Dear Friends and Supporters, Please join me in a short walk down memory lane...
And just how did this giant leap forward come about? Through your efforts, that's how!! You have prayed, come on mission teams and built this school; sent school supplies, tons of books and shoes; donated money, supported the Feeding Program and underwritten scholarships; sent computers, reams of copy paper and cartridges; paid for toilets, land fill and electricity; brought down tools, dental equipment, toothbrushes and toothpaste. You have created Holy Cross Anglican School and turned a swampy garbage dump into a safe and loving place where children learn, grow, dream and blossom.
I am so proud of what God and all of us working together have accomplished - smile. I pray that you will continue to generously support and bless this tiny corner of God's kingdom. In spite of everything we've done, there is always more to do.....our students arrive daily to school hungry, in need of shoes,school supplies and dental care; computers require constant upkeep, electricity and supplies; more land fill is urgently needed so we can start construction on the playground and much needed pre-school; books wear out, toilets need repair and tools break. And right now, the school must build a water garden - approximate cost of $20,000US - to complete the composting toilet facility!!! I pray that you will continue the good work that Christ has begun in and through you here at Holy Cross. Please take a moment today and send a donation to:
Holy Cross Anglican School
San Pedro Town
Ambergris Caye, Belize
or make a credit card payment at www.hcefoundation.org
or mail to:
Holy Cross Education Foundation
7550 Corporate Way
Eden Prairie, MN 55436-2045
PS: Tropical Storm Karl passed by on Wednesday and all we got was tons of rain. Thanks be to God!!! School was surrounded by about a foot and a half of water (see attached photos). Could have been much worse but our hurricane season has just begun (September and October). Say prayers.
Love and hugs from the staff and students of Holy Cross Anglican School - smile.
Support Holy Cross Anglican School in San Pedro www.holycrossbelize.org
Dear Friends, Holy Cross Anglican School is four years old today!!! These past four years have certainly flown by in a whirlwind of activity bringing us to this milestone we are proudly celebrating. And, what a celebration we had on Friday - please see attached photos. The students made birthday cards, we gathered together to sing 'Happy Birthday', shared wonderful cupcakes and then everyone received a very special present. Thanks to the incredible folks at Southcrest Baptist Church in Lubbock, Texas each student (and teacher) received an age appropriate copy of the Bible for their very own - wow! Thank you Southcrest!!
School officially started on Wednesday, September 1st and everything went smoothly as students and teachers got down to the important work of learning. The school was peaceful and the students orderly - nothing short of a miracle! I'm sure this was due in large part to the fact so many teachers returned along with Mrs. Grace Williams, Principal and Mrs. Olivia Tasher, Vice-Principal. The staff just keeps getting better and better thanks to the guidance of our General Manager, Mrs. Marlene Leslie. Not only were the staff and students 'looking good', but thanks to the many volunteers who labored long and hard this summer, Holy Cross was also looking 'mighty fine' - smile.
Speaking of 'mighty fine'.....our new state-of -the-art composting toilet facility is AWESOME!!! Thanks be to God, we were able to get half of the facility up and running for the first day of school. We are currently awaiting the additional toilets which are sitting in Customs right now. Hopefully they will be delivered soon (say lots of prayers!). So far everything is working perfectly. Many thanks to the Episcopal Church Women for providing a $42,000US grant to get this project underway. We only recently found out that we'll need to build a water garden for the facility . I'm not exactly sure what that is (ask Vernon) but I do know it will cost an additional $20,000US. If you would like to contribute to the health and welfare of our children and the environment, we really need your donations!
