Huntington High School’s French Honor Society chapter is once again striving to make an international impact by donating funds to support schoolchildren in Paulette, Haiti.
The Huntington teenagers raised the monies by holding after school bake sales and a dodgeball tournament in the gym. The $500 donation has allowed 19 children in Paulette to attend primary school. Without the contribution, the youngsters wouldn’t have had the financial means to receive a classroom education.
The French Honor Society’s executive board includes Nicole Arenth (president), Max Robins (vice president), Thomas Edgar-McNerney (secretary) and Lindsay Saginaw (treasurer). Veteran teacher Deidre Mayer serves as the group’s faculty advisor.
Paulette is a very small, poor village near the northeast coast of Haiti, just a few miles northeast of Terrier Rouge. It is a very dry area that’s not conducive to good agriculture. None of the parents of the children in the school in Paulette have steady employment. The school has approximately 135 students in grades 1-6 and is located on the same property as a church building. The school has a kitchen and all the students receive a meal at the end of each school day. For many of the students, it is their only daily meal.
The current membership in Huntington’s French Honor Society numbers about 20. This year’s induction ceremony will be held on May 24.
The Huntington teenagers were excited to receive a homemade thank you card for their generous donation. It read:
“Dear students, On behalf of the Haiti Educational Partnership at Park Central Presbyterian Church, thank you for your generous donation of $500. Your gift will enable 19 children to attend the State Primary School in Paulette, Haiti. Without your help, these 19 students would not have the financial means to attend school. Fifty percent of the adults in Haiti cannot read or write. You are helping to change that percentage. Thank you for your compassion and generosity.”
The French Honor Society members were also sent a video of the Haitian children happily singing at their school. “It means a lot knowing that the money we are raising is helping to provide an education for students in Haiti,” Ms. Arenth said. “It’s extremely humbling to watch the video we were sent of the children at school, knowing that it was through our effort that these kids can now receive an education.”
The organization plans to make another donation later this year and again in future years. More bake sales are on the agenda along with another dodgeball tournament in the spring.
