All Saints Cathedral School has launched an $11 million capital development campaign, and will debut its signature event Feb. 24 – a Mardi Gras Ball.
The Anglican school opened its doors in Charlotte Amalie on Garden Street, next to the cathedral, about 50 years ago. Beginning with the lower grades, it grew until it served students from kindergarten through senior year of high school. Its alumni include many of the territory's most prominent citizens.
All Saints now teaches 473 students and that's "more kids than they can handle" at the Garden Street facility, according to Catherine L. Mills, chairman of the Capital Development Committee.
Working with the Vestry of All Saints, the School Board, the Bishop's Office and others, the committee has set out to raise enough money to build a new school, while making improvements to the existing structure. Target date for the start of construction is the end of 2002.
"It's a united effort," Mills said. "There's so much work to do in a task this large that we need help from everyone."
Help is coming not only from groups within the church and school, but from the community at large. The Hartman family started things off by donating a 6 ½-acre plot of land in the Fort Mylner area near Tutu to be the site of a new school.
"The land is absolutely breathtaking in its beauty, its quietness," Mills said.
Already, she said, All Saints has received offers of design services from Jaredian Design Group and William Karr and Associates, survey work from Brian Associates, an access road from Island Roads and office space from Lockhart Caribbean.
The committee is looking for major grantors but also will sponsor three major fund-raisers per year, Mills said. It already held its first fund-raiser in December, a Karoke Night. The third event remains unannounced.
The upcoming Mardi Gras is meant to be the centerpiece in more ways than one. The sponsors hope it will become a highlight on the community's social calender after this introductory year.
The dinner-dance will be Feb. 24 at Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort. In keeping with the Mardi Gras theme, guests are encouraged to wear costumes and/or masks. P'Your Passion will entertain and dinner will be New Orleans style. Tickets are $100 and can be purchased at Draughting Shaft, Petite Pump Room, Sunrise Pharmacy in Red Hook and the All Saints school office.

Pianist Terrence Wilson, known as one of today's most gifted young instrumentalists, will perform at 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 14, at Tillett Gardens.
Wilson has appeared with major orchestras around the country, including Atlanta, San Francisco, Baltimore, Colorado and Houston. He has collaborated with conductors Yoel Levi, Andrew Litton, Marin Alsop, Neeme Jarvi and Christoph Eschenbach.
For ticket information call 775-1929, or tickets are on sale at the Tillett Gardens Art Gallery. Tickets can be purchased for concert seating in the garden, or a dinner and concert package is available.

Gov. Charles Turnbull on Friday nominated the former president of the St. Croix Federation of Teachers, Cecil Benjamin, as the next commissioner of Labor.
Along with heading the St. Croix teachers' union, Benjamin was the chief negotiator for both the St. Croix and St. Thomas AFT chapters. He will take over as acting commissioner from John Sheen, who has been in charge since Sonia Jacobs Dow stepped down as commissioner in October.
Dow resigned amid criticism from employees within Labor as well as Sen. Roosevelt David, the 23rd Legislature’s chairman of the Labor and Veterans Affairs Committee. The department’s management of workers' compensation and other divisions has been under scrutiny because of complaints from customers as well as from Labor employees.
Dow also was criticized by Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg, among others, for the department’s failure to monitor employment practices at the Virgin Islands Telephone Corp.
Benjamin has a Bachelor of Science degree from Inter-American University and a Masters in Education from Temple University. He was born in Guyana and is married to Ferryneisa Benjamin. The couple has two children.

Eric Leander Brown, age 77, of #77 Estate Sion Farm, died Thursday, Feb. 8 at Juan F. Luis Hospital.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 15 at Friedensfeld Moravian Church. A viewing will begin at 10 a.m.
Burial will follow at Kingshill Cemetery.
Funeral arrangements are in the care of James Memorial Funeral Home.

