Antilles School Alumni Association

Don't worry, we haven't let the rain dampen our birthday festivities! Help us commemorate Antilles' birthday week with a gift to the Annual Fund - some fun suggestions are $19.98 for the Class of 1998, or $1,950 for our founding date 🙂 To donate, text HBD73 to 53-555 or click https://givebutter.com/Antilles73
We will also be celebrating on campus today and tomorrow, so keep an eye out for more fun posts!

Our 74th start :) What a joyful morning welcoming our back to school!

Who’s that ? A shout out to our own Celine Del Rosario-Kalpee ’29 and the USVI’s U14 Girls National Soccer Team for pulling off a 3-0 win against Dominica to cap off their run at the Caribbean Football Union’s 2023 Girls Under 14 Challenge Series held in St. Johns, Antigua. Read here: https://stthomassource.com/content/2023/08/23/usvi-under-14-soccer-team-earn-first-win/.

Congratulations to Chanell Rohan ’96 and Sophia Foster ’11, whose newly released children’s book, “Ziggy on the Rock,” is already getting great reviews! We’re excited to greet them on campus for some readings this fall that explore their inspiration behind the book, which focuses on and helps readers identify with life in the Caribbean. Check out more here, https://www.ziggyontherock.com/home, and stay tuned for upcoming interviews!

We are thrilled to officially kick off our 2nd annual Spring Giving Day! Today is all about participation and it couldn't be easier to donate. Text "CANES" to 53-555, use the QR code. Look out for updates throughout the day. Thank you to everyone who has donated, supported and participated this year!

Exciting news! In the spirit of , several generous donors - including the McClafferty Family Foundation - have joined together and pledged $6,500 in matching funds - woo-hoo! This means every gift made throughout the day up to $6,500 will have DOUBLE THE IMPACT - and greatly benefit our faculty, staff, and students. Will you help us raise our match? Click here to give: https://www.antilles.vi/support-antilles/give-today.

Consider the impact your gift can make this - click here https://www.antilles.vi/support-antilles/give-today to get started.

Congrats, 'Canes!

Cobia Fagan ’28 (pictured below), Mila Melbourne’28, Emma Walters '26, Audrey Zimmerman ’27, and Howard Zimmerman ‘29 were among the group of young Virgin Islanders who returned Sunday night from Nassau, Bahamas, after distinguishing themselves in the Optimist North American Championships for the last 10 days. Read more about their experience here: https://stthomassource.com/content/2022/11/20/virgin-islands-youth-excel-in-north-american-sailing-championships/. Congratulations, ‘Canes!

Following a presidential proclamation this afternoon, Governor Albert Bryan, Jr. declared June 19 a territorial holiday and closed government offices on Friday (tomorrow) in observance.

Antilles School will also be closed.

Juneteenth recognizes the day – June 19, 1865 – when the last enslaved Africans were notified of their freedom, two years after then-President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

“By making Juneteenth a federal holiday, all Americans can feel the power of this day and learn from our history, and celebrate progress, and grapple with the distance we’ve come but the distance we have to travel to,” President Joseph Biden said during remarks Thursday as he signed the proclamation. The last federal holiday was created in 1983, when former President Ronald Reagan established Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

https://www.vi.gov/governor-bryan-declares-juneteenth-a-holiday-in-the-u-s-virgin-islands/

https://stthomassource.com/content/2021/05/12/antilles-grad-making-his-way-as-a-hollywood-writer-producer/

It may seem like a long distance from The Virgin Islands to Hollywood, and actually, it is, almost 3,500 miles. But David Hudson Obayuwana (formerly David Hudson Smith,) a graduate of Antilles School on St. Thomas, has gone from a St. Thomas upbringing to writing films and features for companies such as Netflix and Universal Studios.

Read more about David '99 here - https://stthomassource.com/content/2021/05/12/antilles-grad-making-his-way-as-a-hollywood-writer-producer/!

The stage for graduation used to span the existing Gruber Garden site. Here’s the Class of 2000 celebrating their final day on campus during a ceremony presided over by former Board of Trustees President Elliot “Mac” Davis ‘69.

The stage for graduation used to span the existing Gruber Garden site. Here’s the Class of 2000 celebrating their final day on campus during a ceremony presided over by former Board of Trustees President Elliot “Mac” Davis ‘69.

What did the Gruber Garden and PJ Hall look like before? Along with housing a stage for graduation, our Steel Pan Yard also gave music students a place to practice and eat lunch during the day.

Advisory in the Gruber Garden.

SPECIAL SPACES | LS Auditorium

While our campus has continued to evolve over the years, there still exist some special spaces, such as the Lower School Auditorium. Once our main assembly space, the auditorium has been used for student council campaign speeches, concerts, School plays, morning meeting and more. Here are a few snap shots - what do you remember? Please tag yourself or a friend!

Morning exercises at Villa Santana, 1954. The initial enrollment was 13 students, which quickly grew to 36 the next year. Staff included Founding Head Deborah Finch, four full-time teachers and three part-time staff members.

Memories from our first class:

“This picture was given to me by Martha Christensen. That is me on top, along with Brandy Orndorf, Sandy Christensen, and Mary Ann Walters. Taken at Villa Santana.”

From:
Barbara (Baba) Hatch Spillman

We're turning 70 - and celebrating Antilles, its faculty, alumni and students! Stay tuned for lots this month as we approach this incredible milestone.

EXCLUSIVE: Kacen Callender’s ‘07 young adult novel Felix Ever After is getting the TV treatment with Amazon Studios developing an adaptation with Field Trip Productions.

The book, which tells the story of a transgender teen grappling with identity and self-discovery while falling in love for the first time, was published in May 2020 by HarperCollins and has been getting rave reviews!

Congratulations, Kace ❤️

Read more here: https://www.google.com/amp/s/deadline.com/2020/08/amazon-kacen-callender-felix-ever-after-1203025246/amp/

Taking a moment to honor a powerful Civil Rights leader who dedicated his life to fighting injustice. Longtime U.S. Congressman John Lewis passed away Friday at the age of 80.

“It is with inconsolable grief and enduring sadness that we announce the passing of U.S. Rep. John Lewis," according to a family statement. "He was honored and respected as the conscience of the US Congress and an icon of American history, but we knew him as a loving father and brother. He was a stalwart champion in the on-going struggle to demand respect for the dignity and worth of every human being. He dedicated his entire life to non-violent activism and was an outspoken advocate in the struggle for equal justice in America. He will be deeply missed."

Photo: courtesy USA Today

July 3, Emancipation Day in the territory, commemorates the day in 1848 that enslaved Africans on St. Croix followed Moses General Buddhoe Gottlieb and Admiral Martin King and marched on Frederiksted, demanding freedom. They pulled up the whipping post and tossed it into the sea, then marched on Fort Frederik and threatened to burn down the town - and the entire island - unless Governor General Peter Von Scholten freed them.

Minutes before the deadline, Governor Von Scholten arrived from St. Thomas and declared: “All unfree in the Danish West Indies are from today free.”