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Student Spotlight
From now through the end of the year, we’ll be shining the spotlight on each member of our Class of 2024.
Jaden Pascal joined the GHS community as an 11th grader. He says his peers were welcoming and made him feel right at home, and he appreciates the effort teachers make to ensure their students are caught up on their work.
“Ms. V. has been very supportive of my academics and she always made sure we knew all the material before we took a test,” he says. “I connected with Mr. Obando over sports. His classes were educational but he still made them fun.”
Senior class advisor Ms. V. says Jaden is a friend to his classmates and to underclassmen as well.
“He’s a very charismatic individual; he’s funny,” she says. “I’ve seen a lot of growth and development in his time management skills. This year he’s managing academics plus work and being a student athlete.”
For his capstone project, a new addition to our curriculum this year that encourages students to apply their knowledge in a real-world context, Jaden is exploring his love of sports at the V.I. Department of Sports, Parks & Recreation.
“I enjoy playing sports a lot,” says Jaden. “I want to help create activities for the community where everybody can get together and enjoy themselves.”
After graduation, Jaden plans to attend the University of the Virgin Islands for at least one year before possibly transferring to a stateside university to study engineering.
“My dad is a person who can do everything around the house, and I always wanted to be the guy who can fix anything and do anything,” Jaden says of his interest in engineering.
Jaden’s favorite memory from his time at GHS was the scuba diving minimester he participated in as an 11th grader.
Jaden was a member of our varsity volleyball, basketball, flag football, and baseball teams. His advice for next year’s senior class: “Stay on top of your work and don’t procrastinate. You feel like you can do it later, but just do it now. Eventually it’ll catch up with you.”
Upcoming Events
NO SCHOOL MONDAY, MAY 27
School will be closed Monday, May 27, in honor of Memorial Day. We hope everyone has a fun and safe long weekend!
BLAST OFF TO THE END OF SCHOOL!
It's hard to believe it, but the 2023-2024 school year is nearly done! We're celebrating at the Lower Campus with a blast off to the last day of school countdown. All Lower Campus students are invited to participate in this themed countdown. Remember that all outfits should be school-appropriate.
MAY BIRTHDAY ASSEMBLY MAY 29
We'll celebrate May birthdays at our monthly birthday assembly Wednesday morning, May 29, at 8:45 a.m. in the Lower Campus Great Room. Please note that those attending the assembly may not park until after 8:30 a.m. Parents and guardians of fifth grade students, who will present at the assembly, are welcome to attend in person, as are parents of students with May birthdays.
LC AFTER-SCHOOL CLUBS TO CONCLUDE MAY 30
The last day for after-school clubs will be Thursday, May 30. There will be no after-school clubs the last week of school, June 3-6.
SCHOOL BUS SERVICE TO CONCLUDE MAY 31
The last day for school bus service will be Friday, May 31. There will be no bus service for the last week of school, June 3-6. Please be sure to arrange alternate transportation for your child(ren)!
UPPER CAMPUS FINAL EXAMS SCHEDULE
Middle and high school students will take their final exams on Monday, June 3, through Wednesday, June 5. Students will take two exams per day on Monday and Tuesday and one exam on Wednesday, with a two-hour block allotted for each exam. The remaining time on Wednesday will be reserved for students to clean out their lockers and collect all their belongings to bring home. Thursday, June 6, is final exam make-up day. Upper Campus students who were present for all their exams on Monday through Wednesday do not need to report to school on Thursday. Dismissal time during final exam week is 1 p.m. and there is no bus service, so please be sure to arrange transportation for your children.
If you or your child has any concerns about final exams, please reach out to your child’s individual teachers. They are here to help and want to see your child succeed!
FIFTH GRADE MOVING UP CEREMONY JUNE 4
We look forward to celebrating the end of our fifth graders' time on the Lower Campus with a promotion ceremony on June 4 at 9:00 a.m. Fifth graders will deliver speeches and parents will receive their children's bare books at the event. After the ceremony, students are welcome to join their families off campus to continue the celebration. Students who choose to stay at school will enjoy a special event and treats courtesy of the Barracuda Boosters Parent Association. Please note that those attending the assembly may not park until after 8:30 a.m.
KINDERGARTEN PROMOTION / ACADEMIC AWARDS JUNE 5
We will celebrate our kindergarteners' completion of the school year at our final academic awards assembly of the school year on June 5 at 8:45 a.m. at the Lower Campus great room. First, we'll award our Lower Campus students who met their May academic goals, followed by a promotion ceremony for our kindergarteners. Parents and guardians of students who will be receiving reading and math awards are welcome to attend, as are families of our kindergarten class. Please note that those attending the assembly may not park until after 8:30 a.m.
