Palmer Trinity School

Campus News |Global Awareness| Haiti Relief Drive After Hurricane Ike plowed through Haiti, the home of Gaby '09, Belle '10, and Mark '14 Verwaay, a convocation was held to educate the PTS student body and faculty about the devastation and how we could help. Boxes were then distributed throughout the school where items could be dropped off. Sixth through twelfth grade students were given lists of items to collect, spanning everything from canned goods to band aids. After nearly a week of gathering the needed items, Palmer Trinity volunteers promptly organized them and shipped them to Haiti. Seeing the desperate situation in Haiti, Palmer Trinity School worked alongside Food for the Poor to pack a cargo ship with all the donations and send them to hurricane victims as fast as possible. By quickly responding to the needs of others, we as a school were able to make a difference. We helped hundreds of people who lost everything in the devastating hurricane to get back on their feet. Many of these people had nothing, losing loved ones and essential commodities alike. By giving what we could, we made a difference in the lives of those who needed it the most. By Tessa Wogan, Class of 2011 Isabelle, Mark, and Gabriella Verwaay Displaced Families in Haiti |Community Involvement| Community Partnership for the Homeless Community Partnership for the Homeless has operated a homeless assistance center in Homestead, FL since 1998. The center is a one-stop temporary care entry point that provides not just food and shelter but also case management, health care, daycare, job training and other assistance from a variety of social services agencies under one roof. For the past ten years the sixth-grade students at Palmer Trinity School have worked closely to support these families, in particular, their school aged children. Yearly the sixth grade students host a dinner during homecoming week to raise funds. These funds are used to supply the teachers and students in the Headstart program with educational items for their classrooms. Created in 1965, Head Start is the most successful, longest running, national school readiness program in the United States. It provides comprehensive education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low income children and their families. Past donations from PTS to CPHI have included a variety of physical education equipment, including nets and outdoor equipment for the summer programs held at the facility, and school supplies like backpacks and resources for the school aged students. As an ongoing project, for the past ten years the sixth-grade students at Palmer Trinity have made birthday cards for the children who reside at the center. Each month sixth-grade advisory groups handmake the birthday cards to give out at the monthly party for the residents of the center. Traditionally during the spring semester the sixth-grade students host a spring party at the Homestead center. This day long event is filled with music, crafts and a variety of outdoor activities. The community outreach to CPHI has a lasting effect that impacts not only the children at CPHI, but also our students for years to come. By Gwen Kenes, Science Department Middle School students making cards for children at CPHI Amine Sebai, Alexa Aragon Duenas, Jesse Alvarez Aerie 5

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