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Schools (not Pirates)
of the Caribbean... |
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We found some great
teachers & students to help in 2009 / 2010!
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Shakia studying his flash
cards
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In 2008/2009 we focused on three Caribbean
school-based projects, summarized below, and we plan to find
new schools for 2010. Would you like to help? We are taking
charitable donations in cash (these are tax-deductible) and
in-kind donations of children's books, art supplies, school
supplies, dictionaries, some textbooks, and some reference
books. Cash donations are put toward purchasing items on teachers'
"wish lists" and for shipping the items to the Caribbean.
Although we work hard to find shipping "angels"
to donate shipping services, we still incur some shipping
costs. Items will be shipped to the schools and then we follow
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Learning
to read at the Special
Education School in Nevis
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up in person and re-visit the schools.
Please e-mail
us if you'd like to help. If we don't answer right away,
we are either at sea or at anchor in a place without a reliable
Internet connection, so please bear with us thank you!
Throughout the 2007 to 2008 winter
season in the Caribbean we were struck by the beauty of
the islands and the people. St. Vincent and the Grenadines,
Dominica, and Nevis are three independent countries with
tourism-based economies and an average of 25% unemployment.
Outside of the resorts, the charter boats and the cruise
ships that call for the day, these economies are struggling.
We are concerned about the potential negative effects on
these economies due to the global economic slowdown in 2008/2009.
For example, on the tiny island of Nevis, the Four Seasons
Resort accounts for one-third of the GDP and 50 percent
of the work force. The resort is closed in the winter of
2008/2009 because of damage from Hurricane Omar, and the
economy is feeling the effects. The teachers we met are
dedicated and devoted to their schools and could certainly
use more resources than their governments can provide.
April 2009
Update!
Stephanie Browne Primary School
• Union Island, St. Vincent and the Grenadines
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Hooray! The children's books donated
by Hands supporters are unpacked by eager students
at the Stephanie Browne Primary School
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Thanks to Erika's
Marine Services, which is run by Heather Grant, the
local Boaters
for Books representative, the boxes of children's
books donated by Hands supporters arrived successfully at
Union Island. Heather's assistants, Chille and Shereeze Alexander,
had picked the boxes off the boat from St. Vincent two days
before Hands Across the Sea sailed into the harbor of Clifton
so the books were waiting for us! The next day, with
the help of a local bus driver, we carted the books up and
over the hill to Stephanie Browne Primary
School where we greeted the Principal, Mrs. Lorette Coy-James.
Before Lorette was named school principal, she was a candidate
for a Bachelor degree in Education Administration from the
University of the West Indies. As part of her senior project,
she raised funds and organized a room to create a school library
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Mrs.
Lorette Coy-James, the school's Principal, gives the
new Xerox printer/photopier a warm pat
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at Stephanie Browne Primary. The
library is a sunny, bright room with a large table and chairs
in the center, a smaller table and chairs and reference
section around the periphery, and now has a full-time librarian.
Lorette had asked us for specific
texts to encourage young readers and generate excitement
about reading. With the help of book donors whose children
had grown, we were able to fulfill her request for Berenstain
Bears, Thomas the Tank Engine, Dr. Seuss, and Disney's Wonderful
World of Reading, among other popular children's books.
We spent the rest of the morning sorting books to assist
the librarian with her huge cataloging task. A few students
helped us mostly by pulling books from the piles
and taking them to the corner to read! Two kind Hands' supporters
had donated a digital printer/photocopier to the school,
and we can attest that it was in near-constant use. Two
office assistants were busy printing and copying exams.
The following day, Harriet spent the morning at the school
working with the sixth grade class to write thank you notes
to book donors, and reading to the first grade. The first
graders filed into the library and sat rapt on blankets
on the floor while she read Maurice Sendak's Where the
Wild Things Are and Amos and Boris by William
Steig. It's hard to say who had more fun!
March 2009
Update! •
Newtown
Primary School • island
of Dominica
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Newtown
Primary students with their new books
and bookcases. Thank you, Hands donors!
