Colorado Academy is partnered with a school called St. Patrick's of Nordette in the Central Plateau region of Haiti, near the city of Mirebalais.  We have a local partner there, Pierre Jeannot Joseph, an Episcopal Priest who oversees this whole region, which has more than twenty schools.  He's the number three ranking Episcopal official in the country, so you can imagine that his schedule is quite busy.

 

We are also partnered with a local non-profit in Denver called "The Road to Hope," headed up by the Harris Family and on whose board Jesse Schumacher (Director of Operations) is a member.  "The Road to Hope" is building a new school complex in Nordette which will allow the students much more room and eventually cleaner water, better sanitation, and ultimately a small medical clinic as well.  This work will directly impact the lives of countless Haitians in a positive way and allows CA students and faculty an opportunity to take part in the building of a stronger community there with ties to our own community here. 

 

Pere Jeannot and the Saint Luis family (the founders of Nordette) invited us to their annual feast and celebration, honoring their own Saint Patrick, and we were happy to accept that invitation.  Every March 15 & 16, the village celebrates and honors their patron saint with very lively and spiritual celebrations, culminating in a feast for the entire village.  Sharing this experience was amazing for the students and faculty on this trip.  With the little resources they have, the village even honored us several times throughout the celebration and provided us with a wonderful home-cooked meal.  Colorado Academy was able to give some money to the village to help make sure the feast was abundant for all who were present.  This experience certainly impacted the lives of our students and faculty in a powerful way.

We are very proud of the effort and dedication shown by our students Zach Harris, Peter Jeffries, Emma Richards, and Maddie Webster.