PHILIPSBURG:---- To observe the anniversary of the partition of the island of St. Maarten /St. Martin, the students of the M.A.C. Browlia Maillard Campus and the Aline Hanson School in Sandy Ground will participate for the second year in a friendly running race to reenact aspects of the legend or myth of how the island was divided.
The activity will be held on Wednesday, May 31, 2017, from 8:30 am – 12:00 pm. More than a 150 students from both the northern and southern side of the island will be participating in the relay race.
The primary goals of the race is to promote cooperation between education institutions on both sides of the island; to develop cooperation based on our common history, to create student ambassadors of peace and friendship to promote UNESCO’s international values; to strengthen students’ sense of belonging to a “Friendly Island”; to inspire social cohesion by uniting citizens from various backgrounds; and to promote a healthy living style through engaging in sport activities.
The idea of the friendly race originated with Ms. Aline Dermaux, a teacher at the Aline Hanson school. Ms. Dermaux made contact with Marcellia Henry, Secretary-General of the National Commission for UNESCO to share the idea in order to make it a reality. Ms. Henry thereafter contacted Principal Davis of the M.A.C. Browlia Maillard Campus, who welcomed this wonderful initiative.
The Aline Hanson School, which is known as ‘The Friendly School’ is a UNESCO Associate School, and is part of the network of schools throughout the world committed to the ideals of UNESCO, by conducting pilot projects in favour of better preparing children and strengthening the role of education of education in promoting a culture of peace and tolerance. The intention is to also establish at least two UNESCO Associate School on the southern side of the island.
The route of the friendly race for the students of the M.A.C. Browlia Maillard Campus is from the frontier in Lowlands on the Dutch side: Mullet bay Maho Airport road Welfare road Union Road Cole Bay Border Frontier.
The route for the students of the Aline Hanson School is from the frontier in Lowlands on the French side: Terres Basses Baie Nettlé Sandy Ground Marigot Low Town Bellevue.
There will be 16 legs or handing off areas where the baton, which will be the flag of St. Maarten and St. Martin, will be passed from one captain to another. The children will run in groups of 5 or more.
After the race, both teams from the southern and northern side of the island will meet at the Culture Center in Sandy Ground where they will exchange tokens/gifts made by the students from both schools. Congratulatory speeches will also be given by dignitaries and government officials.
The Friendly Race between French and Dutch.
