Student View December 2009
Elizabeth Louisma (LCS Student) and Jon Kennedy (LCS Volunteer) sort through trash collected from the streets to find bottles for recycling.
My name is Elisabeth Louisma. I am a Philo student, in the oldest class, and I would like to share with you what it means to me to be a student at LCS. Being a Louverturian not only means being educated at LCS. It’s more than that. At Louverture Cleary, we work hard every day to see our dream of rebuilding Haiti come true! Living in a community based on respect and love, work and education, we strive to make this happen.
A true Louverturian is someone who is adaptive as we need a variety of skills and knowledge to correct the wrongs in our country. We respect all people in our community, from the youngest students, called “sizyem” students, to the school administration. It is in this way that we prove that we are worthy of being members of this great family, LCS.
In addition, being a Louverturian requires love, honesty, maturity, and a sense of responsibility. Trust, in particular, is essential. As Mr. Moynihan says, “If we can’t be trusted on small things, we will never be trusted on great things.” Each Louverturian is a pearl, a candle to brighten others’ ways. We shine everywhere we go, spreading our little specks of light throughout the country and the world.
At LCS we try to reconcile work and education because only then can we achieve our goal. Goals are important because they keep people alive, they give people hope. If you have a goal, you will not be afraid of tomorrow. You have to dream, to challenge yourself, to have something that gives you a desire to see the future. It’s the secret of life. If you don’t know where you want to go, you will never know where to start. Life starts with a goal, a hope of being someone or doing something tomorrow.
Being a Louverturian means living each day dedicated to changing the situation of our country. We believe that we can accomplish our goal. It’s not something easy, and we are often discouraged. It’s something that will take forever, and every day we work toward that goal. We do this through our motto, “What we receive as a gift we must give as a gift.” We will never give up.
Louverture Cleary is where I sleep, I eat, I work, and I receive my education. A world of happiness, where dreams, work, respect, education, and love mix freely. If we are united, we will change our country. That’s my hope, my wish.
