Parenting with Values

On the 10th and 11th of January, 2009, teachers and parents of the Alpha Max Academy participated in a workshop hosted by the Academy, entitled “Parenting with Values”. It was conducted by Miss Meenakshi Gupta, who holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in education from universities in New Delhi, India. For the past 21 years, Ms Gupta, who is now closely associated with the Brahma Kumaris University in India, has presented numerous seminars on developing leadership skills, self-management, and life-related topics, in many countries - including India, Qatar and Jamaica.

The "Parenting with Values" Workshop-Seminar was held at Ons Erf, located in the Prins Hendrikstraat. The activities covered topics such as stress-free living, effective parent-child relationships, and active listening, among others.

Marciano Proeve

Coping With Change: Seminar for AlphaMax Students

Our GAC group, together with four senior students from the AlphaMax Academy, attended a seminar conducted by Miss Meenakshi Gupta of The Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University. Miss Gupta is an experienced seminar presenter from India with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in education. She came here to give us some information on how to cope with changes. This seminar was held on Thursday, 8 January, and Friday, 9 January at the AlphaMax Academy from 5.30 pm to 7.30 pm.

On the first day, Ms. Gupta talked about how to deal with changes, why people resist changes and the four levels of change. Dealing with change is not easy for everyone. Some worry about the reaction of others, afraid that they will not like the way they have changed. She focused our thoughts with this quote, “A shift in attitude triggers a shift in one’s behavior. Behavior is guided by thoughts and our thoughts are guided by our behavior system”. To illustrate this point she made us participate in an activity called, “The Change Game”.

On our second day, Ms. Gupta dealt with  leadership attitude. She presented a chart that showed how these attitudes develop. She explained that there are eight aspects of leadership attitude. These are listening, availability, acceptance, flexibility, discerning, judging, responsibility and team spirit. She explained each one them with real life anecdotes. She, then, drew a pie chart and divided it into eight sections, each housing one of the points. With this, she showed us how they intertwine and relate to each other.

After that, she showed us which power you have when you are able to do all the eight leadership attitudes. With listening you have, the ability to withdraw; with availability, the ability to back-up; with acceptance, tolerance; with flexibility, accommodation; with discerning, discrimination; with judge, decision making; with responsibility, the ability to face situations; and with team spirit, co-operation.

We are very glad Ms. Gupta came and gave us this seminar. She opened our eyes to perceive things we have not noticed before, but were already there. One important thing that I learned was that we must not ridicule people if they are trying to change. This is usually why they are afraid to change. Instead, give them that boost of confidence that will help their transformation run smoothly. If, however, our friends have bad habits, we should tell them honestly, but in a way that is not hurtful.

Nicole Tjon-Kie Sim GAC 2008- 2009 group AlphaMax Academy

Leadership Seminar for Senior Students

On January 8th & 9th, 2009, the six AlphaMax Academy Global Assessment Certificate students along with four Academy high school seniors, attended a self-managing leadership seminar conducted by Miss Meenakshi Gupta, a professor of education, who studied at New Delhi University, India. The "Self-Managing Leadership" seminar was intended to stimulate the inner-awareness of students, discussing issues such as 'Coping with Change', 'Effective Leadership skills', and 'Skillful Relationships'.

"In my view, much of this course coincided or sparked reflection on matters and issues covered in the Academy's GAC "Independent Learning Skills" course. I learned a lot. It was fascinating."
Also in attendance at the "Self-Managing Leadership" Seminar were GAC instructors, Mr. Milton Drepaul (GAC Coordinator), Mr. Emiel A. Krak (Math Instructor), Hortence Claver-Taylor (Business Instructor), and Academy Principal, Sean F. Taylor (GAC 003 Course Instructor).

Marciano Proeve

Making a Difference - Three Thousand Miles South

Sixteen-year old Yehudah Webster is the kind of kid that were he to don a Mets baseball cap backward, you'd walk straight past him on a busy thoroughfare in Manhattan. But engage him in a conversation of mutual interest, his gentle, intelligent eyes and manner would rivet your attention. With his black woolen tresses styled in locks, were he to grab a wooden staff and his favorite 'tallit' (a shawl) in a rural setting, you'd easily mistake him for a sheep or goat herder in the highlands of Abyssinia.


But, since September, this Jewish lad from Newark, New Jersey, has brought renewed faith and vitality - tearful joy at times - to the members of Neve Shalom Synagogue in Suriname, home to the oldest surviving Jewish community in the Americas which dates back to the mid-seventeenth century. In this little window of time, one time-honored Jewish tradition - reading the Torah - almost lost at Neve Shalom has been salvaged and restored.

This year, on the eve of the Jewish high season of festivals, at the behest of Neve Shalom's President, Jules Donk, and Cantor Jack Van Neil, ancient Torah Scrolls were ceremonially removed from the Ark, processed towards the bima, placed on the lecturn, and with the synagogue's 'yad' (a hand-shaped pointer) in hand, young Yehudah began fluently reading from the Book of Deuteronomy in ancient Hebrew. His innocent eyes were alit as his voice thrilled and resounded in the synagogue chanting the eon-aged Hebrew tropes.

