Report cards will be distributed during an Open House at Joseph Sibilly Elementary School from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 12:30 to 2 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 22.
Parents and guardians are reminded that there will be a Book Fair that day between 9 and 11 a.m.
This Fair will offer a wide variety of books for purchase.

Gov. Charles Turnbull is honoring former world welterweight champ, world middleweight champ, Boxing Hall of Fame member and St. Thomas resident Emile Griffith with a proclamation of Emile Griffith Week.
Turnbull declared the special week on Monday, after Griffith, 63, and his son visited Government House on St. Thomas.
Following his primary education in St. Thomas, the Griffith’s family relocated to New York City, where the soon-to-be champ pursued a career as a pro boxer. In 1958, Griffith won both the New City and intercity Golden Gloves Amateur Welterweight titles. From there he went on to become the world welterweight champion in 1961, 62-63, 63-65; and world middleweight champ in 1966-67, 67-68. His pro record was 85-24-2 with 23 knock outs.
Griffith was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame as the seventh-best welterweight and the eighth-best middleweight champion of the world.
In issuing the proclamation, Turnbull called on the people of the Virgin Islands to salute Griffith, a native Virgin Islander, for his career.

Dear Source:
In reference to the articles about the V.I. Tourism Department's commercials in the Northeast, I would like to respond.
Residents living in the Northeast have always enjoyed the U.S. Virgin Islands. It seemed as though whenever you asked tourists staying in the islands where they're from they will name Philadelphia, Boston, or New York as their home. I hope the V.I. continues to pursue this market to maintain your number one employer: tourism.
I have seen sporadic commercials in the Philadelphia area promoting the islands, but they are there. I hope the Tourism Department continues to go aggressively after this market.
Come back to the islands … your islands. Sound familiar?

Chris Williams
Philadelphia

As the territory’s political leaders search for ways to invigorate St. Croix’s flagging tourism economy, the much-lauded St. Croix Heritage Trail project is moving ahead on the sheer perseverance of a handful of people.
Last month, the St. Croix Landmarks Society in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Department of Public Works signed an agreement that will provide $54,000 in federal funds to begin the second stage of the project.
A large portion of the funding, which will be administered by the Landmarks Society, will be used to construct nine scenic overlooks and pullovers along the 72-mile Heritage Trail. The remainder will go to produce new informational materials, said Nancy Buckingham, Heritage Trail coordinator.
Securing money for the second-stage work took a year, in which Buckingham bounced from office to office. Although Gov. Charles Turnbull approved some $250,000 to establish the trail, no funding source was specified.
Up to this point, monetary support and material to get the trail off the ground has come largely from businesses. Additional help came from the Anti-Litter and Beautification Committee and Public Works, which has to act as the conduit for federal transportation funding.
The next obstacle facing the project is securing money for its administration, in particular keeping its new office in Frederiksted open, Buckingham said. The Heritage Trail headquarters have moved from the Caravelle Hotel in Christiansted to a shared spot in the Our Town Frederiksted office.
Because no administrative funding was provided under the federal agreement, trail coordinators are hoping that $30,000 included in the economic development package passed last week by Turnbull will come up soon. Otherwise, the Heritage Trail office will close in May.
"We’re pretty much going on the seat of our pants for administrative funding," Buckingham said.
Meanwhile, engineers from the Eastern Federal Lands Division of the U.S. Department of Transportation will be on St. Croix next month to survey scenic overlook and pull-over areas. Four of the planned overlooks are on Scenic Drive West and one is above Great Pond.
Pullovers are slated for stops at Lower Love, Solitude, Castle Nugent and Little La Grange.
"We have so much that is already here," Buckingham said. "This is a little amount of money to develop what we already have."
The federal agreement also provides for a Heritage Trail Web site, a rack card, two thematic brochures and a one-time revision of the original St. Croix Heritage Trail brochure and map.
Buckingham said the costs of developing an interpretive booklet and printing the other publications are not funded.
"Marshall and Sterling has made the contribution for printing the rack card," she said. "We will have to depend on outside grants and corporate contributions to carry out several important initiatives of the Heritage Trail program. Among these initiatives is more intensive training for taxi drivers and tour operators on the use of the Trail."
Significant progress was made in the project’s first year with the printing of 25,000 copies of the Heritage Trail brochure and map and the placement of directional road signs along the route.
Several publications have featured articles on the island’s newest tourism product, the latest being a 10-page piece in the February issue of Caribbean Travel and Life magazine.
The Heritage Trail, named one of 50 National Millennium Legacy Trails in the United States, highlight historic buildings and ruins, visitation sites and nature areas .
Turnbull is scheduled to dedicate the Heritage Trail on March 15 in Frederiksted.

