathematics, Computing, Study Skills, Communication Skills. Level 2 has Academic English, Mathematics, Science, Computing, Business and Social Science.

Students are allowed to choose whether they want to do Social Science or Mathematics in level 2 and Level 3.
Lever 3 has Academic English, Business, Mathematics, Science, Social Science, and Computing.

The GAC class of 2014-2015
This year, eight students have participated in the GAC course of 2015 – Michelle Chow, Angelique Doorson, Chayenne Flohr, Jamiel Habieb, Joy Jones, Daniel Kolf, Alain Soekhlal & Tianshu Zhang. During this last year, the eight of us became so close with each other. We became one big team, including our instructor, Mr. Milton Drepaul, and our other teachers like Mr. Leroy Marshall, Mr. Emile Krak, Mrs. Sharon Hoppie and Mr. Sean Taylor.

GAC 2015 AlphaMax Academy

In order to complete this course, we needed to do several  tests and assignments for each level. The assignments consisted of PowerPoint presentations, research papers and reports. For a science research report, we went on an environmental field trip to the Anton De Kom University of Suriname. To complete the other assignments, we needed to do a lot of research online.

I think, at some point, we underestimated this course. The reason why is that we thought it was not difficult. It was a lot of work, because a lot of research was needed to do the reports. A research process does not last an hour, but several days or even weeks. This was the point where most of us struggled a lot. One problem we all had was procrastination.

I want to advise all the future GAC students to take this course seriously. Don’t put things off. For example, if you have got an assignment to do belief start today. Don’t start a day before the due day. Stay dedicated, focused and positive. There is a time for fun, and a time for seriousness. If it is time to be serious, be serious! Be open-minded, and do not fear to learn. You all can do it. Have belief in yourself and your actions. Don’t look at others, but start by yourself. You all are the leaders of tomorrow!
Chayenne Flohr--Alphamax Academy and GAC 2015 Graduate.

My good friend and fellow GAC student Alain Soekhlal

Alain Soekhlal  is one of 2015 graduates from the AlphaMax Academy.  He will be reciving both the AlphaMax Advanced Diploma and the Global Assessment Certificate from ACT Education Solutions in Australia. 

Alain is a good student. He was` ranked second in our GAC class group. He is also a good friend. Alain is like a brother to me;we have known each other for over four years now. 

During our last school year here at the AlphaMaxAcademy we did the very testing GAC course to prepare ourselves for university academic work.We studied together and we did most of our homework together. This is also a reason why we became so close to each other. Alain's first big dream is to become a great Architect. His second  dream is to become a famous Equestrian.

Alain is now going to study at the SCAD University (Savannah Collage of Art and Design). This is a University in Georgia where he is going to study to become an Architect  Alain is looking forward to studyinging in the United States and he feels  his dreams will come true there.

Alain is now a member of Club Neuteraal. Club Neuteraal is club in Suriname where Equestrians can come and practice horse riding. Thy also compete in competitions in Suriname and also out of Suriname. Alain went to different countries to represent Suriname at horse jumping compositions.

Alain & I on our GAC Science Field Trip

   

Alain on Dakota-one of his horses

Even though we are both going to study in different places, we will still remain brothers. Our last year here at the AlphaMax Academy taught us that friendship is very important. Good friends are always there for each other and that is what Alain and I have. During our GAC course we were always supporting each other and pushing each other to do our best.

Friends who will push you to your limit are the ones you should keep!

Jamiel Habieb-AlphaMax and GAC 2015 Graduate.

My Journey to a place at SCAD

My name is Alain Soekhlal, I am 18 year of age, and I am a recent graduate from the AlphaMax Academy.  My dream is to become a famous architect, and I hope that Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) can lead me there.

Alain with Jamiel

Two years ago, I visited SCAD in Georgia, and I was fascinated with the school.  I immediately knew that this was the place I wanted to be.  The school is filled with people from all across the globe. In addition, it is a very quiet place.

SCAD

At the time I was there, I gathered all the information I needed to know about how to apply, the various costs - housing fees, and meal plans.  A year ago, I started to apply online.  There were a number of different fields that were required for acceptance.  I needed a certain amount of money that would support me throughout the course years, I needed a score of 6.5 or higher in the IELTS test, and I needed to fill out a series of different sheets with my information about myself.

