September is in many ways a time of new beginnings, similar in some ways to January. It is a new school year with new routines and new children and new teachers. At the Apparent Project, we are thankful for our new beginnings this year.
The past school year was very difficult for us due to financial difficulties, political upheaval in Haiti, and the effects of the virus on the world. The summer brought more turmoil with the assassination of the Haitian President and the devastating earthquake followed by tropical storm Grace. Trauma, uncertainty, fear and sadness has affected the entire nation. We are thankful that our staff members were not directly impacted by these events, but several staff members have families in the earthquake area whose homes were damaged badly. Thank you to those who provided emergency funds. We were able to help these families rebuild their homes.
New beginnings this September at Apparent Project. We started school for our Early Learning Center (infants-preschoolers), our Elementary School (kindergarten-4th grade), and our AP Institute (teens and adults) on Monday, September 6. Currently we have 75 children and 28 teens and adults attending our programs. Many of them have returned from last year but we do have a few new students at each level of our school.
With the growth of our school, we have added some new staff members and we would like to briefly introduce them to you.
Peterson is our new 4th grade teacher. He taught elementary school for 9 years before coming to the Apparent Project. He is happy to have a small class with the supplies and books that he needs to teach the children effectively. We hired him last spring so we would be ready for this fall. He is married & has a son who is a toddler.
Joanna is our new 3rd grade teacher. She has also taught elementary school before coming to the Apparent Project. She is married & has a daughter. During her interview we felt good about hiring her but decided to have Peterson give his opinion. He agreed with our assessment of Joanna, so we hired her. We decided it would be good for them to get to know each other & check out the facility. That’s when we found out that they already knew each other. Both had been teaching at the same school, and Peterson had no idea she had applied for the job!
Eltha is our new kindergarten teacher. She showed up with her resume the same day we discovered that our current kindergarten teacher decided to go to France for a three-month training! And it was just days before school began! It’s amazing how God brings people to us at just the right time! Welcome, Eltha!
Roselene is our new toddler assistant teacher. She is married and due to have her own baby at the end of October. Before coming to the Apparent Project, Roselene taught elementary school. She has always wanted to work with younger children and is happy to be with the toddlers. (And… Surprise! She just gave birth to a sweet baby this week!)
Angelo, our part-time physical education teacher, started last spring. Angelo’s parents are happily married. He has 5 brothers & 1 married sister. They all live together. He loves Jesus and he loves kids. When he is not at the Apparent Project, Angelo teaches physical education at other schools and coaches soccer.
Odely is our new guard. He is so excited to have a job with us and we are just as excited to have him! He has 4 kids and a grandchild in the US and is stepfather to 4 kids in Haiti.
Hacheley is our new AP Institute intern and instructor who is working with Pierre. He is 20 years old and lives in the neighborhood with his mom & dad and brother & sisters. Hacheley’s brother and 3 of his sisters also attend school the Apparent Project. Hacheley has graduated from Haitian high school & has completed our English and computer skills training program. He is now taking advanced software classes at API while he helps teach beginning students at API.
Elsie, who started last Spring, is our new housekeeper. She is such a happy person! A great addition to the team! She loves to clean! And she loves kids. In addition to her work at AP, she is planning to continue her schooling. We are delighted that she has this goal, and gladly support her efforts.
Follow our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/apparentproject to learn more about these new employees as well as those who have been with us longer. They all have amazing stories to tell and you won’t want to miss them! Check out our Instagram page @apparentprojecthaiti to see the fun pictures & videos that capture the atmosphere of AP Haiti!
