Heroes or villains: So who won? Students collected money in a friendly competition to buy books for children in Haiti.
All Saints students placed change inside either of two jugs: one labeled “Heroes” and one labeled “Villains.” As it turns out, the kids at All Saints Catholic School really wanted to dress up as a hero Oct. 8, but the costume really doesn’t matter because all the kids at All Saints Catholic School are heroes.
Thanks to Joan Walton and her brilliant creativity and very generous heart, the students at All Saints Catholic School participated in a contest that did more than provide a day out of uniform. Walton, who is the Media Center specialist, hosted a change-collecting contest in conjunction with the Scholastic Book Fair. The theme of the contest provided the launching pad for the out-of-uniform day. It was great, but even better than being out of uniform is what students did with the change.
The kids brought in more than $1,100 in change and donated every penny of it to a very needy community. All Saints Catholic School students were able to help all the students at Ecole Evangelique Des Freres Unis School in Carrefour, Haiti. With the money they collected they were able to purchase over $500 worth of books printed in English, French and Creole.
Also, the Haitian students received a meal for one week starting on Oct. 18. They also benefited from water distribution Oct. 18. Walton helped make so many great things happen with this book fair, the money raised for Haiti, the out-of-uniform day, and Skype, which allows users to make video and voice calls over the Internet. Yes, the students at All Saints Catholic School were able to Skype and share their good news directly with the students in Haiti Oct. 15. Walton and Teresa Williams, who works in academic support at All Saints, arranged everything with Frandy DeJean, a young Haitian man who started the school in Carrefour.
Both groups of students were overwhelmed with joy and excitement. The All Saints Catholic School kids sang their school song for the kids in Haiti and the kids from Haiti clapped and jumped for joy at the announcement of the food and water distribution. All the students are heroes in this wonderful story and they all get to be part of a new, long-lasting and life-changing friendship. The students at All Saints can’t wait to Skype again with their new friends in Haiti.
