.png)
Barracuda Bulletin: Week of January 9, 2026
- andreamilam
- Jan 12
- 6 min read
Student Spotlight
Pre-K student Nicholas Thomas has been part of the GHS community since he joined our toddler program.
“Niko brings an exciting, joyful energy to our classroom,” says Pre-K teacher Ms. Kiki. “He is a friend to everyone.”
Nicholas says he likes reading books and playing with monster trucks at school. He enjoys the time his class spends with their second grade buddies. Nicholas also likes playing with Play-Doh and Legos and doing color by number puzzles.
“Niko has gotten really good at learning the letters and their sounds,” says Ms. Kiki. “He’s a very good storyteller.”
Nicholas comes to class excited to learn every morning.
“He’s grown so much this year,” says Ms. Kiki. “He’s made leaps and bounds. He’s very observant and curious, and he loves every single person in his class.”
In his free time, Nicholas says he likes to eat, play, and watch TV with his family.
Upcoming Events
HIGH SCHOOL HOMECOMING DANCE JANUARY 10
High school students are invited to the homecoming dance on Saturday, January 10, from 6:00-8:30 p.m. at the GHS Upper Campus. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door. Students should see their student council representative to purchase their ticket in advance.
MAP TESTING WINDOW JANUARY 12-16
Students in grades 3-12 will be given a five-day window for the Measures of Academic Progress test between January 12-16. Students are only engaged in testing for approximately four hours spread out across this window and we make every effort to administer the assessment in developmentally appropriate chunks that fit into students’ regular academic schedules. Students in grades kindergarten-2 receive one-to-one testing in math using a primary grades version of the MAP test and in reading using the Fountas and Pinnell benchmark assessment with their classroom teacher or the Lower Campus Learning Strategist Ms. Lenny.
Individual student scores are used to set instructional goals for gains throughout the year and to help students in high school with course placement determinations for those hoping to take honors classes.
Scores from this round of MAP testing will be shared with your child’s second trimester progress reports, which will be distributed on February 11.
PAMPERED CHEF PARTY BENEFITING GHS JANUARY 23
We're excited to announce a Pampered Chef party benefiting Gifft Hill School on Friday, January 23, at 5:00 p.m. at La Vita in Peter Bay. All are welcome to attend. Those who cannot attend in person can email orders to coolheet@aol.com. See flyer below for additional details.
SAT PREP COURSE TO BEGIN JANUARY 26
GHS will offer an SAT course to help students prepare for the SAT test. The class will be on Mondays and Thursdays from January 26 through March 12 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the Upper Campus. There is no school February 16 or March 9, so those classes will instead take place February 18 and March 11. The course will cost $100 which includes the latest version of the Kaplan SAT Prep study guide with practice tests. Please sign up early, as the course is open to all St. John high school students and space will be limited. Please click here to sign up.
GHS AUCTION MARCH 7
Our 40th annual Green & White Gala and Auction is set for Saturday, March 7, from 5:30-10:00 p.m. at our own Trayser Field. This is our school's largest and most impactful fundraiser of the year. The evening will feature live music with Quelbe Resurrection, silent and live auctions, local food and drinks, and all the beloved traditions plus a few exciting surprises. Here's how you can help support this event:
Bring a bottle of wine to either campus's front office to help us build our Wall of Wine
Donate products, services, gift baskets, hotel or villa stays, airline tickets, etc. to help us build packages for the silent and live auctions. Click here to complete the donation form.
Sign up to volunteer at the event. Please contact Andrea Milam at 340-776-1730 or andreamilam@giffthillschool.org if you're interested in pitching in.
Bid on prizes and packages in our silent auction from the comfort of your own home. We'll be adding items in the coming weeks to our Handbid site.
Attend the event! Tickets are $200 in advance or $250 at the door. Click here to purchase your tickets.
Whatever form your support takes, we are so grateful to all those who make our auction a success every year! Every dollar raised helps support the rigorous, experiential education we offer to about 40% of the island's school-aged children, 65% of whom are able to attend GHS thanks to financial aid.
