September 2006

Perfect, again!

LCS Philo and Rheto students all passed the national Baccalaureate Exam. A 100% pass rate is becoming a tradition at Louverture Cleary. Passing the national exam is required for entering university and being considered officially graduated from secondary school. Each year over 100,000 Haitian students sit for the exam. Most students take it more than once before passing. Unfortunately, many never pass. The national pass rate has dropped below 10% and is rarely over 50%. This year the national pass rate for the first round was 60%. LCS’s historic rate exceeds 98%.

 

Director of Operations Michelet Lofficial and daughter Donia, Haitian Project President Reese Grondin, and Principal Pierre Paul Hubert sign contracts for the start of a new school year.

Amanda Master (age 13) of Plymouth, IN learned about the Haitian Project and LCS when she heard Deacon Patrick Moynihan give the Baccalaureate speech at Culver Military and Girls’ Academies last May and decided that there was something she could do with her summer vacation to make a difference. Rounding up the youth of her community and calling themselves the Saints of Service (SOS), this young person followed the example of the Saints to do works of service for others.

Volunteers and staff visit with Bishop Dumas, Auxiliary Bishop of Port au Prince. From left: Gena Robinson, Monica Chiu, John McLaughlin, Bishop Dumas, Michelet Lofficial, Mary Jo Dunne, Jess Fordyce, and Pierre Paul Hubert.

Bon Jou! My name is Mary Jo Dunne and I am excited to be one of five US volunteers who are teaching in Haiti for the next ten months at the Louverture Cleary School. I am a 2004 graduate of Loras College, where I majored in Politics. I will be teaching Religion and Computers and working with students on community service projects.

One never knows what difference the simple decision to get involved will make. In the case of Tom Brady’s picking up the phone and calling The Haitian Project, it has made a world of difference for our community, delivering everything from ondemand photography work to the recruitment of architects and a thousand things in between.

Seven years ago, Tom Brady made the decision to respond to a bulletin announcement at St. James in Rockford, IL. Since that initial response, the Brady family has continued to serve THP consistently over the years. First, it was through Tom’s mission trips to LCS and his service on the THP Board of Directors. Quickly THP became a family activity. Tom’s wife, Cheryl, rounded up clothes and other donations. The staff of Tom’s store, Camera Craft, provides media assistance to help THP with everything from capital campaigns to newsletters.

Laura Brady at work at Camera Craft

Now, the next generation is stepping in to help the THP/LCS community. Laura Brady (17) and Carolyn Brady (14) volunteer weekly in THP’s Development Office. They joyfully attack everything from envelope addressing to computer tasks. When the job is too big for two, they bring their friends!