The Results Are In! And They Are Perfect!

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The Haitian Project is thrilled to announce that Louverture Cleary School has again continued the tradition of excellence with another perfect 100 percent pass rate for the Katryèm (U.S. 9th grade) and Philo (U.S. 12th grade + 1) state exams—a particularly great achievement during this period of ongoing difficulty in Haiti. These exams are necessary for Katryèm students to move on to Twazyèm (U.S. 10th grade) and the start of the Secondaire (high school level) curriculum, and for Philo to be eligible for university acceptance.

Stephanie B., executive director of Fondation Haitian Project, The Haitian Project's partner foundation in Haiti, reflects:

This year, once again, LCS had a perfect pass rate for Katryèm students and Philo graduates on their state exams. This is absolutely remarkable, and we could not be more proud of the students and staff for successfully ending the year and for being able to rise above all the difficulties that stood in the way. The students and staff have faced a rotation this year due to COVID-19, they faced political turmoil, and rampant insecurity. These have had the most negative impact overall in Haiti but even more so on education. I am amazed to continue to see the impact of the LCS model, which provides a safe learning environment that allows students to stay focused on their studies. This is one of the biggest strengths of our school, and it makes all the difference. Year after year, LCS students remain a force, and we look forward to seeing the impact the graduates will have in the country and their communities.


Keep In Touch to receive periodic updates on our students, activities at Louverture Cleary School, and progress on the LCS Network. Together, we can build a bright and enduring future for Haiti.

 

The September Issue of Haitian Project News is Here!

LCS Dean of Students Myriam Jean Baptiste (left) stands with students at the flag raising ceremony on opening day.

LCS Dean of Students Myriam Jean B. (left) stands with students at the flag raising ceremony on opening day.

Read all about it...

A new school year has started at LCS! Following a summer that saw the assassination of the nation’s president and a devastating earthquake about 80 miles west of the school, Louverture Cleary School opened on time, equipped with experience and determination to continue its mission of forming the future leaders of Haiti.

What else is new in this issue?

  • In June, a long-awaited and highly-anticipated event occurred: The
    Haitian Project officially broke ground on its next school in Haiti's Plateau Central region in the Diocese of Gonaïves. Since then, the wall at LCS 2 (the “Model Campus”) is nearly complete, security cameras have been installed, and solar powered lights are illuminating the grounds!

  • The Haitian Project is proud to introduce the amazing Haitian faculty and staff who work every day to ensure that Louverture Cleary School is one of the very best secondary education programs in Haiti. The first of this series features LCS Principal Marjorie Mombrun (LCS ’07).

  • And all of latest THP happenings... you are not going to want to miss
    the September issue of Haitian Project News!


Keep In Touch to receive periodic updates on our students, activities at Louverture Cleary School, and progress on the LCS Network. Together, we can build a bright and enduring future for Haiti.

 

LCS Leadership Series: LCS Director of Operations Esther P.

LCS Director of Operations Esther P.

At LCS, we teach the students all the normal subjects—math, science, social studies, language—but we also teach them to care about others. We give the students an education that says the priority is not just you personally, the priority is the people around you; let other people come before you. This education is about loving your neighbor and helping those who are less fortunate.
— Esther P. (LCS '02)
LCS Director of Operations Esther Paul (LCS '02) in the Operations office at LCS Santo 5

LCS Director of Operations Esther P. (LCS '02) in the Operations office at LCS Santo 5

Esther P.'s family learned about Louverture Cleary School (LCS) when a neighbor who had been in one of the school's first classes inspired them to apply. Madame P.’s older sister and younger brother enrolled, and she entered LCS as a Rhéto (U.S. 12th grade) student in 2000, graduating in 2002. 

After receiving a degree in accounting at university in 2006, Madame P. joined the accounting staff at LCS in September 2007. Her responsibilities grew until she became the director of operations, the position she masterfully holds today.

THP: What do you like about your role in the LCS community? 

EP: I really love knowing I can be useful to others. I can be responsible for my community. Managing the staff and budget are big responsibilities which provide a sense of self-worth.

THP: How did your LCS education prepare you for your current leadership role at LCS?

