Relocating with 11 year boy

Melia,

First I would recommend you look over the moving guide information on this site - scroll to the top of this page and select Moving Guide. I would also recommend you order A Settlers Handbook for guided information on Moving, Schools, Shipping, Government, Employment and more - you can order this from http://www.vitraders.com off the home page or in books.

Will your son be attending public school or private school? There are social activities; baseball, basketball, Boy Scouts... there are functions for kids, fishing tournaments for children, the Pistarckle has summer camps for children to learn to act and perform a play, schools usually have plays and some have dances but usually this is in the junior high and up level, some schools have classroom parties from time to time.

Anything in particular you might want to know, always a good idea to ask specific questions so that you can get direct answers to your concerns. For example sports you son my currently play that you might want to know, things he likes to do??

--Islander

He would most likely be going to Antilles school. He likes baseball,basketball,track,tackle football. I understand you can't play tackle football until high schooll at Antilles, Does St. Thomas have sports for 6th graders that are not affilated with the schools that he could join like here in Texas? Also do you here anything about how the kids like Antilles? What about neighborhoods? Are there neighborhood that houses are close like in the states so my son could ride his bike to friends in the neighborhood, or aremost of the houses spread out. our price range for a home would be 350K-500K with that in mind, what neighborhood or part of St. Thomas would you recomend? What part of the island is Antilles school located. I have been reading about the racial profile, we are white. It does not bother us at all to be in the minority over there, as long as I don't feel that people don't like stateside people moving to their beautiful island. I know I have asked alot of questions, thanks for your response.. Oh yes my husband want to know how easy it is to get lays potatoe chips or other brand and the approximate price:) just curious Melia

Hello Melia,

Glad to see you asked more specific questions 🙂 I think most people are for some reason or the other scared to just ask things that come into their mind or that they are curious about - however it makes it much easier to address your concerns when they are more specific. And thats really what this message board is for - So lets see if I can help and if others will help out too.

Antilles is a great school, one of the best private schools in the USVI. The school itself offers a great deal of sports and activities for students to partake in; baseball, basketball, track, wrestling, volleyball, plays, quiz bowl... As for tackle football - to my knowledge no schools junior high or highschool have tackle football... almost all the highschools have football but its flag football not tackle. I have never seen a tackle football game on St. Thomas - maybe this has changed recently but I dont think it has. Perhaps Antilles has a tackle football team - but I don't think any of the other schools do. The school vs. school compitions are flag football.

As for sports not affliated with schools - well yes baseball - thats really the only one I can think of. There are baseball teams that are not school affliated many times its the same students that play for the school teams that play in these 'neighborhood' teams. So once he is attending Antilles you might go to PTA and ask parents about out of school baseball teams. I worked with a Mother who had two boys that played baseball with a non school team several years ago, the teams would travel to St. Martin, Mexico an other places to compete in tournaments. Such activities although very much enjoyed and good for the children are not as avaialable as they should be and take a great deal of parents involvement to make happen.

Antilles is a small school, and from the students I have known that attending school there I think most of the overall school students enjoy their education and attendance there.

Antilles is located in Frenchmans Bay area, which is on the south-east of the island. Frenchmans Bay area is a great neighborhood, pricey but very nice. There was a lady on the board last week talking about the home she just moved to in Frenchmans Bay area - she recently moved to the USVI - perhaps you could search for her post or maybe she will read this one and give some feedback about the area.

Other good areas you might consider which of course will be further from the school are areas of Northside (Dorothea, WIntberg, Mandahl, Hull Bay....) East End - Bolongo, Cowpet.... Your real estate agent would be able to assist with this.

Most areas of St. Thomas are hilly and make for riding bikes to and from houses difficult, most times parents drop their children off at friends houses. Parents often form sort of a car pool system, one parent might take 6 kids to the beach or the movies today, another parent with same group to the movies the following week. Pick them all up from the game the weekend following, makes it easier that way. I would not recommend kids ride bikes along in the VI roads - most roads are car traffic roads and without sidewalks, a dangerous situation. If your son likes to ride his bike, you might do like other parents and put the bike in the trunk or SUV (as many drive) or the trunk of your car and go down to UVI grounds and ride there where there is open grassy spaces and less traffic on the roads or down to Magens Bay in the afternoons where lots of families walk for excercise while kids ride bikes or rollerblade.

As for racial situations; well first off if you and your son are used to largely white communities moving to a 80% Black 15% white community might be a bit of a culture shock, quickly get over that though unless you for some reason or the other have your own personal opionions of the majority. Antilles School is fairly 'mixed' in terms of race and because it is small most kids get to know each other just fine. Because Antilles is considered a school to which students whos parents are well off go as is the case for most private schools in the VI - some students from other schools create a school vs. school dislike> often you see this more in town - as all students wear uniforms (ANtilled does not) and so you can identify a student to a school, and young kids often tease or provoke students from private schools. Antilles is not really around other schools so I dont think this happens as much. As for adults; most people just get along. There is of course a feeling among locals that 'white people' (which is what they call Americans from the states and not necessarily white natives) come to the islands to live for a little while, enjoy, work and get rich in business and leave> this goes back to the history of the islands: however really doesnt affect the general relationships that locals have with new residents from the states. It does come out if for some reason a local feels slighted by something you might say or do. It isn't hatred in any way and you will not feel disliked. Racial tensions do not readily exisit in St. Thomas, unless provoked.

LOL - It is quite easy to get Lays potatoe Chips. You might go the Moving Guide at the top of this page, select Island Living - in that sub topic you will find Cost Of Living and Availbility as to topics - read them, there is a grocery list with lots of items you can see the prices there. There is no sales tax - so the price listed is the price you pay.

Hope this helps.

--Islander