On Saturday, February 26th, about 120 people – adults and children alike – gathered to dedicate the new school building on the north side of St. Helene. It was a beautiful day and a great occasion. As the M.C. of the event, Pastor Martel, announced “Today is a momentous day for St. Helene. Today, St. Helene is on the map!” 
Many of the children were present in their school uniforms, with bright blue shirts the color of the Caribbean sea that is always visible in the background. They opened the ceremony by singing the national anthem, led by Darla Pandy, the school teacher we met in September 2009 who first told us of the need on the island, her home town.
At the end of the ceremony, ribbons were cut and the building was officially announced open for school!! As of today, the kids are finishing their 2nd week in the new classrooms and Lindon, the teacher we have been working with, has told us many times already how excited and proud the kids are about their new school! After 8 years of trying, the community’s dream has finally come true. 
After the ribbon cutting came a fabulous feast! Our friends at Infinity Bay in West Bay, Roatán provided fried chicken, cornbread and home-made brownies for the entire crowd, and the community provided all the delicious sides. No one left hungry! David and I enjoyed greeting each adult and child as they entered the classroom where the food was being served.
Before leaving to come home, we made another trip to the island and got to see the beautiful kids in their classrooms learning. Here are some photos of each classroom. Kiera is working with the Kindergartners.
Lindon has 3 grades in his class.
Ollie has 2 grades in her class. Attendance is already up from last year and they expect it to continue to grow!
Although the school is up and running, our work is not yet finished. The school still needs to be painted, and the waste water system needs some tweaking. We also plan to have a walkway built around the back side of the building. But for all practical purposes, the school is complete, and we are so thankful for everyone who helped make this dream a reality. And we invite everyone to come make the long, but very worthwhile trip to the wonderful northside community of St. Helene to see the school that sits on a hill overlooking the pristine waters of the Caribbean, where the kids have learned to dare to dream, because dreams really do come true.
Lastly, an update on the children at the children's home. They are doing great! The 4 kids being sponsored to bilingual school through our foundation are being re-sponsored. Our mentorship program now has ALL the kids at the home paired up with a mentor, writing them letters and sending care packages. Also, a new man was recently hired by the home to be a live-in 'father figure' to the children. We got to meet him and have committed to remodeling the apartment at the home where he is living. The work has already begun and we hope to have it completed quickly so that his wife will join him. We will keep you posted!
