Volume 1, Issue 2

Preserving Our Heritage. Creating Our Future.

Plans are literally forming daily for the new school year. Watch this newsletter, your emails and the following social media for the latest updates.

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Senior year is here for the Class of 2021 and it will be a busy, fun and exciting time.
There are many unknowns in the coming school year, but we are confident that the OA Class of 2021 will meet or exceed all expectations.
What a wonderful accomplishment, making it to Form Four! This is your time to celebrate all your hard work and to shine!
You are SO close to your goal, a high school diploma!

A message from Student Government President, Joshuan G.

My Fourth Form Classmates,
A very warm welcome to each and every one of you. Let us make the best of our last year we have with each other. It is time to show what we have made of ourselves. This is the year we make the choices of a lifetime. We will put everything we learn to the test in the real world. Some of us will have a hard time finding out what will happen after high school, but remember we have choices to make, some will be good and some will be bad. We must learn from them. With all that said, I hope we have a great year.

Forty new Form One students enter the virtual halls of Ocean Academy this fall. We welcome them to the OA family and we look forward to getting to know them.

What changes will they see in the next 4 years? How will they grow? What will they learn?
And what legacy will they leave for future students?

The house system is a traditional feature of schools that originated in England. The practice has since spread to Commonwealth countries and the United States. The school is divided into sub-units called "houses" and each student is assigned to one house at the moment of enrollment.

Students at Ocean Academy are placed into 1 of 4 houses, Marlins, Ospreys, Sharks and Stingrays. The houses compete to earn points by wearing house colors, playing games, sports and other challenges. This provides a focus for group loyalty.

While the campus is closed, the House Competition still continues through online challenges such as push-ups, lime eating, TikTok, etc.

by Victoria K.

On November 17, 2017, the first meeting of the OA Girls Rising took place. The group was founded by Ms. Rubiceli Keme (Ocean Academy class of 2019) and Ms. Florence Goldson (Yoga Teacher). Rubiceli was a strong advocate for forming Girls Rising. She was exasperated by social media posts that dragged girls and women down and told them that they were “not enough”. She said, “The girls needed to be more supportive and to motivate one another”.

The first guest speaker was Ms.Thandiwe Diego, a leader of GirlPOWA in Dangriga. After that inspirational talk from Ms. Diego, the group started to gain more girls and they soon became a family. From that first meeting, it quickly progressed to something phenomenal. Each year they welcome new girls. The girls share their experiences, they motivate and support each other, and much more.

Girls Rising has become a safe place for girls from all backgrounds to express their emotions without fear of criticism. They help each other to rise above their feelings of dejection and aspire to living happy, productive lives.

Watch your emails for information on the next Girls Rising meeting.

• Annette Gately Memorial Art Scholarship ~ Gicelie Canul
• Petters Research Institute Scholarship in Memory of Gaylor Allen ~ Russel Joseph
• Mavis Leola Fisher Scholarship for OA Girls Rising ~ Janellie Joseph, Dianira Garcia
• Full Basket ~ Jaime Aldana, Dylan Castellanos, Marcy Castro, Sira Moh, Lucas Ramos, Nythiria Reynolds, Vincent Sotz

New scholarship applications will be available in April for next school year.

by Emely R.

Erika Ramirez hails from the Corozal District of Belize. She is an English teacher and a Latin Dance teacher.

Miss Erika Ramirez is the English teacher for 1st to 3rd form classes. This teacher is one of the most fun and educational teachers. She always tries her hardest to have her students enjoy themselves while learning. I asked her to answer a few questions and her answers provided a mixed view of her as a teacher and a person as a whole.

What is your favourite thing about working at Ocean Academy?
Ms. Ramirez shared that her favourite thing about working at Ocean Academy is that she is lucky enough to teach innovative and talented students who continuously brighten her days with their humour, nonstop energy and inquisitive natures. According to Ms. Ramirez, being able to help and guide her students so they can achieve their dreams is her favourite thing.