Christinita Euxora Scatliffe of Sion Farm died Saturday, Feb. 10 at Beth Israel Hospital in New York. She was 65.
Funeral services will be held at noon Friday, Feb. 16 at Lord God of Sabaoth Lutheran Church, with a viewing preceding the service beginning at 11 a.m.
Interment will follow at Christiansted Cemetery.
She is survived by her husband, Gene Scatliffe; daughters, Maybelline "Sahi" Brooks and Julia Maranda Scatliffe; son, Michael Maranda Scatliffe; step-son, Kevin Scatliffe; sister, Evelyn Bascombe; brother, Carl Maranda; grandchildren, Shonde-Lashel Walker, O'Shanna Thomas, Shadae Peters, Waynia Charles, Michael Thomas, Shadi Peters, Kahlaya Goodwin, Kevin Scatliffe, O'Shawn Scatliffe, and Wayniard Charles; great-granddaughter, Shonneth Gittens; sons-in-law, Everette Goodwin and Anthony Lewis; sister-in-law, Gloria Maranda; brothers-in-law, St. Clair Berry and Elroy Bascombe Sr.; daughter-in-law, Myrtle Solomon.
She is also survived by nieces, Yvonne Maranda, Lorraine Maranda, Desiree Maranda-Sewer, Jesmi Maranda-Cartier, Patricia Essanason, Deichelle Berry, Sharon Bascombe, Lorna, Yvette Maranda, T'Nell Maranda, Janeen Maranda, Indira Liebert, Tamisha Berry, Sharisse Bascombe, and Shelima Bascombe-Jones; nephews, James Maranda, Anthony Galloway, Gregory Galloway, Elroy Bascombe Jr., and Hubert Rosenburg; special cousin, Bernadette Hansen; along with numerous great-nieces, great-nephews, relatives, and friends.
Funeral arrangements are under the care of James Memorial Funeral Home.

Qi gong – pronounced "chee goong" – is a meditation exercise for cultivating the "three treasures" of chi (vital energy), jing (essence) and shen (spirit). Using the mind, the breath and bodily movement, it activates the flow of intrinsic life energy along the meridians; strengthens the internal organs; exercises the bones, joints and muscles; promotes relaxation and stress management; and expands self-awareness on all levels.
Qi gong, also sometimes spelled chi kung, provides the essence and base for a healthy, happy and harmonious life. Tai chi is one form of qi gong that has gained popularity in the United States.
Qi (meaning energy) gong (meaning work) is a Chinese health method of exercise that combines slow graceful movements with mental concentration and breathing to increase a person's vital energy. It is part of traditional Chinese medicine, which states that sickness arises when the flow of one's vital energy is blocked. The practice of qi gong frees the energy, regulates the person, and strengthens his/her health, preventing diseases.
Sometimes called the Chinese Fountain of Youth, these exercises are an inexhaustible source of peace and health, and an excellent way to keep in shape, manage the tension and stress of daily life, and prolong vitality.
Scientific research has demonstrated that qi gong is a very complete system of exercise that benefits all the organs and systems of the body in the following ways:
Cardiovascular system: by decreasing heartbeat and increasing the blood supply and cardiac volume (thus improving the ventricular function), increasing blood circulation to the body extremities and brain. and regulating blood pressure.
Respiratory system: by regulating breathing, and increasing pulmonary and alveolar ventilation.
Digestive system: by improving the stomach and intestinal functions; regulating and strengthening peristalsis; accelerating bowel movements and eliminating gas; and toning the liver and pancreas.
Nervous system: by protecting the cerebral cortex through an inhibitory mechanism; and by regulating the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
Endocrine system: by regulating and improving the endocrine functions of the pituitary, thyroid and adrenal glands, ovaries, testicles and pancreas.
Immune system: by correcting and improving the function of the thymus; increasing the number and efficiency of T-lymphocytes; and increasing the immunoglobulins and histiocytes (cells that protect the body against infection) and their activity.
Locomotive system: by strengthening bones, thus preventing osteoporosis; and by increasing the elasticity of muscles and tendons.
Metabolic system: by regulating the metabolism of lipids (cholesterol triglyerides) and sugars.
Qi gong is a soft type of exercise that has been cleverly designed to harmonize perfectly the positive (yang) and negative (yin) forces in the body, balance the mind, control the life energy (chi), and take you entirely into a state of deep calm, of moving meditation.
In qi gong, the movements must be executed slowly, without hurry, fully living in the present time. It has been described as "a natural method where the body through its activity is the source of its own health."
It is important that the breathing be done slowly, calmly and naturally, using the diaphragm muscle. You need to breathe in through the nose, and to breathe out first through the mouth and then through the nose.
As you do the execises, the body is relaxed, loose from the head to the feet, as if made of rubber. The shoulders and elbows are dropped down, and the abdomen is always relaxed. You keep your back straight.
It is essential to avoid the distractions and worries of everyday life. You should approach your qi gong practice as an opportunity to slow down the restlessness and detachment of your body and mind.
The exercises are directed by the mind. You focus your attention on the movement of the body as a whole – and especially on the hands, the spine and the dan tien, an energy center of the body situated four fingers below the navel.
The practice of qi gong will help you find the physical and mental balance that you are seeking through the combination of breathing, relaxation and inward gaze.