EP: LCS taught me integrity, to do what is right; accountability, to be responsible for my community; and empathy, to focus on developing others. Those values prepared me for my current leadership at LCS. There are other good schools in Haiti, but students there take the education just for themselves. At LCS, we act for our community. 

At LCS, we teach the students all the normal subjects—math, science, social studies, language—but we also teach them to care about others. We give the students an education that says the priority is not just you personally, the priority is the people around you; let other people come before you. This education is about loving your neighbor and helping those who are less fortunate.

It is also an experience that reveals how important education is. Take me, for example. I come from a very poor family but now, because of my education, I can take care of my mother and my nieces and nephews. The LCS education is all about that—using one's education to help others. The fact that we do everything together—eat, study, clean the campus, wash dishes, provide pre-school and literacy classes for the neighborhood—reinforces this sense of community. 

THP: What is the most important thing you believe LCS does to encourage leadership skills in its female students, and why? 

EP: Having women in leadership positions provides a good example for our students and for all women. They see that if they have education, they can be whatever they want to be. It is not about “man” or “woman,” it is about education and how it makes a difference in everyone’s life. But I must also say that it was my mother who, though she did not go to school, always believed in education. She always said, “My children have to go to school so that they don’t have to have the same hard life that I’ve had.” My mother always believed in this.

All students at LCS, boys or girls, receive the same quality of education. I think it is the main thing which encourages the female students. Receiving the same level of education gives them self-confidence and makes them believe it is not about male or female, but about a human being who can achieve whatever he or she wants with a good education.

LCS Director of Operations Esther Paul (right) with LCS Accounting Manager Nicolenne Philomé Montuma

LCS Director of Operations Esther P. (right) with LCS Accounting Manager Nicolenne Philomé M.

THP: What role do you believe LCS and the LCS Network have to play in Haiti’s future, especially given recent events?

EP: Continuing [the mission of LCS in Haiti] produces better leaders through education. That is what Haiti needs to stand up. We will have ten times Esther; ten times Madame Marjorie M. [LCS Principal Majorie M.]; ten times the current students, boys and girls; ten times the graduates who are prepared to be productive, patriotic Haitian citizens. Graduates will be examples in their families, neighborhoods, churches. Everywhere they go, they will share what they learned at LCS and spread the good work we do here. To have 3,600 students every year makes for a very big number. Even just one person like me can have an impact on 100 people or 200 people, and now we will have 3,600 people each spreading the influence of LCS to 100 people, 200 people, and so on.

The biggest impact will be producing good leaders for Haiti. In general, Haitians believe in education—you see that when Diaspora send money to their families in Haiti, the families use it for food and to send their children to school. What Haiti lacks now is good leaders; good leaders are what Haiti needs in order to rise up. At LCS, we have our own leadership program where the older students learn to lead small groups of fellow students. Each student in the Philo (U.S. 12th grade +1) and Rhéto classes is responsible for a group of younger students in the dorms. The student leaders also supervise groups in Work Hour and in the cafeteria. The training of the student leaders starts in their first year, as they learn from their own leaders; but we also have one week before school starts when the older classes come in for leadership training. After leaving LCS, graduates can use the same methods to lead larger groups of people.

In Haiti, we have these sayings: "L'union fait la force" (unity is strength, as written on the Haitian flag); "Anpil men chay pa lou" (many hands make light work); and "Yon sel dwèt pa manje kalalou" (you can't eat gumbo with just one finger). The sense of community is important because it can help us become a better country and a better family.


Keep In Touch to receive periodic updates on our students, activities at Louverture Cleary School, and progress on the LCS Network. Together, we can build a bright and enduring future for Haiti.

 

LCS Leadership Series: LCS Head of School Ernst V.

LCS Head of School Ernst Viel teaching a leadership seminar for Philo (U.S. 12 grade +1) and Rhéto (U.S. 12th grade) students in preparation for the new school year.

LCS Head of School Ernst V. teaching a leadership seminar for Philo (U.S. 12 grade +1) and Rhéto (U.S. 12th grade) students in preparation for the new school year.

