PHILIPSBURG:--- The Key Club of St. Maarten Academy kicked off phase one of its first major community service project last Saturday during the annual observation of International Coastal CleanUp Day. The project entitled: “Bin the Waste—Keep our Shorelines Great” was the brain-child of the club’s Distinguished Webmaster, Skyla Davis. As a final year student of the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) programme class of 2024, Davis drafted and submitted a proposal for the clean shores project to Key Club International—a Kiwanis Service Leadership Programme. The project aims to promote the protection, preservation, and cleanliness of the Little Bay beach near the Belair Hotel.
Since the rechartering of the Key Club in December 2022, Key Clubbers, in collaboration with their juniors in Builders Club, have consistently returned to Little Bay Beach once every two months for cleanup activities. During this period, students observed significant changes in the landscape of the beach, from widespread littering of single-use plastics, massive dumping of industrial waste, and, more recently, erosion of the beach. Davis remarked, “As young people, we have a responsibility to do everything we can, no matter how small, to protect and preserve our beaches; we are a small island country, and tourism is still the mainstay of our economy; therefore, preservation of our beaches must be a priority.”
With this vision in mind, Key Clubbers, led by President Ambreanne Brooks, set about executing the project plans. Brooks commented that the group chose to commence the project on September 21, 2024, because it was a fitting way to join with others in the largest international coastal cleanup initiative held annually in countries around the world. Brooks continued, “Convincing teens to get out of their beds on a Saturday morning for a beach cleanup at 6 AM is no easy job. But when we are united in our vision for a better St. Maarten, and we believe that each of us can make a difference, there is no stopping what we can achieve.”
The Vice Principal and Club Staff Advisor, Joanna Trim, echoed those sentiments, saying, “When young people are united in their vision and backed by Government, corporate St. Maarten, alumni, and other Non-Governmental Organizations, rapid change is not only possible but inevitable.” Notably, the St. Maarten Academy Key Club received its first grant from the Key Club International Youth Opportunity Fund (YOF) in April 2024 for its Clean Shores initiative. However, a requirement of the grant is that club members must source additional funds to supplement the grant in order to ensure the successful completion of the project. According to Vice Principal Trim this is where the real work begins— “teaching young people how to communicate with corporate entities and seek the support they need is all part of honing their leadership skills.”
Furthermore, Trim credited the club’s success thus far to powerful collaborative synergies: “We were not quite ready for the launch due to delays in receiving additional funding, but when Government agencies such as VROMI, local corporate giants like Sherwin-Williams Paint Store, ACE Hardware and Motorworld show their support for the initiatives of the youth of St. Maarten, change is not probable but made possible. There were many reasons to say no to the Key Club initiative, but it only took a few positive responses from corporate St. Maarten and VROMI Staff to ignite the flame in our young people.” Vice Principal Trim also commended the team from EPIC Sint Maarten Conservation for their efficiency in bringing together volunteers from various organizations annually for the International Coastal Cleanup: “EPIC volunteers met us on the beach and quickly joined forces to not only clean the beach but help us with finding driftwood for erecting signs.”
Phase one of the project involved painting a mural on the remnants of a concrete wall at the beach and installing hand-painted beach signs, which promote keeping the beach clean and pristine. Principal of the Academy, Mrs. Kim Lucas-Felix, commended Key Clubbers for their efforts in rallying all of St. Maarten Academy in support of their project:
Great changes can be achieved through small but meaningful collaborative efforts; it was a proud moment to see our alumna—Bernica Michel, aka NicaLabelle, lead our students in designing and painting the mural at Little Bay beach. However, hats off to all the parents and grandparents who didn’t just drop off their children at 6 AM but remained to participate in the cleanup. This overwhelming show of support of our students as they play their part in preserving the environment, is inspiring.
While the painting of the mural is on-going, phase two of the project is slated for Key Club Week which will be celebrated from November 4-9, 2024.
