, 1962-09-12
LEGISLATIVE RECORD
Continued from Page p

*QCOnLLnu6Q lOm TdSC ~
staff Of instructors, and that, given the proper working
conditions, they can and Will 90 a remarnaD1y Oetter ~,
We are also moving rapidly to add new classrooms
so that by next September the overcoming crisis Will
be greatly aleVlaIed. these two major improvements
mpnyslcal circumstances Will, / am confident, 40 mucli
TO Drlng a swift rise IN the canDer OF instruction. and IN
the performance OF the. students. Besides this, Dr. Dan
chez and the Board OF EducaIlon are now examining a
revised system OF incentives and certltlcatlon Tor the
teachers, so that excellent performance can ne adequate
ly rewarded, ana so that teachers will OF themselves
ueSlre constantly to improve their professional training
and their level of instruction. The college plan, lar
from detractng from the improvement OF the lower
SCHOOLS, Is giving a real impetus to that improvement.
because it gives the lower schools a goal.
It is one thing to prepare students on a limited
basis, and to allow the most gifted ones TO go Out OF the
community to, finish their StuuleS. 1t is a totally different
thing to nave in your own community a complete scnool
system, including the severe professional standards OF a
college. The whole tone changes. The whole spirit IS
a different one. In the earliest days OF the United states,
each town in the wilderness would build first a church,
and then a school; and even if a nearby town already
had a church and a school which the new town could
use, it was a matter of the deepest pride and seh-respect
to create ones own institutions. That was how a town
ceased to be a suburb and a backWater, and became an
entity in itself. We here in the Virgin Islands are en-
barked on the adventure of becoming a proud and sell
respecting entity in ourselves, a community with the
facilities, the will, and the ability to run our own al
fairs. Certainly we are going to continue to send our
most gifted young people to the great institutions OF
the mainland for their advanced studies, just as people
in Montana or California will send their youngsters to
Columbia, New York University, or Princeton; but,
meanwhile, there will be college education here within
our own territory for everyone who wants it. And you
legislators here, who have the high privilege OF serving
at a time when our community has reached this stage,
will achieve a lasting memory not only on the bronze
plaques that will grace the walls OF the college, but in
the hearts of our young people, and of all our people.
One of the most pressing questions, of course, was
where to locate the college, and1 think the BoyceJones
discussion of this problem is convincing. Let me pledge
to you that this college, when built, will have dormitory
facilities sufficient for every young person who wants
to attend, no matter which of the three islands is his
home. | believe, along with DR.. Jones and Mr.. Boyce,
at if you accept their recommendation and the site,
in the not too distant future st. Croix will have either.
a branch of the college or an institution of its own. Mean
time, / count it a real gain that the college students Of
ST. Croix will be able to live here on ST. Thomas, so
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