NWC Students Share Reflections on Service Immersion in Haiti

In the spirit of Advent, students at Northwest Catholic who travelled to Haiti this past July addressed the student body this week to share their reflections.

Eight students and three adults, including a current parent, the math department chair, and school president, travelled to Haiti last summer to build hydroponic greenhouses, lay cement floors, visit the sick and hungry, play soccer with children, and lend a hand wherever they could.

During Tuesday’s reflections, not only offered in the spirit of Advent but also to signal Thursday’s Haitian craft fair to support Haitian artists, Zoe Shapiro, a senior from Simsbury, began with a brief geography and history lesson for her peers. She interacted with the audience of 525 students by asking questions such as, “Do you know what language Haitians speak?” and “Do you know what Haiti’s chief exports are?” Shapiro pointed out Haiti on a map projected on screen behind her, and she shared striking statistics about Haiti’s literacy and unemployment rates.

Declan Wlochowski, a sophomore from Bloomfield, addressed the audience next, with powerful language such as, “Imagine you make only $2 a day and the government raises the gas tax.” He talked about the students landing in Port-au-Prince hours after a tax hike and how the team had to alter plans to navigate the riots that poured into the streets. Wlochowski went on to draw parallels to the crisis happening in France right now.

Next, junior John Cashman from West Hartford echoed Wlochowski’s reflections on what it meant to adjust plans and shelter in place. He also spoke of community time they enjoyed during the trip — playing cards and planning prayer services.

Ben Lee, a senior from Avon, talked about hydroponics and the team’s partnership with Levo International to establish sustainable farming in Haiti. James Nicholas, also a senior from Avon, talked about the “One Thousand Days” program where mothers and newborns are cared for. He also spoke of the need for early childhood education in Haiti. Last, Erin Conway, a junior from West Hartford, talked about laying a cement floor in a home and all that it meant for the family.

All eight students provided different snippets from their hard work in Haiti, but a singular message resonated: when we give, we receive. Every speaker on Tuesday talked about the life-changing experience of serving in Haiti and what they learned from a joyful, grateful, beautiful people.

On Thursday Northwest Catholic welcomed friends from Outreach to Haiti, who hosted a Haitian craft fair during the school day and in the evening. Northwest Catholic continues to strengthen its partnerships with organizations such as Levo International, Outreach to Haiti, and Many Hands for Haiti. The school will also return to Haiti this summer to continue to serve in this special country.

To learn more about Northwest Catholic’s faith and service initiatives, please visit northwestcatholic.org.