LCS Head of School Ernst V.

Ernst V.’s career in academia began as a Brother of Christian Instruction (Frères d’Instruction Chrétienne, or FIC). He spent three years in Côte d’Ivoire, West Africa, as a missionary and student of theology and education science.

Monsieur V. returned to Haiti from West Africa and worked an additional 11 years with FIC. He taught and served in various administrative roles at schools throughout Haiti, including principal and regional treasurer. During that time, Monsieur V. completed his master’s degree in education administration. He has been Head of School at LCS since 2018.

THP: What do you love about your role in the LCS community?

EV: I love working with a project that gives hope to disadvantaged youth in my country while attacking poverty at its base. LCS does not provide the fish, but it gives the necessary training for the young people to fish for themselves. This allows youth to reflect and make free choices while fundamentally improving the quality of life for those around them.

THP: What most distinguishes LCS/THP from U.S.-based charitable groups operating in the country?

EV: We work with a sector of young people that poverty would otherwise prevent from continuing their education if they didn’t have an institution like LCS to provide it. Most schools in Haiti only serve people who have the means to pay for the education. In Haiti, lack of opportunity is a significant driver of political instability. Our work at LCS allows us to give young people the opportunity to truly thrive and create better conditions for themselves and those around them. We also teach kids here that if you are not happy with the way things are, you sit down, you talk, you recognize your differences, and figure out how to resolve those differences and work together.

The challenge for Haiti in general is to be able to get people to sit down together and talk in order to get people to move in the same direction. This is why the LCS Network will be so important—to spread these ideas of working together.

THP: Why is it so important that LCS and the creation of the LCS Network are being locally led [i.e., led by Haitians]?

EV: The Haitian leadership of LCS allows the adaptation of the overall system to the unique needs of the local community. This I learned in my work with the Brothers: what works in St. Marc will not work in Les Cayes; what works in the countryside, will not work downtown. Only local Haitian leadership will best know how to translate the global objectives into local practice.

THP: What role do you believe LCS and the LCS Network have to play in Haiti’s future, especially given recent events? And why?

EV: LCS and the LCS Network have an important role to play in Haiti's future because today, more than ever, it is important to give to the disadvantaged the possibility of feeling valued, of not only dreaming of a better tomorrow but to be the actors in this better tomorrow. At LCS, academic excellence is good, but the values of community are much more important.

I think LCS will provide a model that will inspire other institutions. LCS students are taught to live in community and that is the biggest challenge in Haiti today—to get people to live and work together. The Network is not just talk; it is action, a concrete example of how the will to change becomes an institution designed to build community, understanding, and progress for Haiti.

THP: What lesson from your education has stayed with you and influences your current leadership?

EV: Fè tout byen m kapab, tout jan m kapab, pou tout moun m kapab, jiskaske m pa kapab ankò. (Do everything I am capable of, as well as I can, for as many as I can, until I can do no more.)

LCS Head of School Ernst Viel (right) pictured with members of the LCS Administration (from left): Head of Fondation Haitian Project Patrick Brun, LCS Director of Operations Esther Paul and LCS Principal Marjorie Mombrun.

LCS Head of School Ernst V. (right) pictured with members of the LCS Administration (from left): Head of Fondation Haitian Project Patrick B., LCS Director of Operations Esther P. and LCS Principal Marjorie M.


Keep In Touch to receive periodic updates on our students, activities at Louverture Cleary School, and progress on the LCS Network. Together, we can build a bright and enduring future for Haiti.

 

Welcome Back to School, LCS Students!

Louverture Cleary School Dean of Students Myriam Jean Baptiste (left) stands with students at this morning's flag raising ceremony on the opening day of school.

Louverture Cleary School Dean of Students Myriam Jean B. (left) stands with students at this morning's flag raising ceremony on the opening day of school.

The 34th school year at Louverture Cleary School has begun! This academic year is a special one with more new students entering than ever before—both a new Sizyèm (U.S. 7th grade) class and a new Senkyèm (U.S. 8th grade) class! The whole community is thrilled to welcome double the usual number of new Louverturians. Please join us in wishing the students, faculty and staff a wonderful and successful school year!


