On Friday, November 18th, the beautiful new wing of classrooms at the Academy for Peace and Justice officially opened.

APJ Country Director Bryn Mooser, the Canadian Broadcasting Company’s George Stromboulopoulos, and advisory board member Martha Rogers joined Father Rick and the St. Luc team to celebrate the opening.

The Academy for Peace and Justice now serves over 750 underprivileged students who would otherwise not be able to attend secondary school. Each student receives a full scholarship, including tuition, uniforms, nutritious meals and access to medical care. The new wing of the Academy is a milestone in our goal of providing free high-quality education to approximately 3,000 students every year.

Students and administrators filled the celebration with singing, dancing, musical performances and speeches. We are so proud of our progress, and we wanted to share more of the ceremony with you. We couldn’t have gotten this far without your support. Enjoy!

2011 New Wing Opening Ceremony from bryn mooser on Vimeo.

Port-au-Prince, Haiti — On the morning of October 10th, the sun was shining and the heat as the gates to the Academy for Peace and Justice reopened for school. Over 700 students streamed through the gates, smiling wide and anxious to get back to work. Bryn was on the ground taking it all in — here is his update from the first week back to school!

“It has been an amazing week here at the Academy for Peace and Justice. Last week teachers from all street schools did a training session at our secondary school.  Its great to see our school used by the whole community.  The uniforms were completed by Father Rick and his St Luc programs at Francisville and look great.   We opened on Monday with 754 students and three grades.  Currently staffed with 60 full and part time teachers and 12 staff members, cooks, administrators and maintenance. The school is a real joy to see and Father Rick and his team have been working so hard to open on time.  In a country where secondary education is so scarce it is amazing to see how far we have come.”

“The surrounding community is really happy with how the building has turned out.  Everywhere I travel people stop me to tell me how beautiful the school is.  There is a pleasant look of happy surprise on their faces as they see a promise followed through.  I wish you all could be there to watch as the students see their new school for the first time.  Moving beyond words.  I couldn’t be more proud of the St Luc team and all of you for getting to this major stage.  There is so much more to do and I look forward to keeping our school growing strong.  Haiti needs it now more than ever. Go APJ!”

—Bryn

Earlier this summer, the 7th grade students at the Academy for Peace and Justice had their first graduation ceremony. It was the culmination of a great first year of school for all of the APJ students.

Excitement and elation surrounded the day as students received recognition and awards for both highest grades and best attendance. New traditions were started at the graduation ceremony, and Mr. Smith was awarded the first “Teacher of the Year” prize from the students.

The ceremony finished with a wonderful dance performance from the students. Despite the continued economic turmoil in Haiti, the Academy for Peace and Justice is an inspiring center of learning and advancement for the future leaders of Haiti. Summer school is now in session and we are looking forward to welcoming our next class in the fall.