Education Committee

The Haiti Education Committee supports educational initiatives through the parish schools in our Haitian partner parish and offers enrichment opportunities like music lessons to students in the parish and creates opportunities for St. Margaret Mary parishioners to learn more and develop a greater sense of appreciation of and solidarity with our Haitian brothers and sisters.

Parish School Partnership

Our current sister parish operates 2 parish schools; Our Lady of the Assumption operates a Pre-K through grade 6 school adjacent to the main church. The parish operates a second school at the remote Our Lady of Mercy chapel where Six teachers and 150 students conduct lessons in the chapel. This school is greatly in need of a school building to provide a more suitable environment for education achievement. At Fr. Belange’s request, our education programs also include 2 privately run Catholic schools within the parish boundaries, so that a larger number of teachers and students can benefit Haiti.

The Latest in Education

In March teachers in our Haitian sister parish had 4 days of professional development. Trainers from P4H Global, an internationally recognized teacher training organization, visited our parish to work with teachers on developing skills in student engagement, assessments, and lesson planning. Thank you for supporting our Haiti Ministry!

School Garden & Orchard Program

Saturday Music Program

Students aged 9 to 14 participate in a music education program on Saturdays. After completing a six-month theory class, they begin weekly lessons on guitar or keyboard. We have offered a Women in Music workshop with a guest musician and a summer music camp.

Teacher Livestock Bonus Program

While we do not support teacher salaries, parish teachers have received livestock bonuses of cows and goats. The first offspring are returned to the parish to help support the schools. We are working on a proposal for chickens at the next teaching bonus. Before animals are provided, the teachers complete a 2-day training workshop on care of the animal.