Dear Students, Parents and Friends of Country Day School, On March 23rd, we will begin our thirty-ninth (XXXIX) annual "Mini-Gusto" program. For five days our students will leave their classrooms to pursue special electives designed to provide new and rewarding experiences and take education into the community at large. We are proud of the success of this program and look forward a successful Mini-Gusto this year! This booklet describes the courses offered in this year's Mini-Gusto. For eleventh and twelfth graders the important emphasis of this program is on career intern positions. This year our students have many different career fields from which to choose. We were again gratified that almost every business and government agency we contacted, which participated in the past, enthusiastically agreed to participate again. We are extremely grateful to these generous people from so many different occupations that have volunteered to take our young people and show them the "ropes." For high school students soon to face many important decisions, these opportunities are invaluable. Before studying the following course descriptions, it is important to restate the working philosophy behind Mini-Gusto. This five-day block of time is pulled from the academic calendar to provide all students an opportunity to broaden their scope of experience. Juniors and Seniors are required to sign up for career offerings or community service. A student should select a course that either adds a new experience or offers an opportunity to learn a new skill. Not all students are ready for such career placements. For seventh through tenth graders we offer a variety of activities to open new horizons, develop new skills and provide new experiences. These electives are designed to introduce students to activities such as golf, snorkeling, kayaking, and SCUBA diving. Off Island Trips: The following guidelines have been established for off-island trips to ensure that all graduates have participated in the career portion of our Mini-Gusto program during their years in high school. a. No student may travel more than two of their four years in the Upper School. b. Each student should participate in a career opportunity at least once during his or her years in high school. Transportation: Trying to get more than 200 students to special activities from one end of the island to the other is complicated. All students scheduled for a 3-Unit Career choice are to provide their own transportation. Because of increasing restrictions on our transportation insurance, the school can no longer allow teachers or other parents to drive students to Mini-Gusto activities. As a result, taxi-vans will be hired for most group activities. The cost of transportation will be included in the overall price of most activities. Finances: Most of the interest activities have fees involved. These range from the substantial for off- island trips to the minimal for supplies. If a fee is involved it will be indicated with the course description. Directions for payment of the fee will also be specified. Please do not include the fee with registration; you will be asked to pay when the lists have been confirmed. One general rule is the following: Fees for courses offered by a local business such as scuba diving will be paid directly to the sponsoring business on the first day of Mini-Gusto. (Please note that the school reserves the right to reschedule any student registered for an expensive trip or activity if the family is seriously behind on their tuition payments.) Scheduling: After reading the following course descriptions, each student is asked to fill out a registration form, available from their advisor or the main office, and return it – with parental signature - no later than Tuesday, March 3rd, to the Front Office. It is important that these forms be completed and on time. Incomplete forms will be returned to the student for completion before any scheduling is done. Career Service Offerings: Students who sign up for the career intern program should keep in mind that they will be representing Good Hope Country Day as well as themselves. All students will be expected to be on time, dress appropriately and act responsibly. We are grateful for the broad support given to us by the St. Croix community. Again, Juniors and Seniors are REQUIRED to sign up for CAREER or COMMUNITY SERVICE OFFERINGS unless other arrangements have been made with Mrs. Roth (college visits trip, private internship, etc.). SUMMARY 2015 CAREER-INTERNSHIP PROGRAM Agricultural Research ………………………. University of VI Counseling/Tutoring ………………………… Women's Coalition Culinary Arts ……………………………………. Turtles Deli Early Childhood Education ……………………. Good Hope Country Day East End Campus Good Hope Country Day School V.I. Government Dept. of Human Services ……Headstart Program Eco-Tourism Guide …………………………… Caribbean Adventure KayakTours SCUBA Diving Assistant …………………… SCUBA National Park Service …………………………. Zandy Hillis/Nicole Angeli Health and Wellness ……………………………. Dr. Walter Pedersen, Orthopedics Dr. Jan Tawakol, Nephrology Dr. Sheldon Williams, Chiropractic The Vision Center Hotel & Resort ………………………………….. The Buccaneer Hotel The Buccaneer Tennis Club Journalism ……………………………………… The St.Croix Avis Legal System …………………………………… Senator Nellie Rivera-O'Reilly Magistrate Jessica Gallivan Museum Science ………………………………. Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts St. George Village Botanical Garden Radio Communications ……………………….. Isle 95 WJKC 99.5 Mongoose 104.9 Retail Sales ……………………………………. Crucian Gold Hotheads Nelthropp & Low Diamonds & Fine Jewelry Television ………………………………………… TV-2 WTJX Channel 12 COMMUNITY SERVICE PROGRAMS THREE-UNIT ELECTIVES Women’s Coalition of St. Croix TWO-UNIT ELECTIVES St. Croix Animal Shelter Queen Louise Home for Children ONE-UNIT ELECTIVES St. Croix Environmental Association Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts St. Croix Animal Center Map Creator THREE UNIT CAREER ELECTIVES AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENTATION: Three students are invited to spend the week learning about various aspects of the UVI Agricultural Station. Fields of study include Aquaculture with Dr. Racosy, Fruit production and Forestry with Dr. Brian Daly, or discovering how Dr. Zimmerman, through the use of Bio-Technology for Genetic Transformation, clones plants in his lab. Dr. Zimmerman promises a stimulating overview studying plant cell cultures, growing plants and cells in a sterile environment, and more! With Dr. Godfrey you’ll learn about lambing, breeding and illnesses in sheep and about how the station tests and records production and performance of beef and dairy cattle including measuring quality and quantity of mil produced and the weighing of beef cattle. The data gathered will then be entered into the computer. You might also be involved in tagging, dehorning or pregnancy testing of the beef cattle. Enrollment: Three—Grades 7- 12 Prerequisites: Scientific interest Time: 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM Contact person: Ms. Fiola Alexander EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION GOOD HOPE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL, EAST END: Invites an interested student who enjoys interacting with young children and who has given thought to a possible career in education. Come work with Mrs. Thomas and Ms. Bicette, two experienced and talented teachers at the East End school. This can be either a 2 or 3 unit course, allowing for a different morning or afternoon Mini- gusto experience. Enrollment: One – Grades 8 – 12 Prerequisites: A love for children and a willingness to get involved and have fun! Time: Either a morning or a full day experience Contact person: Denise Blanchette GOOD HOPE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL: Invites interested students who enjoy interacting with young children and who have given thought to a possible career in education, to work with its experienced and talented Primary faculty. Students may choose to join the Pre-school through the third grade program. This offering can be tailored to fit with other Mini-gusto activities, so that a student may choose early childhood at school as either a 2 or a 3 unit course. Enrollment: Several Grades 8 – 12 Prerequisites: A love for children and a willingness to get involved and have fun! Time: Either a morning or a full day experience Contact person: Denise Blanchette VIRGIN ISLANDS DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES HEAD START PROGRAM: recognized nationwide as the primary empowerment program for children three years of age and no older than four years of age upon registration. Head Start provides high quality, comprehensive services to children and parents in areas such as. Education, Health, Mental Health, Disabilities and Nutrition, to name a few. Ultimately Head Start seeks to foster school readiness skills. Students, with thoughts of working in any of these specialties, or of becoming a teacher, may choose this rewarding offering and be placed in a location of their interest. Enrollment: One— grades 10 —12 Prerequisites: A desire to work with young children in a classroom setting; dedication. Time: 8:30 AM - 11:30 PM Contact Person: Ms. Michelle Williams-Ballantine HOTEL AND RESORT THE BUCCANEER HOTEL: is looking for a student interested in assisting with the Kid’s Camp and willing to assist other Beach Attendants during the course of the day. Must enjoy outdoor activities and swimming and must be dependable, sociable and independent. Come have some outdoor fun with young children at this beautiful hotel! Enrollment: One—Grades 10 – 12 Prerequisites: enjoy children and the beach Time: 8:00 – 3:00 Contact person: Nancy