What advice do you have for kids who are struggling at school?

Her answer was short, sweet and very genuine. She said, “It’s okay to ask for help. You might be struggling and the work might be difficult for you, but you're not alone. You have teachers, family, friends and classmates that are here for you. Remember that no matter how dark or gloomy the day is, there is always something to look forward to, so if you’re struggling right now- Don’t give up; work hard, ask for help and most importantly believe in yourself!”

What book would you recommend to a student and why?

Her answer was tied to the movement BLM which is a very interesting thing because it shows that she loves to educate us about real life problems and knows how to connect it to our classroom. Her response was “It’s very hard for me to recommend one book because there are so many books that I would like my students to read. The first book that comes to mind is “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas. It is a novel about a 16-year-old girl who is trying to figure out and accept who she is while dealing with inequality, racism and police brutality. This book teaches you to accept yourself for who you are and fight for what you believe is right.”

September is a month of celebrations in Belize. After several centuries as a British colony, Belize gained its independence from Great Britain on September 21, 1981. Today, the national holiday is the occasion for two weeks of celebrating, parades and street exhibitions leading up to September 21 when every town comes alive with people waving the red, white and blue (the colours of the Belizean flag).
(https://medium.com/@belizehub/celebrate-independence-day-in-belize-31902b1b9b76)

Ocean Academy students practice for weeks to march in the Children's Parade to celebrate Independence Day. Drum Corps, majorettes and members of the four different houses of Ocean Academy all proudly participate.

Because of Covid19, we expect the celebrations to be much more subdued this year. But we WILL celebrate. We will continue to push forward and with the continued support of our community, we will continue to educate the young people of Caye Caulker.

Thank you to Danny Michel and to Marie Sharp's Canada and to all who purchased through Danny's "Ocean Academy School Fund" link.
Your recent fundraising of over $3000 BZ provided scholarships for students who would not otherwise be able to attend school due to COVID-19.

Danny Michel
"Thrilled to share a jingle I wrote for Marie Sharp’s Canada (my fave hot sauce of Belize) in agreement they donate 20% of sales to my Ocean Academy School Fund. So much fun making this! https://youtu.be/EYe-Ab39sAk

Order at https://mariesharpscanada.com/dannymichel/"

Please help to spread the word about GlobalGiving's Little by Little MATCHING Campaign.

GlobalGiving is sponsoring a HUGE fundraising campaign for September 14-18, 2020.
It's the Little by Little Campaign. Please help us to spread the word. This is a campaign meant to maximize the impact of small donations.
Truly, every little bit helps!!

• For five days straight (Sept. 14-18), online donations up to $50 will be matched at 50%, and matching funds will not run out!
• GlobalGiving’s 100% Monthly Match is also available to the GlobalGiving nonprofit community for all of 2020, and this includes the September Little by Little Campaign week. New monthly donations set up during this week will be eligible for both matches: the immediate 50% Little by Little match (up to $50) and, as long as the donation remains active for a minimum of four payments, the 100% monthly match (up to $200).

Recurring Monthly Donors

K. Gillis

G. Glenn

J. Haggerty

K. Iafolla

S. Johnson

J. Mazzitello

B. Schneider

V. Tromley

J. Williams

August Donors

M. & G. Carter

N. & R. Eiley

B. & C. Hayes

C. Marghescu

S. Olsen

E. & A. Petters

P. Porter

K. Russell

J. Whitehead

Marie Sharp's Canada

Caye Living Properties
Full Basket Belize

Joni Miller, Dane Dingerson, Heidi Curry

Email: admin@oaseatide.com
Website: OceanAcademy.education/
Location: 1 Ocean Academy Drive, Caye Caulker, Belize
Phone: +501-226-0321
Facebook: Facebook.com/CayeCaulkerHighSchool
Twitter: @OceanAcademyHS