Keep In Touch to receive periodic updates on our students, activities at Louverture Cleary School, and progress on the LCS Network. Together, we can build a bright and enduring future for Haiti.

 

LCS Leadership Series: Stéphanie B., Executive Director, Fondation Haitian Project

Stéphanie B., Executive Director, Fondation Haitian Project

Stéphanie Brun, Executive Director, Fondation Haitian Project

Stéphanie B., Executive Director, Fondation Haitian Project

In October 2020, Stéphanie B. became the first Executive Director of Fondation Haitian Project (FHP), The Haitian Project’s (THP) partner foundation in Haiti and the local entity responsible for the management of school programs and the development of the Louverture Cleary Schools Network. She spent the previous 10 years working in Port-au-Prince for Chabuma S.A., a building materials and hardware retailer where she was in many different levels of operation, including management, accounting, sales, and internal control.

Prior to working with Chabuma S.A., Stéphanie studied business with a focus on entrepreneurship at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA.

THP: What experiences have you had that enhance your leadership at FHP?

SB: With my background in entrepreneurship and my experience at Chabuma, I was able to go in and out of many areas of operation. This allowed me to always hold a broader perspective in any given situation, which I feel is a really good way to operate in Haiti because things here are constantly changing. It’s really good to keep an eye on the bigger picture, to be able to assess the pros and cons at all times and be able to stay on the path to reach the objectives that have been set in the beginning. It is easy to get lost if you have a narrow sight.

I’m also not afraid to learn. In entrepreneurship, there’s an endless range of activities which require involvement, so this means that you’re constantly forced to discover, to plan, to adapt, and to learn until you master the field. And, even when you do master the field, the effort never stops.

THP: What role do you believe the LCS Network will play in Haiti's future?

SB: With the Network, we are always aware that we are working towards bettering the situation of the less fortunate here in Haiti. We are providing the opportunity for a part of the population to no longer have financial concerns when it comes to their education. We are providing the environment for them to become productive, active members of Haitian society who will contribute to the development of Haiti. That’s the bigger picture that we have to keep in mind.

THP: How does FHP work with THP to ensure Louverture Cleary Schools are locally led and operate differently from Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)?

SB: Having the ability to be self-sustaining is important. When I look around here, I don’t see anything similar to LCS — something contributing in such a sustainable long-term way to the development of this country. This is why the Project is so special to me; I’m really glad to be a part of it. When I look at many other projects, what I often see are band-aid solutions that over time can do more harm than good. I can think of an example of a well-known international organization which has operated in Haiti for many years. They build hospitals, clinics, etc. They provide facilities and infrastructure all across the country, and they even provide much of the medical equipment. The problem is that they don't do any maintenance on the facilities themselves and no maintenance on the medical equipment either. As we know, facility and equipment maintenance are musts whenever any institution stretches their operations in the long term. There is no training of local staff to do this work, so what ends up happening is these hospitals are able to serve the communities for a while but then end up closing after things break down. The communities are then left with just a structure. There is also the aspect of Haiti not having enough trained medical personnel to keep these facilities running. The lack of sustainability is not the case at LCS at all.

FHP Executive Director Stephanie Brun (left) with (from left): THP Director of New School Construction Jimi Grondin, Bishop Pierre-Antoine Paulo (now deceased, Bishop Emeritus of Port-de-Paix), and clergy from the diocese photographed while visiting…

FHP Executive Director Stephanie B. (left) with (from left): THP Director of New School Construction Jimi Grondin, Bishop Pierre-Antoine Paulo (now deceased, Bishop Emeritus of Port-de-Paix), and clergy from the diocese photographed while visiting potential sites for a Louverture Cleary School in Port-de-Paix, Haiti.

THP: What is the importance of the LCS Network being led by Haitians themselves?

SB: Some organizations have people from other countries outside of Haiti occupying the highest roles and directing the project, but this does not always have a positive effect. When a project is led by someone here in Haiti, they have a greater understanding of what the reality on the ground is. It’s very, very difficult for anybody coming from the outside to fully grasp the reality here, no matter how familiar they are with the country. The situation here can change very quickly, it can literally change from one day to the next. It has an impact on all levels of activity. You have to be able to maneuver within that reality every day.