"My Hebrew teacher, Cantor Rikki Lippitz from Oheb Shalom Synagogue in South Orange would be proud of her student in Suriname. I think the same goes for Rabbi Mark Cooper," young Yehudah said.

As innocuous as this commonplace event was, it was a milestone in Suriname: This was the first time for the year the ancient Hebrew texts were being read at Neve Shalom. It brought tears to the eyes of Cantor Van Neil who made no attempt to conceal his emotions - twice he wiped his eyes with the fringe of his 'tallit'.

"I've been playing the role of Cantor at Neve Shalom for the past 18 years following in my father's footsteps. And I can tell you a lot of people come to Suriname, but the flame is not burning [in them]. That day when Torah was read, I felt amazing happiness. It was full. I am very sensitive and couldn't help but cry," Cantor Van Neil revealed.

According to Yehudah, "For me, this is a life-shaping experience; definitely unique. It has given me the opportunity to find myself and refocus the faith aspect of my life."

"Three years ago at Oheb Shalom, I had my Bar Mitzvah, and this was the beginning of my journey in finding my self. But like many kids, after a while, one tends to lose the focus. Coming to Suriname has definitely put me back on track. Apart from my studies at school, the key force in this vital process has been my Torah readings on 'shabbat' and festivals at Neve Shalom. It's an honor to be here."

Just prior to and during the high season, on Thursdays, while his fellow students played chess and scrabble, Yehudah would slip away from school - with permission, of course - to go to Neve Shalom to assist with shining the synagogue's centuries-old brass chandeliers.

"I feel extraordinarily blessed with this experience. Just entering Neve Shalom is amazing in itself because here is the oldest Jewish community in the region. It's awesome to be able to serve in this way using a skill they've almost lost, and one which I've studied every week for the past eight (8) years as a Hebrew student of Torah."

Yehudah felt deeply honored on Yom Kippur when he was invited to help Cantor Van Neil and Mr. Donk with the service. "I'll never forget this experience. Everything went beautifully on the high day," he said.

Although he's thousands of miles away from home and synagogue, this young black American teenager with wooly locks is making a big difference with his gift and knowledge of ancient Hebrew.

Looking back, last August, as he bade farewell to scout companions and traveled 3,000 miles south, ostensibly, Yehudah was just seeking quiet space - away from the all-too-familiar teenage distractions - to focus his intellectual forces on college-board examinations. Back then, he thought his semester-long respite from Newark was just a study-stopover at the AlphaMax Academy, a small, private international school in Paramaribo, Suriname. What Yehudah did not anticipate when he boarded Continental Airlines is that his coming to Suriname would tap and stir deep spiritual yearnings by simply singing familiar ancient Hebrew tropes in one of the oldest historic synagogues in the Western hemisphere.



Ivan A Khayiat is a published free-lance journalist and writer. He holds degrees in Mass Communications and English, and resides in Suriname. AlphaMax: http://www.alphamaxacademy.com For information on Neve Shalom and the historically significant Jewish Settlement called 'Jodensavanne' (a United Nations World Heritage Site), please visit:http://www.jodensavanne.sr.org

Shoghi Mantri nominated to represent Alphamax as a member of the International Scholar Laureate Program (ISLP).

One of the 2008-2009 AlphaMax Academy's Global Assessment Certificate (GAC) student-group, Shoghi Mantri, has had the honour of being invited to represent Suriname and the AlphaMax Academy as a member of the International Scholar Laureate Program (ISLP) Delegation on Diplomacy & International Relations. These conferences are scheduled to be held in Australia, Central & Eastern Europe, China or South Africa in the summer of 2009.

The conference will explore the question: How large native communities and serious cultural gaps complicate the struggle of countries to take their place in the world community.

The students and faculty of the AlphaMax are proud that Shoghi has been nominated for this event.

Great Minds Great Thoughts - AlphaMax Christmas Presentation

On December 13th, the AlphaMax Academy held its annual school Christmas concert. The principal of the Academy, Mr. Sean Taylor, decided to embrace the “time for change” slogan and dedicated this year’s performance to some of the world’s greatest and bravest minds who lived. In addition to our usual Christmas items he directed a special presentation which consisted of excerpts from speeches from some of the most famous English speaking orators.

As anticipated, Great Minds,Great Thoughts , Great Moments in Time,was nothing short of spectacular. The theme of the concert was set to capture and personify the feeling of hope and a struggle that is as old as recollection itself. Students at the AlphaMax both young and old participated in what turned out to be an unforgettable experience.

Great Minds,Great Thoughts featured some of history’s most unforgettable representatives of the freedom fighting world: Dr. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Chief Seattle, John F. Kennedy, Winston Churchill, Patrick Henry, Abraham Lincoln, and of course the newly elected United States president Barack Obama.They were perfect candidates for this presentation as they are all well known for their inspirational speeches. Multiple high school pupils were each assigned parts of these icons’ famous speeches to recite, some even having multiple excerpts.