As we celebrate a new school year, the birthday of Holy Cross, fabulous bathrooms AND Belize Independence Day - on September 21st the nation will be 29 years old - we also celebrate our friends and supporters all over the world. You have each contributed in some way to turn a desperate need for a primary school into an amazing reality. Thank you for caring and for sharing your time, talents and treasure. Please continue your support for the Feeding Program, scholarships, dental clinic, school supplies and materials. All children deserve the chance to dream big dreams. With your support and love, dreams will continue to be born and come true at Holy Cross Anglican School. Blessings, Francis
Tax deductible donations can be made through The Holy Cross Education Foundation www.hcefoundation.org
or by mail to: Holy Cross Education Foundation
7550 Corporate Way
Eden Prairie, MN 55436-2045
Contributions may also be sent directly to the School:
Holy Cross Anglican SchoolSan Pedro TownAmbergris CayeBelize
Support Holy Cross Anglican School in San Pedro http://www.holycrossbelize.org/
New composting toilet mechanics
Washing hads in the new batroom building
Holy Cross kids
Holy Cross Kids
Holy Cross Kids
Holy Cross Kids
Kids in the lunchroom
Holy Cross Kids
Hol Cross Kids
Hello friends and family,
I am writing to you to ask you to support Holy Cross Anglican School (HCAS) in the Global Giving Green Open challenge. To give you a little background, HCAS is a school in San Mateo, Ambergis Caye, off the coast of Belize. In Belize, even public education is not free. HCAS, which is funded through donation, provides pre-kindergarten through eighth grade education to 500 students. These 500 kids are the most disadvantaged on the island and would not have the opportunity of education without HCAS. Not only do these kids receive schooling at HCAS, but they also receive two meals per day; sometimes the only food they eat.
HCAS was selected as one of 20 organizations to participate in the Global Giving Green Open challenge. San Mateo is currently powered by diesel generators, making it extremely difficult and costly to consistently operate the volunteer built dental clinic and computer lab. Through GlobalGiving.org, we have the opportunity to install a combination of wind generators and solar panels. This will provide reliable, effective energy and help bolster Holy Cross Anglican School. HCAS is the only school on the Island with a computer lab this robust and large and opens its doors to adult education programming to serve the greater community. Both the dental clinic and computer lab are huge resources to San Mateo.
Through the Green Open challenge, HCAS has a HUGE opportunity to become a PERMANENT link on the GlobalGiving.org website. All we need is 50 different donors and a total of $4,000 in donations. For only $10 dollars, you can provide enough electricity for one computer for one month. For $75, you can provide enough electricity to support the dental clinic for one month. We only have until July 30th to complete the challenge, so please act quickly if this is something you feel you can support.
HCAS is a school that I fully support and believe will impact and improve the lives of thousands of children and the greater economy of Belize. By providing renewable energy to HCAS, we can help sustain this incredible place. I sincerely thank you for your thoughts and any (tax-deductible) contributions you can make to HCAS.
Lauren
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!On Sunday, June 20, thirty-five students graduated from Holy Cross Anglican Primary School. Mrs. Carol Babb, former General Manager of the Anglican Schools and currently the Deputy Chief Education Officer, was the guest speaker. Mrs. Babb told the graduates that there were great possibilities for their future, but they must remember to be self-disciplined and determined, and they would have to make sacrifices in order to excel. Mrs. Grace Williams, Principal, and Mrs. Francis Wilson, Local Manager, also had praise for the graduates and words of wisdom. Rosa Lopez (Valedictorian), Zoila Canek and Ethel Villatoro were the top students in the 2009-2010 Standard VI class.
Twenty-five students received scholarships that will allow them to attend high school. The majority of the scholarships were funded through a very generous donation from Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Kingwood, Texas. Representatives from the church were on hand to meet the graduates and to present the scholarships.
Visit from Bob the Parrot and Joey Stevens
0 comments Posted by Holy Cross Anglican School at 7:09 AM
Dear Friends, Holy Cross Anglican School was honored by a visit from the Rt. Rev. Philip Wright on Sunday, May 30th. Bishop Wright was here to administer the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist. Eleven children were Baptized, nine students were Confirmed (our FIRST Confirmation class!!) and participated in their first Eucharist. Please see photos.
The entire Holy Cross family rejoices with the eleven children who were Baptized. We are also extremely proud of the students in our first Confirmation class. The Confirmands were prepared to receive the Sacrament by School Principal, Mrs. Grace Williams and Deacon Jan Lamb from St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Durham, NC who has been volunteering as school Chaplain since January.