THP: What are your thoughts on women in leadership positions throughout The Haitian Project and Haiti in general?

SB: I think that having women in leadership positions at LCS, FHP and THP is great. Historically here in Haiti, there has been a lot of machiste (machismo) in the way institutions have operated throughout the years. Today, this is no longer entirely the case, but it does very much still exist. We now find women in more areas of great influence, and it's amazing that LCS and THP provide environments for women to flourish in a majority of leadership positions. I think women tend to handle these roles with a lot of care and a lot of fairness. Very often, we are meticulous and thorough in our approach.

THP: What do you love about your role in the THP community?

SB: The Haitian Project provides the framework, a blueprint of what needs to be done to develop the Network, which is of utmost importance to what we’re doing here. I am able to communicate information between THP and FHP and be in constant contact with members of the Project at all levels.

I’m glad and grateful to be part of this amazing Project! The situation here [in Haiti] is pretty difficult, and this is one thing that really motivates me. It’s nice to have something to look forward to everyday and feel like I am contributing to something that’s positive. I feel like we are working towards something that benefits Haiti; we are literally contributing to developing a society.


Keep In Touch to receive periodic updates on our students, activities at Louverture Cleary School, and progress on the LCS Network. Together, we can build a bright and enduring future for Haiti.

 

LCS Leadership Series: Principal Marjorie M.

Marjorie M., Principal, Louverture Cleary School Santo 5 (LCS '07)

Principal Marjorie Mombrun at a school assembly

Principal Marjorie M. at a school assembly

Marjorie M. is a strong educator both in and out of the classroom, a spiritual leader through faith formation and all-school liturgical activities, and a role model for all, modeling a commitment to giving back and putting education first.

After graduating from LCS in 2007, Madame M. studied education in university at the Centre de Recherche, de Formation et d’Intervention Psychologique. In 2009, she returned to LCS as junior staff, receiving a scholarship from the Dulcich Center for Career Advancement for her university studies while working at the school.

Madame M. grew as an educator and community member, becoming dean of academics and ultimately principal, a role she has held since 2014.

THP: How did your LCS education prepare you for your current leadership role at LCS?

MM: As an alum, I already knew the system, so I fit quickly into the administration. Because of the example I had seen as a student, I had an idea about what LCS is looking for, how it works, and what daily life is like. I knew as a junior staff member how I was supposed to take part in the community, to be an example for the students, and help them to become and be great Louverturians. I was there to give for free what I received for free [Matthew 10:8].

THP: What do you love about your role at LCS?

MM: I love putting my hand in the dough to educate the future generation in so many aspects of school life. As a religion teacher, I teach them to become great Christians, to make better choices, and grow in dignity. And as an educator, I discipline them to become good citizens for the country.

I also love forming the Guides (Philo students, U.S. 12th grade +1) and Monitors (Rheto students, U.S. 12th grade) to be mentors to protect and help the youngest, and to represent the Direction (administration) in their groups and in the dormitories. When students enter in the Sizyèm (U.S. 7th grade) class, everything about the students’ style of life changes as we integrate them. For example, they are taught how to treat the trash in the compost and in the incinerator, supported in the language program [practicing and learning in the school’s four languages: Kreyòl, French, English and Spanish], and helped to work hard and excel in class. In return, they will be able to teach others and become leaders.

THP: What’s the most important thing you believe LCS does to encourage leadership skills in its female students, and why?

MM: Encouraging the leadership of female students at LCS is so important because in the family in Haiti, it is common to put women and girls in the back. Women and girls are still taught that their place is in the kitchen, not look at men in their eyes, and so on. But at LCS, we encourage girls to do what boys can do. [And, in turn, boys are taught to support their female classmates.] The leadership skills are equal for male and female students. With that, we will have better families and a better society.

THP: How do you see your role at LCS paving the way for other women in Haiti?