Approximately two months ago, I did the IELTS test, and got a score of 7.  I immediately sent my scores to the admissions office where Mrs. Ana Velez was responsible for my work.  I frequently emailed her with different questions and her requests for information.  After I sent my scores, Mrs. Velez had them checked.

 On May 19, 2015, I received an email from Mrs. Velez stating that I was accepted to SCAD.  I was overwhelmed with joy.  I was now another step closer to my dreams.  I then waited a few days for my i20 to arrive.  The i20 is a form that the school sends for the students to take to the American embassy when applying for a student visa.

 After I received the files, I had to report to the American embassy to request a student visa.  My request was approved.  On August 24, 2015, I will go to SCAD in Georgia and start my journey of becoming a well known Architect.

Alain Soekhlal – GAC and AlphaMax Academy 2015 graduate

Chinese New Year in Suriname

Chinese New Year is the most important time of the year for all Chinese around the world. In Suriname this is no exception.  Each year three Chinese associations, Kong Ngie Tong Sang, Chung Fa Foei Kong and Fa Tjauw Foei Song, usually organize their own Chinese New Year celebration.  2015 was the first year where all three associations gathered and celebrated this special day together.

Hongbao

There are some traditions that Chinese cultures observe during New Year.  The red envelope, also known as Hongbao, is money wrapped in red paper given to kids from their parents, grandparents and others as New Year gifts.

 A Red envelope is used because the color red symbols energy, happiness and good luck.  Sending red packets is a channel for sending good wishes and luck.  The significant thing is the red envelope and not the money inside it. In Chinese tradition it is impolite to open the envelope in front of the giver.

The dragon dance is another tradition that Chinese observe during New Year.  This dance is done to scare away evil spirits.  The Chinese culture thinks of dragons as helpful, friendly creatures which are linked to good luck, long life and wisdom.  Chinese Dragons are associated with storm clouds and life-giving rain.  So, they have special powers to fly in the air, swim in the sea and walk on land.

Dragon Dance

This celebration lasts a few days and it is an important time for families to meet and have delicious meals together. Our celebration in Suriname links us to Chinese across the world.  It is also an important way in which we let the other ethnic groups in Suriname society know about our culture. We try to attract all the energies needed for success at Chinese New Year.

                               ----- Michelle Chow & Tianshu Zhang
                From the AlphaMax Academy GAC Class 2015

AlphaMax mentioned in GAC Newsletter

AlphaMax Academy was mentioned in GAC's newsletter to its 150 Pathway Universities across the world.

The item is reproduced below.

AlphaMax GAC graduate achieves a first for Suriname: A perfect GAC GPA of 4.0

June 28, 2014: Dux of AlphaMax Academy, Reann Kersenhout, has achieved a GAC GPA of 4.0 and the honour of being the first GAC student in Suriname to gain a perfect score. According to Sean Taylor, Principal of AlphaMax Academy, Reann’s achievements are not only academic.

Reann -Graduation 2014

“We are proud of Reann. … On Republic Day in February, she presented a gift from the school to the National Memorial collection and gave an inspiring speech on the occasion of Suriname’s memorial to Nelson Mandela,” he said.

Reann and most of her fellow GAC graduates are planning to take a gap year and start university in September 2015.

Reann playing the steel pan with Pan Master Kenton Wyatt

Note: One member of Reann's class Michael Grauwde is at the University of West Virginia joining his brother Gabriel, another GAC graduate from AlphaMAx Academy. Gabriel is in his third year at University.

The Value of an Hour by John Assaraf- AlphaMax's Message for 16th Day of Christmas.

For the last seven years I have given the following essay by John Assaraf to my  GAC students so that they can reflect on the value of time and how they use it.
As we head to the end of the year and we think about what we have achieved I think it is  useful to read this.
This is our post for the 16th Day of Christmas.
Milton Drepaul
AlphaMax Academy

Selina from Nativity Play 2013

When I was 21 years-old, a gentleman asked me what I thought the value of an hour was. I honestly did not know how to answer the question. He went on to teach me one of the most valuable lessons I have ever learned.

He suggested that the value of an hour was priceless. This confused me some, so this is what he said to me.

“If you invest one hour each day in understanding yourself and your environment better, you will accumulate nine 40-hour weeks over the course of a year!”

Yikes! As you can imagine I was blown away when he put it to me that way.

