Wishing all a very Happy New Year and a healthy, prosperous and learning-filled 2023!
Here is where we stand w/ the Liberia School, “Terry and Michael Academy”
JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2023
- Foundation for new school house completed (funded Dec 12, 2022)
- Fundraising for completion of the structure continues
- Once completed, 100-200+ students may be able to attend the school
SPRING 2023 GOALS
- School house furniture and supplies, t.b.a.
- Playground ($3,850)
- Satellite broadband connectivity ($200-400 / month)
- especially important for continued teacher training
- commencement of peer-to-peer teacher mentoring with U.S. educators
- video-conference teaching of students by U.S. educators
- student peer-to-peer mentoring
TIMELINE OF LIBRARY AND SCHOOL PROJECT (2021-2022)
SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2021
- Container placed on location at. St. Martin of Tours School, Gaithersburg, Maryland
- LexisNexis & St. Martin of Tours school volunteers help load and paint the container
- Container fully loaded & closed, October 12
- Container moved to port on October 18
- Loaded on cargo ship late October
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2021
- Container arrival to Monrovia early December
- Excessive delays at port due to difficulties with shipping agent & customs
- Container released just before Christmas, 2021
JANUARY 2022
- School4Schools Foundation conducts teacher training sessions w/ local teachers in Lower Johnsonville
MAY-JUNE 2022
- Container moved to Lower Johnsonville, Liberia
- Timing for the move depended upon arrival of rainy season, as local roads are not passable by a heavy truck in dry season due to sand
- Transit had to be completed just as the rains started so that the sandy roads would harden in the first rains and before they loosened in subsequent rains
- Terry visit to site in Liberia
- Residents ask if the container can be used as a school as well as a library
- School4Schools Foundation continues teacher training sessions
JULY-AUGUST 2022
- Sonnie Lawrence and her team commence preparations for the opening of a school
- Sonnie identifies specific needs for fundraising:
- perimeter fence
- roof for container
- permanent foundation for container
- flagpole
- playground & sports equipment
- 4K projector & other classroom supplies
- August 18: School4Schools Foundation helps sponsor a field trip for area students, their very first
SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2022
- The Terry and Michael Academy opens in mid-September with five paying students
- Additional students are quickly taken on with tuition covered in exchange for parent volunteering / help to build out the school site
- Enrollment limited to 52 students due to space limitations
- an additional 60-75 students added to wait list
- School4Schools commences fundraising campaign and sends first round of donations for
- container roof ($1500)
- perimeter fence ($1400)
- 4K projector & supplies ($650)
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2022
- New school house design and budget identifed, approx. $7500
- Donors fund commencement of project
- $3,150 send for construction of building foundation
- First semester ends with 50 students:
- 30 had never attended a school before
- 15 had only attended school part time
- only 5 had ever attended a regular school
- December 19: ground-breaking ceremony held at the school for the new building.