GHS Highlights
A VISIT FROM IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
Our longstanding relationship with Iowa State University continued this week with a visit by students from the university's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. They toured the Upper Campus, including our extensive gardens, and wrapped up their visit by answering college questions for our Class of 2026.
THE ANXIOUS GENERATION: A GHS PARENT POWER HOUR
We'd like to thank all the parents who joined our meeting this week, whether virtually or in person, when we discussed Jonathan Haidt's book The Anxious Generation and how technology is impacting our children's well-being. If you missed this one, we've scheduled a second meeting for Tuesday, March 17, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at the Upper Campus. At this next meeting, we'll focus on parental controls and the ways parents can speak with their children about their technology use. In the meantime, please review this document which outlines how you can speak to your children about their technology use and where to find parental controls for popular apps like Roblox and Minecraft, and this document which outlines the ways in which technology is used responsibly at GHS.
Sports Central
BASKETBALL GAMES THIS WEEK
Our elementary and varsity basketball teams have games in the coming week. Home games are denoted with an asterisk. Everyone is welcome to come out and cheer on our student athletes. Go, Barracudas!
Elementary Basketball
*Tuesday, January 13, 5:00 p.m. - GHS vs. Gomez at Pine Peace
*Thursday, January 15, 4:00 p.m. - GHS vs. Ulla Muller at Pine Peace
Varsity Boys Basketball
Friday, January 9, 4:00 p.m. - GHS vs. Antilles at Antilles
*Monday, January 12, 5:00 p.m. - GHS vs. CAHS at Pine Peace
SEEKING TRACK AND FIELD PARTICIPANTS
We are seeking Upper Campus students to join our track and field team. Anyone who's interested should please contact francinefrancis@giffthillschool.org.
Dates to Remember
See below for important dates to remember over the next two months. View the full school year calendar by clicking here.
Community Corner: News You Can Use
CFVI ANNOUNCES THE AVAILABILITY OF THE BLAKE AND KAREN RAPIER SPACE CAMP SCHOLARSHIP
The Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands announced the availability of the Blake and Karen Rapier Space Camp Scholarship at the Foundation, with funding provided by local global investment firm, RapierMed.
The scholarship, which covers the cost to attend Space Camp in 2026, will be awarded to deserving U.S. Virgin Islands high school students passionate about space and STEM with a GPA of 3.2 or higher.
Located at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, the Space Camp experience immerses trainees in a setting rich with space, aviation, and defense exhibits that ignite creativity. Participants develop teamwork, leadership, and decision-making abilities through mission simulations, gaining personal and professional skills that shape their futures.
Advanced Space Academy explores college and career preparation through an immersive experience in science, engineering, technology and math.
Aviation Challenge Mach III missions challenge trainees with freedom of control, requiring them to think about maneuvers in all three rotational-axes of flight as they take on the most advanced flight simulations, engineering principles and leadership responsibilities. Field training is focused on discipline and attention to detail in survival situations. A night Field Training Exercise requires teams to work together to recover intelligence or rescue a downed pilot. Communication is paramount as everything is taken to the next level in Mach III.
GHS students Seamus O'Donnell, '26, and Anais Craig, '28, took part in this program in 2025. Seamus highly recommends the experience to any interested students.
"It was a fun experience," he says. "You can experience zero gravity and the moon's gravity, which is 1/6 of Earth's gravity. There are 1:1 models of real space shuttles with all the same buttons and controls, and you have to fly and land the shuttle. I highly recommend it."
The scholarship application process is open through February 20, 2026. Scholarship recipients will be announced in March/April. To apply, visit https://cfvi.co/SpaceCamp.
For more information about this scholarship opportunity, please contact Demi Trimm at demit@cfvi.net or visit https://cfvi.net/Scholarships.
FREE SWIM CLASSES EVERY SATURDAY AT CINNAMON
Friends of Virgin Islands National Park provides free swim lessons to children and adults of all ages every Saturday from 9:30-11:30 a.m. at Cinnamon Bay to the left of the ruins. Free transportation is available from Cruz Bay departing at 9:00 a.m. and leaving Cinnamon at 11:40 a.m.
Comments