MM: My role creates a foundation for the female students to lead and succeed in Haiti because the female examples that I had showed me that I could inspire them [the students] to believe in themselves and work to take their place in society. This helps them to work hard in class and not be seen as weak. It shows them, too, that they could take our place as leaders and educators in the future. By the education they received, they believe that they are smart and have a lot of potential. They can always have a family and have a job. They can be whatever they want to be.

THP: What role do you believe LCS and the LCS Network have to play in Haiti’s future, especially given recent events?

MM: LCS is playing an important role [in Haiti's future] by giving a quality education to Louverturians. The education we give at LCS helps to train future leaders for the country. Those alumni will be able to spread the great culture of LCS to others throughout Haiti. Haiti will change when we put education first and change our mentality and the way we are doing things in the structures and administration of the country.

Principal Marjorie Mombrun at an LCS graduation

Principal Marjorie M. at an LCS graduation


Keep In Touch to receive periodic updates on our students, activities at Louverture Cleary School, and progress on the LCS Network. Together, we can build a bright and enduring future for Haiti.

 

Strong Earthquake Hits Southwest Haiti

Photo courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey

Photo courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey

By now, you have probably heard that a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck southwest Haiti this morning.

The epicenter of the quake was on the southern peninsula, about 20 miles northeast of the city of Les Cayes, and about 80 miles west of Port-au-Prince.

We hope you will join us in keeping Haiti and especially those in the directly affected areas in your thoughts and prayers.

It appears so far that the impact on Port-au-Prince was minimal and initial reports do not indicate any damage to our Louverture Cleary School campus outside of Port-au-Prince. To the best of our knowledge at this time, our community is safe.

There are also no reports of damage to our LCS Plateau Central site (the “Model Campus”), which is currently under construction in the Artibonite region.

As reports continue to come in, we are all hoping and praying for the best. And we remain driven to educate even more servant-leaders who will help build a future where Haiti is better able to weather the next disaster.

Thank you for your solidarity with Haiti and for your prayers.

The Haitian Project


Keep In Touch to receive periodic updates on our students, activities at Louverture Cleary School, and progress on the LCS Network. Together, we can build a bright and enduring future for Haiti.

 

Celebrating the LCS Class of 2021 with a Special Issue of Haitian Project News

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE LCS CLASS OF 2021!

Louverture Cleary School has graduated its 26th graduating class! The 50 members of the LCS Class of 2021 received their diplomas and joined the ranks of over 700 Louverture Cleary alumni who are transforming their communities and their country.

The 2021 Philo (U.S. 12th Grade + 1) class faced a challenging year. Daily activities such as class, meals, and community service included social distancing, mask wearing, and the enforcement of new hygiene practices necessary in a boarding school community. They also faced the loss of highly-anticipated activities like team sports, all-school holiday celebrations, and interaction with the surrounding neighborhood.

But they persevered, eager to move forward to embrace their call to rebuild their nation from within. Now, looking ahead toward the future, the LCS Class of 2021 is well-equipped with their formation as they go on to university, professional careers, raising families, and more.

Catch the full story in the July Special Graduation Issue of Haitian Project News. In the meantime, here are a few highlights:

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Things were difficult for us students and for the members of the Direction this year. Even if it was difficult to have a normal school year, it was important because students are the future of Haiti. Being at LCS was a sign that the objective to rebuild Haiti had not changed. We still have to work to make Haiti better.

—Lookendy Dukens C. (LCS '21)

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LCS taught me values that will stay with me for the rest of my life. Every single day of the seven years I spent in this community taught me something new. It’s not easy to achieve the seven years ─ sometimes we fall or might want to give up, but the main thing is to get up and to continue to pursue our dream because at the end of the day we know what we are fighting for.

—Barotie A. (LCS '21)

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It was very difficult for us to adapt this year.... However, as Louverturians, we can face any situation in life even if it’s difficult. For now, I have many things in mind, but one of my big dreams is to be an engineer; it’s how I will help rebuild Haiti.

—Patrice C. (LCS '21)

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For the future, my plans are to enter a university to learn Economics and find a job to help my family and people around me…. My LCS education will help me in my discipline, my abilities to work hard… whatever difficulties that could appear, I will find a way to succeed in my life because my LCS education is unique.