Nine 40-hour weeks? This seemed impossible until I did the math. 365 days, times one hour each is…yup, nine 40-hour weeks!

He went on to ask me how good I could get at something if I did it all day, every day for just over 2 months. Well, you already know the answer to that.

I thought I could be awesome!

He went on to tell me that over the course of just five years, I would have invested the equivalent of 1,825 hours of focus on whatever I desired to accomplish my life.

Imagine for a minute, how good you can become at anything that you did one hour a day for the next year. How fit could you get? How much more in love would you get and give? How much more money could you earn?

Let me suggest that one hour is a small price to pay in comparison to the payoff. Just one hour a day may be the razor’s edge you need to really get the results you want in your life.

For me, the decision was easy. I have been studying human potential and the mind for over 20 years. Each time I think I’m getting a good handle on it, I am gently reminded of how much there is to observe and learn.

Is getting what you want worth an hour a day? I certainly hope so.

I still manage to set aside my hour to read motivational stories or listen to inspirational people. They are the fuel for my mind and it keeps me learning and yearning for more.

Please adopt an hour a day for yourself! Pick one area of your life that you want to improve and commit the next 90 days to that one thing.

I assure you that the results you achieve will be well worth the decision! And remember…you can’t take out of life more than you put in.

John

Reann Kersenhout achieves perfect GPA score for GAC 2014

The GAC team in Australia has congratulated Reann Kersenhout on achieving a perfect GPA of 4.0 from her GAC work this year.

To acknowledge her work Reaan will receive two awards.

Reann speaking at Mandela Memorial

One is a certificate of Achievement from Ros Washington , Head of GAC and her AES academic team. The second is a cash award from the General Manager , Gaye Pullyn.

The AlphaMax community is proud of Reann's achievements.

Excellent Professional Tagore Performance

AlphaMax Academy students put on an excellent, professional performance last night in the Tagore celebration of Gitanjali.

Eight dancers trained by Mrs.Kawita Thani thrilled the audience with their skill and stage finesse. Surinamers were proud that students from all the major Suriname communities could master the cultural dance from another country.

Reann Kersenhout -GAC 2014 class as well as AlphaMax 2014 graduating class joined Randy Esajas also a 2014 graduate and Daniel Kolf to give intensely focused powerful dramatic presentations of Tagore ' s poetry that left many marveling at the acting skills of Suriname ' s young people in English.

Parents were impressed that the school's director, dance/drama tutor and five other members of staff were fully involved with the production and either performed or worked alongside the student team.

The three ambassadors and other distinguished guests asked the school to convey their congratulations on a thoroughly professional performance.
Members of the audience also praised the smooth, flawless collaboration between AlphaMax, the Indian Cultural Center and Carinlangs.

AlphaMax Academy has Tagore bust garlanding ceremony

In a simple but elegant short ceremony distinguished guests including Indian Ambassador to Suriname Mrs. M Subashini garlanded the bust of Rabindranath Tagore in the courtyard of AlphaMax Academy in Paramaribo, Suriname on Tagore’s birth anniversary –the 7th May.

Rabindranath Tagore is India’s best-known writer and artist. He is the first non-European winner of the Nobel Prize and is the only known person to have written the national anthems for two different countries.

Rabindranath Tagore has had a profound influence on India’s philosophy and educational thought. He founded the influential Visva-Bharati University.
In the early twentieth century when travel was not easy he visited many countries lecturing on his ideas for a national education based on the lives of the people living in that nation. In his book The Discovery of India, Jawaharlal Nehru wrote, "He (Tagore) has been India's internationalist par excellence, believing and working for international co-operation, taking India's message to other countries and bringing their message to his own people."

India has commemorated his spreading of India’s ideas to many countries by assisting in the setting up of statues and busts in more than 20 countries.
Suriname was honored to be one of a dozen countries that received busts of Tagore on the 150th anniversary of his birth in 2011. AlphaMax Academy was selected as the place in Suriname where the bust was placed because of the Academy’s commitment to Tagore’s ideals. Several time a month Tagore’s poem “ Where the Head is Held High” from his Nobel Prize collection “ Gitanjali” is recited by the school’s community at their morning assembly.

The ceremony began with the singing of the national anthems of Suriname and India. Devesh Chaturdevi Indian Cultural Center musician then sang an enchanting Tagore song in Bengali. The audience warmly applauded his sincere rendition.