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They made it! The 10 boxes of children's
books donated by Hands Across the Sea supporters have made
247 schoolkids at the Newtown Primary School, on the island
of Dominica, very happy. Shipment and customs clearance of
the books was accomplished with the vital help of Kathy Oberle
of the non-profit organization Boaters
for Books, the trucking company AIT
Worldwide, the shipping company Tropical
Shipping, and the Dominica Lion's Club. Along with
Solange Payne, the school's French teacher, we attended a
"handing over ceremony" at the Dominica Lions club,
which had cleared the books through Customs rapidly. A huge
thank you to Boaters for Books, AIT Worldwide, Tropical
Shipping, and the Dominica Lions Club for their
assistance!
We spent the next five weeks volunteering
at Newtown Primary, a school with 247 students in grades
K through 6. Harriet tutored remedial readers, organized
the teachers' resources room, unpacked and sorted the books,
and substitute-taught on a few occasions. She was thankful
to have Betsy Baillie from the sailing yacht Belair
with her on one Friday to help teach and tame some energetic
third graders. We were rewarded with hugs at the end of
the day.
Meanwhile, TL purchased lumber
and supplies to construct 12 bookcases, one for each classroom
at the school. Building bookcases was a team effort over
several weeks and weekends. We enlisted help
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Harriet
gets a hug from Ekane, a 3rd grader
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from the principal, Jerry Coipel,
and 5th former (10th grader) Jonel Lawrence, who signed on
as part of his required community service hours. TL designed,
hand-sawed, and managed assembly of the bookcases. We received
sanding and painting help from cruisers Jim and Katie Thomsen
on the yacht Tenaya. TL, inspired by the energy of
the schoolkids, chose bright Caribbean colors for the bookshelves.
It's been a real joy to see the students and teachers cluster
around their bookcases, picking out exciting books to read.
The teachers have new books to read aloud and students have
a variety of books to choose from when it's time for silent
reading. Thank you to everyone
who donated books or made a tax-deductible cash contribution
to Hands Across the Sea. We were fortunate to witness firsthand
what your contributions mean to these students we've
been amply rewarded in hugs! Finally, if you are interested
in a volunteer opportunity on the beautiful island of Dominica,
please click here to learn about the Irie
Eco Third Annual International Summer Program.
February 2009
Update! •
Special Education School
• island
of Nevis
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Special
Education Coordinator Andrea Bussue, left, accepts
the teaching materials from Hands
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We returned to the Special Education
School, on the island of Nevis, to find the school and students
thriving. The TV, DVD player, rolling
cart, LeapPad items, and learning resources contributed by
Hands donors were prominently displayed in the courtyard for
the benefit of the local TV station as they filmed a formal
"handing over ceremony" led by the Special Education
Coordinator, Andrea
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Students
during the Christmas Program
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Bussue, and attended by the teachers
and students. The staff and
students are grateful to all the Hands donors who made these
gifts possible, and it was wonderful to see the outcome of
Hands donors' efforts. Later in the week, we
met with the teachers to create a list of resources that the
Keith Middle School (New Bedford, Massachusetts) 8th graders
can make in their art and sewing classes for the Special Education
students as part of a community service project this winter.
We also attended a delightful Christmas program the
students sang, danced, drummed, and recited poems before Santa
arrived with a gift for each child. While special education
students tend to be placed in mainstream classrooms in the
U.S., it's clear that here on Nevis, these children were thriving
being together in one school to develop skills to the best
of their abilities.
ways you can work with Hands...
network
with Hands
If you have a project in which Hands can help or
if you want to help with projects near your location that
we know about contact
us!
collect books for Hands
If'd you'd like to collect children's
books for Hands, please go to our Hands
Book Drop page
join the Hands Log eNews
group If you would like to
receive the Hands Log (e-mail
newsletter) please click
here. Just type "Subscribe" in the subject line of your
e-mail and we'll keep you updated on where Hands is and
what's next!
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