Quisqueya Christian School

Quisqueya News: Graduation

admin — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 21:10:45 +0000

Quisqueya Christian School was proud to announce the graduation of the Class of 2010 on May 29.
Our graduation ceremony took place in the chapel and diplomas were handed out by our Chairman of the Board, Mr. Banks.
Valedictorian Rebekah Boyer delivered a speech, as did salutatorian Sasha McCarn and Quisqueya teacher Corrigan Clay.
Graduation included laughs, tears, words of wisdom, and sharing of great memories.
After receiving their diplomas, our graduates followed the tradition of moving their tassels.
Each graduate presented his or her parents with a rose as a token of their love and gratitude.
Younger high school students and members of the faculty attended graduation to support the senior class.

Here’s what’s next for a few of our new graduates:

Jessica Ackerman will attend Indiana University where she will study Business Management.
Rebekah Boyer will attend Brown University where she will be Pre-Med.
Philippe Gabriel will attend HEC in Montreal where he will study Business.
Fabrice Gehy will attend American University where he will study Business Management.
Klaus Manigat will attend Florida International University where he will study Mechanical Engineering.
Sasha McCarn will attend Virginia Tech where he will study Computer Programming.
Colin Pierre-Louis will attend Polytechnic Institute of New York University where he will study Electrical Engineering.
Josine Vervloet will attend LaSalle in Montreal where she will study Photography.
Chris Zuraik will attend McGill University where he will study Environmental Science.

Congratulations to the Class of 2010!

From the whole Quisqueya family, we wish you a happy summer. Spend lots of time reading, and we will see everyone again on August 17, our first day of school for the 2010-2011 year.

Quisqueya News: Monday, May 24

admin — Mon, 24 May 2010 21:31:17 +0000

Quisqueya students in grades Pre-K through 12 were invited to join in on a “Paint Party” last week. We spent Flag Day painting new homes built for families who lost their homes in the earthquake. One of the homes before being painted. Team Blue House prepares to paint. Students painting on Flag Day. Our students raised all the money needed to buy paint for three houses- one pink, one orange, one blue. After a long day of work, three painted houses! Mr. Heath introducing the students to the families who will live in the three newly-painted homes. This was a very special moment for the children to see who will benefit from their fundraising and effort.

Quisqueya News: Friday, May 21

admin — Fri, 21 May 2010 15:35:07 +0000

Quisqueya students have been working to raise money in order to buy paint for a set of 3 new homes built for families that were left homeless by the earthquake. The pre-fab homes, a product of Haiti’s Fondation Maxima, were built to house employees of Christian Service International in the Croix-de-Bouquets area. The paint will not only make the houses more beautiful, but will also make the homes last longer by making them more resistant to bugs and weather.

The high school students organized and executed a bake sale to raise funds for the purchase of paint.
High school students prepare to begin the bake sale.
Younger students line up to buy the goodies.
Items for sale. The cheesecake was particularly popular!
Students and teachers line up to make their purchases at the bake sale.

At the end of the sale, the high school students had raised enough money to pass the fundraising goal. We were able to buy enough paint to cover all three houses. Stay tuned in the next few days for photos and stories from the Paint Party!

Quisqueya News: Thursday, May 13

admin — Fri, 14 May 2010 01:26:45 +0000

Last weekend our high school Eagles enjoyed an evening of dinner and dancing hosted by the faculty. The dinner dance was meant as a special tribute to our senior class.
All dressed up
Jessica, our Student Council President, gave a speech on behalf of the senior class thanking the faculty for putting on the event in their honor.
Several high school students teamed up for karaoke. What a fun night!

We are all looking forward to several upcoming dates. Tuesday, May 18 is Flag Day and a school holiday. All Quisqueya students and parents are invited to join us on the Flag Day holiday for a “Paint Party” service project where we will paint newly-built homes for families who lost theirs in the earthquake.

Also, Wednesday, May 26 will be the last day of school and a half day. Report cards will be sent home with students and we will finish the school year with Kindergarten graduation, 6th grade step-up, and 8th grade promotion.

Quisqueya News: Tuesday, April 27

admin — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 15:28:21 +0000

Our 12th graders have just returned from their Senior Trip!
The seniors flew to Cap Haitien and visited the Citadel and Sans Souci Palace. They rode horses from the base of the hill up to the fortress.
Seniors exploring the Citadel.
Learning about cannons from Mr. Kilpatrick, a history teacher who was one of the chaperones.
Tour guide telling the students the story of the Citadel.
The senior class on the top of the Citadel. The views were spectacular.
Quisqueya Senior Class of 2010
Josine using her gift for photography.
Sans Souci Palace
Goddess of Drama statue at Sans Souci Palace
Sans Souci
Boarding a water taxi
Enjoying a nice dinner
Time to return home. Just a few more weeks until graduation! The seniors of 2010.