LOWER CAMPUS TALENT SHOW JUNE 6
We are excited to give our students the opportunity to share their talents with their peers at a Lower Campus talent show on June 6 at 9:30 a.m.! Families are welcome to attend.
GHS Highlights
AWESOME AUTHORS TEA
We celebrated another beloved Lower Campus tradition this morning with our awesome authors event for students in kindergarten through fourth grade. Each student is given a bare book which they turn into their own self-published work, and those works were shared with families today over a potluck meal. It was a beautiful morning of creativity and community!
EIGHTH GRADE CELEBRATION
Let's hear it for our Class of 2028! We marked the end of our eighth graders' middle school career with a promotion ceremony this morning. We can't wait to see what the future holds for this industrious, talented group as they enter their high school years. Congratulations, eighth graders!
GHS SUMMER CAMP NOW ACCEPTING REGISTRATIONS!
We are thrilled to announce the launch of sign-ups for our 2024 summer camp, hosted at the GHS Lower Campus by Ms. Melisa and Ms. Emma J. The camp will run Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. from July 15 through August 9 with a different focus each week. Camp is open to all St. John children who are rising kindergarteners and older, and the cost is $250/week. Registration will continue as long as spaces are open, and we encourage parents to sign up as soon as possible to reserve your child’s spot! Please direct any questions to Ms. Emma J. at emmajohnson@giffthillschool.org. Here is the link to register your child: https://tinyurl.com/uezd6uaf
Sports Central
ATHLETES, PLEASE RETURN YOUR UNIFORMS!
Athletes whose seasons have ended should return their uniforms to Ms. Francis as soon as possible.
KUDOS TO GHS GREEN!
Kudos to our GHS Green middle school soccer team, which took the win in the Green vs. White game on Thursday! Goals were scored by Reagan Marshall (3), Nathaniel Peters (2), Ilo King, and Kallen Payne. Go, Barracudas!
SOCCER GAME SCHEDULE
Everyone is welcome to come out and cheer on our Barracudas in their final competition of the season!
Varsity soccer
Friday, 5/24, 4:45 p.m. - GHS vs. VIMSIA at IEKHS
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
UVI FREE ENTREPRENEUR BUSINESS INSTITUTE NOW ENROLLING
Registration is now open for the University of the Virgin Islands summer program, Entrepreneur Business Institute, to be held July 6-20. EBI is a free summer program for high school students throughout the territory who are interested in entrepreneurship.
Students will live on the St. Thomas campus for two weeks and will be provided the opportunity to enjoy a pre-college experience and learn about the advantages and challenges of entrepreneurship. Students will engage in team exercises to improve their team building and project management skills, and will experience mentorship from successful business leaders. Students will also participate in interactive discussions about concept development and business ownership.
Students will be given a minimum $250 stipend upon completion of the program. The application deadline is May 31. Click here to sign up.
NOAA YOUNG CHANGEMAKERS FELLOWSHIP NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced the launch of its NOAA Young Changemakers Fellowship application for the 2024-2025 school year.
The program is designed for current high school students who are passionate about the environment, climate, ocean, Great Lakes, and/or coasts. Program participants receive mentorship, skill-building opportunities, and financial resources to design and lead an action project in their own community. They also learn about and share their perspectives on NOAA priorities, helping to inform the decisions that NOAA leaders make. Full participation comes with an $800 stipend and paid travel to Washington, D.C., for a kick-off summit in July 2024.
Click here for more information. Applications are due June 10.
AEROSPACE CAREER EDUCATION ACADEMY TO RETURN TO THE V.I. THIS SUMMER
We are very excited to announce that GHS alum Makeda Dawson will once again bring the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals’ Aerospace Career Education Academy to the Virgin Islands this summer. The ACE Academy will take place Sunday, June 23 to Friday, June 28 on St. Thomas and the cost is $150. The program is open to students ages 13 to 18 and the registration deadline is June 11. Taxi and ferry transportation will be provided for St. John students.
While pursuing her career as a commercial pilot at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Makeda says she realized that GHS faculty helped set her up for success by encouraging her to take high-level courses in subjects like physics and math during high school.
“I always wanted to give back to students and help someone else become a pilot,” says Makeda. “It’s difficult for students on St. John to envision themselves in an aviation role because there is no airport. Now, I feel like kids can look at me and say, ‘Okay, if she can do it, I can do it too.’”
Ninth grader Bannon Beaty, who participated in the ACE Academy last summer, says he really enjoyed the experience.
“We learned a lot about how planes fly and what lift and drag are,” says Bannon. “I was surprised when we got into a plane and started flying and they said, ‘Here, take the controls.’ I would recommend ACE Academy to others because it’s a really cool experience. I can now say that I’ve flown a plane and not a lot of people get to do that.”
Click here to learn more about the program or to apply. Registration ends June 11 but may end sooner if the program is full.
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