Virgin Islands And Danish Students Collaborate On Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade

ST. CROIX — About 22 St. Croix secondary school students congregated with six of their counterparts from Denmark on Monday, January 11 at the Steeple Building in Christiansted for the orientation of the Danish – U.S. Virgin Islands Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade (TST) Collaboration titled “Reflections of a Historical Legacy,” a press release the Department of Education issued on Wednesday says.

Local program coordinator for TST Collaboration Duane Howell said the UNESCO exchange program is in its infancy, but has seen seven different groups of Danish students participating in the program on St. Croix, and looks forward to a Virgin Islands delegation visiting Denmark. He said the exchange, comprised of teaching and learning, prepares students for global citizenship and allows for each group to be aware of the numerous challenges faced in administering a sound educational system.

“We want our students to know that they are competing on the global level as well as locally and that they are making headway with this opportunity to work one and one with the Danish students,” Howell stressed.  He added that the program “allows for the advancement in the teaching of peace, human rights and intercultural understanding through student-teacher-administrator exchanges between the Virgin Islands and Denmark.

Turgay Abat, a Danish high school teacher who accompanied the students along with Jette Bie Larsen, said the group will be on St. Croix for about two-weeks and will travel over to experience the other former Danish West Indies islands.

Presenters included Alscess Lewis Brown, editor for the University of the Virgin Islands’ publication, The Caribbean Writer.  She urged the students to begin writing and to submit their articles to TCW.  She describes the publication as regional and incorporates mostly literature and artwork on Caribbean history and culture.  St. Croix District Social Studies Coordinator Lauren Larsen, Ph.D., informed the students on the particulars of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and on the upcoming Centennial observance in 2017 relative to the U.S. purchase of the Virgin Islands from Denmark.  Ricardo Richards Elementary School teacher Zahra O’Reilly took students and chaperones on a geocaching tour of the historical town of Christiansted, mainly mapping out the Scale House and Free Gut.  St. Croix Educational Complex English teacher brought 11 students to the TST orientation.

Cultural Education Division Director Valrica Bryson also came to give support to TST cultural exchange program.  Other education officials were Faith Dane George, St. Croix District Deputy Superintendent and Chermaine Johnson, Assistant Commissioner of Education.