The Indian Ambassador, the head of the Indian Cultural Center, the first secreatary of the Indian Embassy , ICC staff and other senior members of the AlphaMax Community then garlanded the bust. The AlphaMax staff and students then recited Tagore’s “ Where the Head is Held High.”

Mr. Sean Taylor made a short speech in which he said that Tagore not only belonged to India but to countries like Suriname which cherished his ideals.
This part of the ceremony ended with brief remarks by the Indian Ambassador who expressed her deep appreciation of AlphaMax Academy’s commitment to Tagore’s ideals.

The audience then went to the school’s major auditorium for a short presentation. This consisted of a harvest dance “ Pous Utsav” by seven female AlphaMax students. Mrs. Kawita Thani of AlphaMax and Carinlangs choreographed this dance item.

Three members of the school’s drama group—members of the class of 2014 Reann Kersenhout (also member of the 2014 GAC class), Randy Esajas and Senior student Daniel Kolf did dramatic renditions of three poems from Gitanjali.

The audience applauded both the dance and the readings. The dance created a happy successful mood and the intense charged presentations of the poems stirred the audience with the emotional power of Tagore’s work

Tagore Ideals on Education

The curriculum at AlphaMax Academy is strongly influenced by the ideals of India's celebrated poet and artist Rabindranath Tagore.

Tagore Bust in the courtyard at AlphaMax Academy

From its inception in September 1998, teachers and students of the Academy have recited, often daily, those memorable words which first appeared in Tagore’s world-famous and respected collection of poetry, "Gitanjali."

            

"Where the mind is without fear and head is held high           

 Where knowledge is free             

 Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls         

 Where words come out from the depth of truth              

 Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection               

 Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary dead sand of dead habit              

 Where the mind is led forward by Thee into ever-widening thought and action      

 Into that heaven of free, my dear beloved God, let us all awake”.

First Lady of Suriname speaking at the  unveiling of Tagore monument

On June 4th 2011 Suriname’s First Lady Ingrid Bouterse Waldring unveiled the Tagore monument, a sculpted bronze figure of Tagore, which has a plaque that bears this inspiring prayer.This monument, a gift from India to Suriname, is one of several worldwide. AlphaMax Academy is proud to be the custodian of Tagore's bust for the people of Suriname.

In 1918, Tagore founded Visva Bharati University – an international center of Culture and Humanistic Studies.

Tagore considered the lack of education to be the main obstacle in the way of national progress and at the root of all its problems. He thought that the basic objectives of any worthwhile national education system were to promote, creativity, freedom, joy, and an awareness of a country’s cultural heritage.

Therefore he worked assiduously towards developing an appropriate system of national education. He felt that each nation was different and this fact should be reflected in its system of education.

Some of his salient thoughts on this topic were:
“In every nation, education [should be] intimately associated with the life of the people.”

“Let the students gather knowledge and materials from different regions of the country, from direct sources and from their own independent efforts.”

“We must try to understand how [our native] genius express[es] itself… Unless we try to put these together and discover the integrating factors behind these diverse streams of thought and make them a subject of study at our universities, we would only be borrowing knowledge from abroad. The natural habitat for knowledge is where it is produced. The main task of universities is to produce knowledge, its dissemination is its secondary function. We must invite those intellectuals and scholars to our universities who are engaged in research, invention or creative activity.”

To help foster and enrich the holistic formation of its young scholars, from its inception, the Academy has devoted four of its five school days to left-brain academic and ratiocinative development and activities, and one full school day to right-brain creative endeavors.

An unswerving resilient insistence on the latter is vintage Tagore, who like his Occidental contemporaries, Rudolf Steiner and Maria Montessori deplored lop or one-sided child/human development at the expense of a willful fostering and guidance of creative gifts and skills.  Indeed it is through the latter that the inner ‘child’ is nurtured and brought to a ripe maturity.

To illustrate how important contact with nature was to the life of the educator and poet, during one of his many travels to lecture in the West, Tagore wrote:

“I wish I could be released from this mission.  For such missions are like a  mist that envelops our souls – they seem to shut us off from the direct touch of God’s world…  The springtime has come – the sky is over-flowing  with sunshine.  I long to be one with the birds, and trees and the green  earth.  The call comes to me from the air to sing, but, wretched creature  that I am, I lecture – and by doing it I ostracize myself from this great world of songs to which I was born.”