Editor's note: Dr. May Trieu, a St. Thomas resident, is a medical doctor, an acupuncturist and a master of qi gong, which has been practiced in China for at least 4,000 years and is practiced by some 90 million people in that country today. Interested in teaching the discipline in the community, Dr. Trieu recently gave a free introductory class in Frenchtown and plans to offer others, at times to be announced. She may be reached by telephone at 774-1420.

"Reclaiming Our Northside Roots: A Family History Workshop, " will be sponsored by the St. Croix Landmarks Society at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 4 at St. Gerard's Hall.
If you have northside "cousins" who are family but you don't know how, this workshop may help you discover those family connections.
For more information contact Carol Wakefield at 772-0598.

Qi gong – pronounced "chee goong" – is a meditation exercise for cultivating the "three treasures" of chi (vital energy), jing (essence) and shen (spirit). Using the mind, the breath and bodily movement, it activates the flow of intrinsic life energy along the meridians; strengthens the internal organs; exercises the bones, joints and muscles; promotes relaxation and stress management; and expands self-awareness on all levels.
Qi gong, also sometimes spelled chi kung, provides the essence and base for a healthy, happy and harmonious life. Tai chi is one form of qi gong that has gained popularity in the United States.
Qi (meaning energy) gong (meaning work) is a Chinese health method of exercise that combines slow graceful movements with mental concentration and breathing to increase a person's vital energy. It is part of traditional Chinese medicine, which states that sickness arises when the flow of one's vital energy is blocked. The practice of qi gong frees the energy, regulates the person, and strengthens his/her health, preventing diseases.
Sometimes called the Chinese Fountain of Youth, these exercises are an inexhaustible source of peace and health, and an excellent way to keep in shape, manage the tension and stress of daily life, and prolong vitality.
Scientific research has demonstrated that qi gong is a very complete system of exercise that benefits all the organs and systems of the body in the following ways:
Cardiovascular system: by decreasing heartbeat and increasing the blood supply and cardiac volume (thus improving the ventricular function), increasing blood circulation to the body extremities and brain. and regulating blood pressure.
Respiratory system: by regulating breathing, and increasing pulmonary and alveolar ventilation.
Digestive system: by improving the stomach and intestinal functions; regulating and strengthening peristalsis; accelerating bowel movements and eliminating gas; and toning the liver and pancreas.
Nervous system: by protecting the cerebral cortex through an inhibitory mechanism; and by regulating the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
Endocrine system: by regulating and improving the endocrine functions of the pituitary, thyroid and adrenal glands, ovaries, testicles and pancreas.
Immune system: by correcting and improving the function of the thymus; increasing the number and efficiency of T-lymphocytes; and increasing the immunoglobulins and histiocytes (cells that protect the body against infection) and their activity.
Locomotive system: by strengthening bones, thus preventing osteoporosis; and by increasing the elasticity of muscles and tendons.
Metabolic system: by regulating the metabolism of lipids (cholesterol triglyerides) and sugars.
Qi gong is a soft type of exercise that has been cleverly designed to harmonize perfectly the positive (yang) and negative (yin) forces in the body, balance the mind, control the life energy (chi), and take you entirely into a state of deep calm, of moving meditation.
In qi gong, the movements must be executed slowly, without hurry, fully living in the present time. It has been described as "a natural method where the body through its activity is the source of its own health."
It is important that the breathing be done slowly, calmly and naturally, using the diaphragm muscle. You need to breathe in through the nose, and to breathe out first through the mouth and then through the nose.
As you do the execises, the body is relaxed, loose from the head to the feet, as if made of rubber. The shoulders and elbows are dropped down, and the abdomen is always relaxed. You keep your back straight.
It is essential to avoid the distractions and worries of everyday life. You should approach your qi gong practice as an opportunity to slow down the restlessness and detachment of your body and mind.
The exercises are directed by the mind. You focus your attention on the movement of the body as a whole – and especially on the hands, the spine and the dan tien, an energy center of the body situated four fingers below the navel.
The practice of qi gong will help you find the physical and mental balance that you are seeking through the combination of breathing, relaxation and inward gaze.

