By The Rev. Sean Cavanaugh JK-12 Chaplain & Religion Department Chair

In January 2011 the world marked the one-year anniversary of the crippling earthquake that devastated Haiti and its people. One of the most crucial services provided by the Episcopal Church in Haiti is the support, aid, and care of hundreds of Episcopal schools. The earthquake left many Episcopal schools in Haiti in dire need of assistance and resources. It will take the gifts, skills, and knowledge of many different hands working together to help the Haitian people fully recover from this tragedy. With this in mind, St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School spent several months examining the potential of partnering with an Episcopal school in Haiti. The idea of a partnership came from the recognition that perhaps the best gift we can provide the people of Haiti is to offer help in the area we know best: schools and their care. After much thought and consideration, and with the assistance of Father Roger Bowen (former SSSAS Upper School director and Episcopal priest who specializes in Haiti), SSSAS agreed to a partnership with St. Paul's Episcopal School. The school is located in the town of Mountrois, approximately 90 minutes from the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, and serves 350 students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Haiti. Say the word to any person, and the mind might immediately begin to replay images of earthquake destruction, poverty, Papa Doc, and years of failed governments. I certainly had all of these images in mind when embarking on our first visit to St. Paul's at the end of May, along with Dr. Patricia Lyons, Upper School religion teacher and JK-12 service learning coordinator. However, I was about to learn that Episcopal schools in Haiti are not only places where children learn, but they are also places where and hope and potential are born and nurtured. Dr. Lyons and I were met at the Port-au-Prince airport by Father

Jacques Deravil, the priest in charge of St. Paul's Episcopal School and Church. Fr. Deravil, in his blue clerical shirt with his clerical collar removed, wore a facial expression that told me he had seen the worst and best that humanity has to offer. He was street smart, tough, and kind all in the same moment. I was glad that he was going to be our guide for the next few days. We loaded our bags into the back of his old Toyota truck and headed toward the school in Mountrois. In the 1980s there was a series of "Mad Max" films about a post-apocalyptic world where everyone was simply trying to survive from day to day. What we saw while driving from the airport and

Haiti: Our Episcopal Partners in Education

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Fr. Deravil of St. Paul's School and The Rev. Sean Cavanaugh

through Port-au-Prince made these movies seem almost seemed trite in comparison. We saw blue United Nations tents and torn pieces of brown cardboard boxes mixed with a sea of humanity, creating a landscape that bordered on the surreal and desperate. The devastation of the earthquake was still present, not only in the cracked roads beneath us, but also on the faces of the Haitians themselves. The windy road that took us through small, brightly colored villages finally brought us to the simple, solid house of Fr. Deravil and his wife. The next morning, a bright and hot Sunday, Dr. Lyons and I made our way to the white stucco Episcopal church where Fr. Deravil was preparing for Eucharist. As the morning wore on, it became very apparent that he plays an important role in the life of this small village and its people. During the service I had the great privilege to preach, while Father Deravil translated for the congregation. The most poignant memory of that day is an image of the parish children, many of whom attend St. Paul's School. What does progress look like? What does hope look like? What does the good grace of God look like? It looks a great deal like what we saw on Monday while visiting the school. The school building was nothing more than a sophisticated shack. Its pale gray outside gave way to classrooms lit only by the sun, stretching its rays through the small concrete holes used for ventilation. If bright futures and grace rested on the aesthetics alone, St. Paul's School would be a place where all joy is lost. Yet inside these concrete walls, the children wore smiles that denied the environment and violent culture in which they live. We spent the morning with these children. We watched as they ate the one meal most of them would have that day. Meals at St. Paul's School are not just meals - beans and rice are not just beans and rice - they are life itself. St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School is in Haiti because Haiti is in us. Their community is our community. Although St. Paul's' needs are many, and we have only scratched the surface of our new partnership, we are optimistic about the help we can offer. In the summer, Lower School Chaplain The Rev. Rosemary Beales and Middle School Chaplain The Rev. Michael Hinson visited St. Paul's to deliver 20 laptop computers donated by St. Stephen's & St. Agnes for a new technology classroom they are constructing. When

our students saw photos from our initial trips, they were so inspired that the Upper School Intermediate Drawing class reproduced them in sketches and then displayed their "Faces of Haiti" works on campus. What can you do? Add St. Paul's School to your prayers and keep an eye out for coming events that will serve the children of St. Paul's and help us to solidify our relationship. As Dr. Lyons and I were leaving St. Paul's, we were swarmed by little hands and faces. They smiled, looked up at us, and asked us to return. I said we would, and we will.

Fall 2011, SSSAS Magazine 5

Sophie Reardon '14 sketching from a photo of one of the students of St. Paul's School

Scan this code to view a video of Father Cavanaugh and Dr. Lyons' trip to Haiti.