Quisqueya News: Thursday, April 15

admin — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 00:34:45 +0000

A medical team from the Blood Tribe, one of the largest Indian tribes of Canada, joined us on campus this week. Their group of doctors, nurses, EMTs, and other medical helpers has been busy at work serving Haitians at several locations.
Two leaders from the Blood Tribe medical team spoke to our students about living as part of a tribe, life on the reservation, and their medical careers. They brought along gifts of school bags and t-shirts for students.
This week several students enjoyed playing Monopoly at break and lunch time.
A freshman student works on her drawing during break time.

Now for a reading update from the English Department:

Recently, 5th and 6th grade students finished reading Bridge to Terabithia. 7th and 8th graders are reading The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, and 9th and 10th graders are reading Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations. The junior class will finish The Great Gatsby this week and will begin Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird on Monday. The senior class is wrapping up its study of Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

Speaking of the senior class, this year’s graduating students are preparing to leave on their Senior Trip this weekend. They will travel to northern Haiti to visit historical sites such as the Citadelle and Sans Souci Palace, as well as spending a little time at the beach.

All of Quisqueya’s high school students (9th-12th grade) are looking forward to our upcoming spring dinner dance on May 7th.

Quisqueya News: Tuesday, April 6

admin — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 23:19:03 +0000

Spring has sprung here at Quisqueya. We’re enjoying beautiful blooming flowers on campus.
This week QCS received messages of love and friendship from two sister schools in the United States. The Shelton School in Dallas made friendship bracelets for each Quisqueya student, and a middle school in Rochester, Minnesota sent notes of care and encouragement. Here we see Mr. Kilpatrick, middle and high school history teacher, showing off the friendship bracelets. A big thank you to our sister schools for their thoughts and prayers!
Last week also brought preparations for the Easter holiday. Mrs. Ackerman led a group of elementary actors in a skit about the meaning of Easter. We all enjoyed a four day weekend of rest, relaxation, and worship.

We have also enjoyed interesting chapel presentations lately, including the continuation of our StoryKeepers animated video series and a visit from a Brooklyn native who is in Haiti working with a construction team to rebuild an orphanage nearby.

Quisqueya News: Monday, March 22

admin — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 15:14:44 +0000

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Quisqueya students began St. Patrick’s Day by learning from Mrs. Ackerman in chapel about the biography of Patrick, patron saint of Ireland.
Many students participated in the tradition of wearing green to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, including this very creative high school student.
Several classrooms incorporated St. Patrick’s Day snacks and themes into their daily work. In English, middle and high school students read limericks and poems by Seamus Heaney, Ireland’s greatest living poet.
Students ate green snacks (even decidedly non-Irish items like green guacamole and pizza!) and learned traditional St. Patrick’s Day greetings. They practiced their jigs while listening to Irish folks songs and heard from other Irish artists. Erin Go Braugh!

Quisqueya News: Tuesday, March 16

admin — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 02:23:55 +0000

We have had quite a fun last few days here at Quisqueya!

On Friday, Mr. Day led an interesting chapel time that featured lots of show-and-tell items from the home of his family member who has lived in Haiti for over 50 years. He brought in very old-fashioned versions of a camera, typewriter, banjo, tennis racket, telephone, and several other props to lead into his discussion of old and new things.

Next, our students enjoyed a special day of celebration – Soccer Day! For the last few weeks, the US Army has been using part of our campus as a command center for their relief work in Port-au-Prince. This week they finished using our soccer field, so the kids were very excited to play soccer again. Our director, Mr. Hersey, decided to celebrate the return of the soccer field with a special lunchtime menu of hamburgers and French fries and then a fun all-school soccer game.

Mr. Day coaches younger elementary students.

Water break! The weather was excellent and sunny for Soccer Day.

Pre-K/K students Gabriel and Carla cheer on the soccer teams with Mrs. Kilpatrick, the junior and high school English teacher.

The game between the junior high and high school students was hotly contested and ended in a shootout. It came down to the final kick by the high school team to decide the winner…

…and Annabelle kicked the winning goal! Victory for the high school team.

With a few minutes remaining, Mr. Day let one final cheer with our youngest Eagles. What a fun Soccer Day!

Quisqueya News: Thursday, March 11

admin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:25:21 +0000

Recently, a brave member of Mrs. Jean-Charles’ 2nd-4th grade class asked to share her “earthquake story” with the school during our morning chapel time. She described the events of January 12th as they were experienced by her family, and the other students were very moved by hearing her story. In our first days back to class after the earthquake, all Quisqueya students told their stories via drawings, personal narratives, class discussions, and other creative writing assignments. None were required to share their stories publicly, but all were invited to do so if they chose. Only this brave girl volunteered to share her story in chapel, and after she did, other students have now asked to do the same. We’re proud of you!
In other news, the children of Quisqueya’s Haitian national staff members who are currently staying on campus after losing their homes in the quake are now spending their mornings learning again. The school works with a Haitian pastor to take care of the needs of this group of families, and the Haitian pastor has organized a few teachers to work with the children in the mornings. They are meeting in a shady little corner of campus and are learning basic math, Bible stories, and some French. The school is temporary, but it is a delight for now to hear their little voices singing each morning.
Children of our Haitian staff gathering to sing a song that teaches counting to ten in French.