Editor's note: Dr. May Trieu, a St. Thomas resident, is a medical doctor, an acupuncturist and a master of qi gong, which has been practiced in China for at least 4,000 years and is practiced by some 90 million people in that country today. Interested in teaching the discipline in the community, Dr. Trieu recently gave a free introductory class in Frenchtown and plans to offer others, at times to be announced. She may be reached by telephone at 774-1420.

In a letter to Senate President Almando "Rocky" Liburd, freshman Sen. Douglas E. Canton Jr., chairman of the Committee on Health and Hospitals, has protested the jurisdiction and protocol of a Finance Committee public hearing scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday in St. Croix.
Calling the Finance hearing "an unnecessary and unwarranted encroachment on the health committee," Canton has asked Liburd to intervene with Finance Committee Chairwoman Alicia "Chucky" Hansen's hearing to "address the issue of the Ingeborg Nesbitt Clinic in Frederiksted under the guise of 'Potential for lost Revenues to the Department of Health.'"
Canton said he has a scheduled meeting with leaders of the Frederiksted clinic, and they are scheduled to testify at a Health and Hospitals Committee meeting at 9 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 22, on St. Croix and at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 28, on St. Thomas.
Canton told Liburd he has already met with the Juan F. Luis Hospital board "and, as you are aware," he said, "we are scheduled to meet with the Roy L. Schneider Hospital Board Tuesday." Liburd is vice-chair of the Health and Hospitals Committee.
Canton said Hansen or any other senator is always welcome to participate in Health Hospital Committee meetings.
In a release issued late Monday, Hansen said any revenue impact issues dealing with health or any other area come under the purview of the Committee on Finance. She said the clinic is now closing at 5 p.m. and on weekends, and many Frederiksted residents sounded the alarm. "If the clinic is closing for financial reasons," Hansen said, "we need to know."

In a letter to Senate President Almando "Rocky" Liburd, Senator Douglas E. Canton Jr., chairman of the Committee on Health and Hospitals, has protested the jurisdiction and protocol of a Finance Committee public hearing scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday in St. Croix.
Calling the Finance hearing, "an unnecessary and unwarranted encroachment on the health committee," Canton has requested Liburd to intervene with Finance Committee Chairwoman Alicia "Chucky" Hansen's hearing to "address the issue of the Ingeborg Nesbitt Clinic in Frederiksted under the guise of 'Potential for lost Revenues to the Department of Health'."
Canton said he has a scheduled meeting with leadership of the Frederiksted clinic, and they are scheduled to testify at a Health and Hospitals Committee meeting at 9 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 22 on St. Croix, and at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 28 on St. Thomas.
Canton told Liburd he has already met with the Juan F. Luis Hospital board, "and, as you are aware," he said, "we are scheduled to meet with the Roy L. Schneider Hospital Board Tuesday." Liburd is vice-chair of the Health and Hospitals Committee.
Canton said Hansen or any other senator is always welcome to participate in Health Hospital Committee meetings.
Neither Liburd nor Hansen was available for comment late Monday afternoon.