Harbour Night, a Caribbean street festival, will take place 7 p.m. to midnight Wednesday, Feb. 14 at Strand Street, on the waterfront in Frederiksted.
For this Harbour Night, Frederiksted welcomes 3500 cruise ship passengers and crew from Carnival Victory, three Dutch Navy ships and a large local turnout to celebrate Harbour Night Valentine's Day.
Entertainment will be provided by Noel, Dem Boys, Jazzy Blue, Xpress Band, The Karamu Afi Dance and Drums Troupe, and Willard John's Moko Jumbies.
Food, arts and crafts vendors will be on hand, along with the St. Croix Animal Shelter, American Red Cross, The Deaf Coalition, and the Boys and Girls Clubs. Other non-profit organizations that would like to participate are welcome and can register by calling Pamela at 772-1624.
There is a parking ban on Strand Street between 5 p.m. and midnight. Cars in violation will be towed.
For more information about Harbour Night call 772-4000.

Harbour Night, a Caribbean street festival, will take place 7 p.m. to midnight Wednesday, Feb. 14 at Strand Street, on the waterfront in Frederiksted.
For this Harbour Night, Frederiksted welcomes 3500 cruise ship passengers and crew from Carnival Victory, three Dutch Navy ships and a large local turnout to celebrate Harbour Night Valentine's Day.
Entertainment will be provided by Noel, Dem Boys, Jazzy Blue, Xpress Band, The Karamu Afi Dance and Drums Troupe, and Willard John's Moko Jumbies.
Food, arts and crafts vendors will be on hand, along with the St. Croix Animal Shelter, American Red Cross, The Deaf Coalition, and the Boys and Girls Clubs. Other non-profit organizations that would like to participate are welcome and can register by calling Pamela at 772-1624.
There is a parking ban on Strand Street between 5 p.m. and midnight. Cars in violation will be towed.
For more information about Harbour Night call 772-4000.
Please call 772-4000 for more information.

The Legislature’s legal counsel has declined a senator’s request to look into the constitutionality of the disparity in funding between majority and minority bloc senators.
Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg wrote attorney Constance Krigger, the Senate’s chief legal counsel, on Monday asking her to research the legality of the eight-member majority bloc’s "efforts to marginalize non-majority senators through severe budgetary constraints."
Donastorg said many of the majority bloc senators reportedly are operating with budgets "well in excess of $500,000."
However, since six of the seven non-majority senators do not chair a committee, Senate President Almando "Rocky" Liburd says that justifies their budget allotments of approximately $100,000.
Donastorg asked Krigger whether the disparate allotments constitute a violation of equal protection laws, "as all 15 members of this body were duly elected to serve the people of the Virgin Islands and are entitled to equitable resources."
"By my interpretation, the unequal allotments could very well establish unequal representation – a clear violation of the United States Constitution," Donastorg wrote.
Krigger said she couldn’t render an opinion on Donastorg's request because of the Legislature's rules, which state that the chief legal counsel’s duties are to examine, analyze and research legislative proposals.
"In that capacity, the Legal Counsel’s Office cannot issue a legal opinion on a measure that is not a legislative proposal and it cannot be involved with an issue that is purely political in nature and pits one group of senators against another," Krigger said.
She did say that past research on a similar issue found no instance that involved allocation of funds between the majority and minority members, and that included the U.S. Congress. Krigger did note that a taxpayer lawsuit could be instituted by any taxpaying resident who feels that his or her constitutional equal protection rights are being violated.
The $100,000 allotment dished out by the majority caused Donastorg to ask Liburd to direct $10,000 from his $65,000-a-year salary to his allotment so he could supplement the pay of his three remaining staff members.
Donastorg said he had to fire four of his employees because the allotments doled out by the new Senate majority to minority, non-committee chair holders was insufficient. Liburd refused the request.

The Department Of Education, in conjunction with AT&T of the Virgin Islands, will be sponsoring an art contest in celebration of Black History Month. The contest's theme is "My Black Hero is." Students in the public elementary schools who are interested in participating are encouraged to submit their entries by Wednesday.
Entries will consist of an 8-1/2 by 11 inch to 11 by 14 inch portrait of a black hero the student views as the most inspirational in his or her life, as well as a short three-sentence paragraph explaining why.
Questions and requests for information regarding the contest should be directed to Marcia Jeffers at 776-6500 ext. 4424.

The Government Employee's Retirement will hold a Pre-retirement Workshop from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 21, in the GERS Conference Room of the GERS Building, St. Thomas.

The Government Employee's Retirement will hold a Pre-retirement Workshop from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 21, in the GERS Conference Room, GERS Building, St. Thomas.