The names and parts are as follows:
Patrick Henry’s Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death - Marciano Proeve & Vijoya Taylor

Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream (excerpt) - Shannon Willemsberg

Martin Luther King’s I Have Seen The Mountaintop (excerpt) - Michelle Partoredjo & Tos Sahtoe

Sir Winston Churchill’s We Shall Fight On The Beaches (excerpt) - Michelle Partoredjo & Stephan Playfair

John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Speech - Gabrielle Goedhart

Malcolm X’s The Ballot or the Bullet (excerpt) - Yehudah Webster & Jess Ligeon

Barack Obama’s Yes We Can- Victory Speech (excerpt) - Seon Gomes, Marciano Proeve & Yehudah Webster

Chief Seattle’s ‘ Unnamed Speech’ (excerpt) - Zikomo Mhango, Jean Kartoredjo & Vincent Hilversum

The rendition was well received by the family and friends who attended that night. According to most in the audience, the participating students were eloquent, their speeches well-learnt, and the inspirational nature of the assigned speeches got them acting the parts of the great men who, long ago made their mark on history in one way or another. Even those who performed enjoyed the experience; they were full of pre-stage jitters, but by the end of the night, they all happily stated that it had been worth it.

However, Great Thoughts, Great Minds was only one aspect of a satisfyingly successful concert. The kindergarten and middle level students did a short skit based on Clemence Moore’s poem Twas The Night Before Christmas - complete with fully dressed Santa Claus! In addition, there were also two musical pieces played by the Academy’s music instructor Mr. Mathurin, Marysa Brandflu, Yamil Kartoredjo, David Chen, and Justin Ho, and a joy-themed dance which Mr. Krak and seven other students participated in.

It was, on the whole, an inspiring, uplifting evening that was enjoyed by viewers and performers alike.

-By Vijoya Taylor ; Seon Gomes

A Short History of TOEFL. at AlphaMax

TOEFL. stands for ‘Test of English as a Foreign Language’ and is a requirement for all non-English speaking students desirous of studying in the United States. The Alpha Max Academy is the only academic institution in Suriname which runs formal preparatory classes for this exam which is conducted by the American Embassy.

For the last 8 years, the Academy has offered preparatory classes twice per year, both to its internal students as well as external students who desire to study in the US.

The Academy is proud of its success achieved over the years where the majority of its students scored well above the average demanded as entry requirements by American institutions.

Last May, however, one Academy student, Vincent Hilversum, exceeded all expectations and scored the highest marks ever recorded in Suriname. (676). This was Vincent’s first attempt at the TOEFL and the Academy congratulates him once again on his success.
(AA)

The 2008 United States Scholar-Athlete Games

The United States Scholar-Athlete Games (USSAG) of 2008 was a profound and unique experience for me.At the very least; it was simply not a happening that one could not enjoy. It was a program designed not only to focus on sportsmanship and fair play, but on leadership, communication, and communication skills. Except for one or two kinks in the program, everything that took place in the seven-day period was well-organized and designed to be everlasting memories.

In addition to meeting countless amazing persons from around the world, I got to get intensive training in Tennis – the sport for which I went. Plus, I got to have influential informative lectures from important speakers. The speakers each spoke on various topics concerning his or her own field ranging from Marianne Tyronne Smith and her role as female activist and writer Vint Cerf on technology and the role he played in the creation of the internet.


Each of the many speakers brought something new to think about for all the scholar-athletes and scholar-artists who came to this event. However, The speakers,however, would not have as much impact if it had not been combined with the sporting activities.

These activities were greatly enhanced by the participation of fellow scholar-athletes and scholar-artists, our patient instructors, and the great volunteer help.
Zikomo M



Note: AlphaMax was represented by three students at this event.
The United States Scholar-Athlete Games held at the University of Rhode Island- June 28 - July 5, 2008 gathered approximately 2,000 scholar-athletes and scholar-artists from all 50 states. The event included sports activities such as basketball, soccer and volleyball, and arts activities such as writing, symphony and choir.

AlphaMax Website is Live!

Our parent website went live at about 12.30 pm today.

Do visit http://www.alphamaxacademy.com and learn more about this little school in a far away country. We are committed to excellence in education and we are proud of what our students and teachers are achieving.

AlphaMax defeats rival CLA 1-0

The first match in the IIC 2008 was the match between AMA and its arch rival CLA.
The game was expected to be exciting and hundreds of eager fans turned up at the SOSIS sports ground for this hotly contested game.
The first half saw CLA dominating. They began very aggressively. Their forwards tested our goal-keeper "Beertje" (Fadiel Sieuwpersaud) but they could still not get past our agile keeper. He made 5 spectacular saves. CLA's defense was also pretty good in the first half.

After the first half, the players got instructions from their coaches. However, 55 minutes of play, none of the teams were able to break the deadlock. Then the AlphaMax coach substituted Ryan for midfielder Yuri. After 2 minutes of play Ryan got the ball and made a spectacular cross to Diego, who headed the ball in the goal. CLA's goal-keeper did not t even get to smell the ball as it flew past him.

By Sports Reporter Ryan Benimadho