PARAMARIBO, Suriname – New Horizons project partners participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony July 28, 2011, at the Lagere Technische School IV, officially opening the building for use at the school.
New Horizons is a partnership and cooperative humanitarian mission between the Suriname government and U.S. Southern Command, with the goal of helping the people of Suriname.
The ceremony began with the playing of the national anthems of both countries.
Airmen of the 555th and 820th RED HORSE Squadrons with Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., stood in formation while Lt. Col. John Blackwell, New Horizons task force commander, addressed the audience which included the LTS IV school principal, Surinamese government representatives, and other New Horizons 2011 participants.
“All the New Horizons participants worked as team members who bonded together, like bricks and mortar, to make the LTS IV facility project a success,” said Blackwell.
U.S. Ambassador John R. Nay detailed the long-standing impact of the LTS IV project on Suriname’s vocational education system.
“This state of the art LTS IV building is a tangible, humanitarian and civic assistance program that will house the first multimedia center for information technology within the vocational educational system of Suriname,” said Nay.
H.E. Lamure Latour, the Surinamese minister of defense, and H.E. Raymond Sapoen, Suriname’s minister of education and community development, also remarked on the New Horizons partnership and the impact of the facility.
“On behalf of the government and the people of Suriname, I must say that we appreciate this assistance,” said Latour. “The construction of these three classrooms will surely contribute to a more suitable and satisfying education experience for both the students and teachers of LTS IV.”
Outside the newly completed facility Nay, Latour, and Sapoen unveiled a plaque donated by the 820th airmen, cut a red ribbon and opened the school’s door for ceremony guests and future students.
LTS IV is one of the many examples of engineering projects that have been recently completed during New Horizons 2011 to benefit the people of Suriname.