Bishop Wright presented copies of the New Testament (donated by friends like you) to each family who had a child Baptized. In addition he gave Study Bibles ( thanks again to our friends!) and wooden Crosses to each student who was Confirmed. What an incredibly special day!!!
UPDATE ON THE SUMMER 2010 CORPORATE DONATION MATCHING PROGRAM..........
Great news...we received a commitment of an additional $5,000 to be used as part of the corporate matching funds. Many thanks to our good friend in California!!! That brings our Corporate Match total to $20,000.00 USD!!!!!! PLEASE take this opportunity to make a donation to Holy Cross Anglican School knowing that your contribution will be DOUBLED!!! We are hoping and praying to raise $40,000 in desperately needed funds to help support our Feeding Program and building program.
All donations sent to the Holy Cross Education Foundation by credit card or check receive an equal amount from the Corporate Matching Program. All money will be given to Holy Cross to cover the school’s Feeding Program, operational and construction expenses.
The children of Holy Cross really need your help! We are committed to continue the Feeding Program which provides a healthy breakfast, mid-morning fresh fruit snack, nourishing lunch, purified water and daily vitamins to over 500 children every day who might otherwise be malnourished. The kitchen staff does a wonderful job keeping costs low but we still spend $1US per child per day. That adds up to a lot of money!!! Holy Cross needs every penny of that potential $40,000 (and tons more!) to remain the state-of-the art educational facility you helped to create. Without your contributions, we cannot be supportive of our children who are hungry, in need of uniforms, shoes, school supplies or sick. Please don't let us down. Tax deductible contributions can be sent to:
Holy Cross Education Foundation
7550 Corporate Way
Eden Prairie, MN 55344
OR, made via credit card on the Foundation's web site: www.hcefoundation.org For additional information, please feel free to contact the Chair of the Foundation Board: Brian Ostenso at bostenso@aol[dot]com
MORE GOOD NEWS: The results of the National Exam for Standard VI students (PSE) are in. I'm thrilled to report that 30 of our 37 Standard VI students passed the exam and several came within a point or two of passing. We are overjoyed with our passing rate of 81% - a great average!! Of course we always aim for 100% but several of these children came to Holy Cross with no knowledge of English - quite a hurtle to overcome in an English speaking country. Congratulations to teacher, Mrs. Joy Elliott and the many volunteers who helped tutor these young folks.
STATE-OF-THE-ART BATHROOM FACILITY: Construction continues on our new bathroom complex. (Please see photo). We are counting the days until 26 toilets and 2 large trough urinals are ready for action. Many thanks to the Episcopal Church Women for their generous grant which provided the money to get this project underway. And, a huge thank you to the many volunteers who have worked and continue to work in the hot Belizean sun to make this incredibly needed facility a reality. When completed, Holy Cross will have the most environmental friendly bathrooms in the country. We are thrilled to be ecologically sound and to get rid of the huge lines at potty break - smile.
Registration is well underway for the next school year. Once again it looks like we'll have a 'full house' and be forced to turn children away. That is the hardest thing in the world to do. With your help and continued support we hope to soon have the money needed to buy land fill. Once we can fill more of the property we can look to building a much needed pre-school and additional classrooms along with a playground...Church....art and science classrooms....and...and... The dreams for Holy Cross continue to grow. Please join in helping make them come true!!! Many thanks and blessings, Francis
Support Holy Cross Anglican School in San Pedro www.holycrossbelize.org
Holy Cross Anglican School was honored by a visit from the Rt. Rev. Philip Wright on Sunday, May 29th. Bishop Wright was here to administer the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist. The service was held at the Angel Nunez Auditorium at San Pedro High School. Eleven children were Baptized and nine students were Confirmed and made their First Communion. Those Confirmed were Isolene Bailey, Jovanni Campos, Kaira Chan, Reyna Chavez, Venancia Choc, Celia Edwards, Helen Palacio, Alba Trejo and Tamika Castro who left before the pictures were taken.
Holy Cross Anglican School rejoices with the eleven children who were Baptized and their families. We are also extremely proud of the students in our first Confirmation class. The Confirmands were prepared to receive the Sacrament by School Principal, Mrs. Grace Williams and Deacon Jan Lamb from St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Durham, NC who has been volunteering at the School since January 2010.