—Alberline D. (LCS '21)


Celebrating the Class of 2021 in Pictures

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Graduates receive their diplomas from LCS Director of Academics Marjorie M. (LCS ’07) (left) and LCS Head of School Ernst V. (right).

More photos and quotes are featured in the special July Graduation Issue of Haitian Project News!

As always, YOU are the help we have to give. Celebrate Louverture Cleary School's 26th graduating class by giving in their honor!


And look how far they've come! A few of our graduates with their Sizyèm (U.S. 7th Grade) class photos!

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Keep In Touch to receive periodic updates on our students, activities at Louverture Cleary School, and progress on the LCS Network. Together, we can build a bright and enduring future for Haiti.

 

The Haitian Project Breaks Ground on Second School in The Louverture Cleary Schools Network

The Haitian Project (THP) is thrilled to announce that we have officially broken ground on our next school in Haiti's Plateau Central region in the Diocese of Gonaïves!

Patrick Brun, head of THP’s partner foundations in Haiti and Haitian private-sector leader (kneeling, center), with workers constructing the perimeter wall of Louverture Cleary School 2

Patrick B., head of THP’s partner foundations in Haiti and Haitian private-sector leader (kneeling, center), with workers constructing the perimeter wall of Louverture Cleary School 2

Building on three decades of success at our flagship Louverture Cleary School (LCS) just outside of Port-au-Prince, this second school and "Model Campus" will be replicated to create The Louverture Cleary Schools Network, a national system of 10 top-notch, tuition-free, Catholic secondary boarding schools combined with a robust university scholarship program.

The $7.4 million Model Campus project represents Phase One of the LCS Network plan and encompasses site development and construction of the Model Campus, as well as the development of the sites and initial buildings for LCS 3 and 4.

Each new school will be established in a different diocese/department of Haiti, increasing access to quality education outside of the nation’s capital.

The Model Campus will be an anchor institution that positively integrates into the local and regional economy, providing resources and socioeconomic support to stimulate the community’s natural development. In order to enhance the stability and productivity of the school and the community in which it is embedded, THP is collaborating with local institutions, organizations and individuals to choose and execute projects with economic and environmental benefits for the greater community.

The Haitian Project Director of New School Construction Jimi Grondin assists in placing the first stones in the foundation of the perimeter wall;

The Haitian Project Director of New School Construction Jimi Grondin assists in placing the first stones in the foundation of the perimeter wall

The front perimeter wall of LCS 2, now visible above ground

The front perimeter wall of LCS 2, now visible above ground

Building upon LCS’s legacy of environmental responsibility, the Model Campus will be a catalyst for sustainability in the region. From more traditional waste management practices like recycling and composting, to hands-on experience with solar and other innovative green technologies, Louverture Cleary Schools students will gain an understanding of the importance of environmental stewardship to combat vicious cycles of environmental degradation in Haiti. The Model Campus and all campuses in the LCS Network will be 100 percent solar powered.

The Model Campus is designed to be safe and efficient with beautiful buildings that will support the comfort of staff and students. It will include dedicated spaces for an early childhood development program, soccer fields, basketball courts, and open land for agriculture and/or power production for the benefit of the school as well as the surrounding community.

As THP President Reese Grondin remarks on this exciting time in the Project's history:

Breaking ground on the Model Campus has been nothing short of momentous. It makes the Network vision concrete. And it affirms a brighter future for Haiti, built by and for Haitians themselves. There could not be a more exciting time to be a part of the THP community. I sincerely hope many more people will join us. New giving puts wind in our sails, and there is no better investment in Haiti than education!

The Model Campus graphic reveals the physical plant of LCS 2, a campus designed to be safe and efficient with beautiful buildings that prioritize energy self-sufficiency and environmental sustainability.

The Model Campus graphic reveals the physical plant of LCS 2, a campus designed to be safe and efficient with beautiful buildings that prioritize energy self-sufficiency and environmental sustainability.

Keep In Touch to receive periodic updates on our students, activities at Louverture Cleary School, and progress on the LCS Network. Together, we can build a bright and enduring future for Haiti.