New York, March 18th, 1921.

On Mat 7th 2014 there will be a garlanding of Tagore's Bust at AlphaMax Academy.

Michael Grauwde off to Aruba to swim for Suriname

Michael Grauwde ,AlphaMax Academy Senior and member of the GAC 2014 class is taking part in the 29thCARIFTASwimming championships in Aruba from the 22 to the 26^th April. 

Michael is expected to take part in the backstroke events in the 15-17 year division. Mrs. Joan Grauwde, Michael’s mother and senior teacher at AlphaMax Academy is accompanying the team as a Surinamese swimming official. The meet will feature swimming, synchronized swimming and open water swimming.

Michael Grauwde Suriname Swimmer

The venue for the swimming and synchronized swimming will be the PISCINA OLIMPICO (Roly Bisslik”) in Savaneta_

The meet is the approved qualifier in swimming the Second Youth Olympic games and CAC 2014. The Youth Olympic Games will be held in Nanking ,China from August 16- 28 this year. The 22nd Central American and Caribbean Games will be held from Nov.14-30 in Vera Cruz,Mexico.

 The open water venue is the Mangel Halto Beach. There will be heats and finals from Tuesday to Friday in the Olympic Pool. On Saturday the open water event will be held before the closing ceremony.

Twenty-two swimming federations have been invited to participate. (Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba. Bahamas. Barbados. Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Curacao, Dominica, French Guyana, Guyana, Jamaica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, Nevis, Anguilla, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos Islands. British Virgin Islands, US Virgin Islands).

The Competition will be conducted in accordance with FINA Rules 2013-2017 in force at the start of the competition.

 Swimming Competitors will compete in the following age groups: Female & Male 11-12, 13-14 15-17. Synchronized Swimming Competitors will compete in Female 12 & Under, 13-15 and 16-18. Open Water Swimming will be for  Males and Females aged 13-14 and 15 to 17.

 Last year at the CARIFTA Games held in Jamaica ,Suriname  50m record holder Renzo Tjon A Joe won the 50m Gold medal in a time  of 23.44. Suriname came 8^th in the final ranking with 350.50 points. Guadeloupe topped with 742.  

Final CARIFTA points rankings: for the top ten teams were:

1. Guadeloupe – 742
2. Trinidad and Tobago – 698
3. Aruba – 659
4. Jamaica – 584
5. Bahamas – 507
6. Barbados – 485
7. Martinique – 353
8. Suriname – 350.50
9. Netherlands Antilles – 151
10. Cayman Islands – 107

The ACT

The ACT® test is America’s most widely accepted college entrance exam. It covers four skill areas - English, mathematics, reading and science. An optional writing test includes planning and writing an essay.

ACT test preparation is included in the GAC to familiarize you with the content and format of this test and allow you to prepare for this exam. Your ACT score is an internationally recognized benchmark of academic achievement that is recognized by ALL U.S. universities.

There are 5 international dates per year when the test is held. The test is held on the same dates, wherever it is held. It is not possible to sit the ACT on dates other than these 5 dates. Choose the test date that is best for you.

• Test Date	Registration Deadline
  September 21, 2013 (new)	August 23, 2013
  October 26, 2013	September 27, 2013
  December 14, 2013	November 8, 2013
  April 12, 2014	March 7, 2014
  June 14, 2014	May 9, 2014

Registration instructions

All students testing outside the United States, U.S. territories, Puerto Rico, or Canada must register on the Web. You must establish a free ACT Web account in order to register. After providing the information requested to create the account, click the "Register to Test" link and follow the instructions on the Web screens to complete your registration. Payment must be made by valid credit card.

AlphaMax Academy is a registered ACT test center in Suriname.

Visit the ACT student site where you can register for the test, view your scores, send your scores to a university, and download free test questions and other information about the test.

What is most important in applying for university: GAC GPA, ACT scores or IELTS / TOEFL scores?

Universities have two entry requirements. One is for academic results (GAC GPA, high school and ACT scores) and the other is for English level (IELTS or TOEFL, ACT English score or GAC English modules score). Both entry requirements must be met. However, if your academic results are high enough but your English level is a little low, many universities will offer you a conditional enrollment. This means that you are accepted into their course but must first complete an extra English course.