Bishop Wright presented copies of the New Testament to each family who had a child Baptized. In addition he gave Study Bibles and wooden Crosses to each student who was Confirmed. Many thanks to the staff members who prepared the auditorium for the service and everyone who made this such a special day!
Support Holy Cross Anglican School in San Pedro www.holycrossbelize.org
Richard Hess and Marcel Goneau, of Goneau-Hess Architectural design and construction here in San Pedro, have donated their time and expertise to make this happen for the school. They have also allowed the school to purchase all the materials to build this building at their cost.
This system is less expensive and quicker to build than a concrete building of the same size, which makes it very affordable. All future construction at Holy Cross Anglican School will be done using the SABS eco-friendly building system. For further information on this system please call Richard or Marcel at 667-7083.
Along with the actual building and the Aquatron Composting Toilet System, we are going to be building a state of the art water garden using UV lights to kill all bacteria and viruses as well as plants and limestone to purify the gray water from the school and toilets. This water then will be recycled and used to flush the toilets. The system has been designed by a volunteer in Minnesota who specializes in designing and installing water garden systems for the state of Minnesota.This will make our septic system the most advanced state of the art system in Central America. Holy Cross will keep the public updated on the building progress.
Ambergris Today
Holy Cross Anglican School
San Pedro Town
Ambergris Caye, Belize
Dear Friends, I hope you had a blessed and holy Easter and that now you're enjoying a beautiful Spring!. The students and staff here at Holy Cross definitely appreciated their two week Easter vacation. Many thanks to the volunteer team from St. Michael's, Raleigh, NC who provided a terrific Holy Week VBS to over 60 of our little ones and a Good Friday service for us all.
As always things are very busy at Holy Cross. To mention just a few....
* Our Standard VI students have taken the first part of their Primary School Exam (PSE) - Language Arts and Science. On May 4th they will take the second part - Math and Social Studies. Please send a few extra prayers their way. I hope Holy Cross will soon lead the nation of Belize in passing rate - a lofty goal but I pray for 100%!
* A class from Holy Cross recently won the Hol Chal Marine Reserve Slogan and Poster contest! Their slogan, "Save the Reef Today; Tomorrow Might be too Late!" will be the official theme of Reef Week and earned the students a free trip to the Reserve.
* Construction is proceeding on the new, state-of-the-art composting toilet system (please see the attached photos). We are all counting the days until it is finished!!! It will be the greenest school toilet system in the nation with 24 toilets, 10 urinals, 4 teacher bathrooms and 8 sinks - yea! Many thanks to the Episcopal Church Women and their United Thank Offering grant.
* We continue to be blessed with the presence of Deacon Jan Lamb from St. Luke's, Durham, NC. Deacon Jan has been such a wonderful addition to the staff assisting with Chapel, teaching Religious Education, preparing our FIRST Confirmation class(!!), counseling students and teaching math - wow! We will certainly miss her when she leaves in June.
* And speaking of Confirmation...Bishop Wright will be with us on Sunday, May 30th for Baptisms and Confirmation. We are soooooo excited!
* We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of a volunteer team from Vancouver Island University. These folks will be working with the teachers on classroom management, lesson preparation and presentation.
Holy Cross is definitely an exciting place to be! Thanks to your continuing support we hope it always will be - smile. Please take a few moments today to send your prayers and a financial contribution to the school. We are committed to providing the Feeding Program (costs $500US per day!), maintaining the Computer Center (electricity for the air conditioning costs $2,000US per month!), staffing the Library (salary of $400US per month!) and the thousand and one other things that seem to cost tons of money. Please, please, please, the students of Holy Cross need YOUR help!
Checks payable to "Holy Cross Anglican School" should be sent to:
Holy Cross Anglican School
San Pedro Town
Ambergris Caye, Belize
OR, you may make your donation through "Click and Pay" on the school web site: www.holycrossbelize.org
OR, through the Holy Cross Education Foundation; 7550 Corporate Way; Eden Prarie, MN 55344
Many thanks and blessings, Francis
