Trip to Haiti brings a school to a impoverished community and changes the Montville teens who traveled there

High school senior Claudia Trionfo, traveled to Haiti this summer withPathways for Exceptional Children and buildOn. The trip included eleven students from Montville Township High School. With no electricity or running water, they built a school using picks and shovels. Trionfo submitted her photos and thoughts on the experience.

In July, eleven students from Montville Township High School joined one other student and three leaders from the organization Pathways for Exceptional Children on a trip to Haiti. The determined band of MTHS students had prepared for seven months and had raised $30,000 for transportation and to provide construction materials for the building of a school

Upon arrival in the impoverished region of Tremé, the students met with residents of the village. The New Jersey students quickly learned how difficult it is to live in a town with no electricity or running water. The Pathways contingent set about using their hands to construct a school. They broke ground with shovels and pick-axes, and made bricks by hand for a foundation. Working alongside the villagers, some of whom were only 10-years old, the MTHS students learned about construction as they went. The team remained in Haiti for nine days.

One student, Claudia Trionfo, an MTHS senior, recently shared her photos and her thoughts on the trip:

“Before I left on my trip I wrote down some of my feelings which included; nervous, anxious, scared, excited, and jittery. I won’t lie as soon as the trip got close my feelings started to change because it seemed surreal that the day was finally here, I would be getting on a plane and traveling to Haiti. I was about to experience a culture and lifestyle that there was no way to prepare myself for.

At the end of my trip I again wrote down some of my feelings which included; amazed, heart warmed, unforgettable, indescribable, and upset to have to leave. In the end I can honestly say that my experience in Haiti is one I could never imagine forgetting. The memories I made of dancing and singing, working on the school, and especially the relationships I was able to develop with the villagers will be everlasting, I wholeheartedly hope I could return to Haiti and visit the village we stayed in. Haiti will forever have a piece of my heart.”

Pathways for Exceptional Children is a special needs club where students of all abilities and ages work together on a variety of activities. There is a leadership component to the group.

“The leadership group selects projects to make a difference that are truly exceptional or that few people would have the courage or tenacity to do,” said Pathways President Melinda Jennis. “It is a group that pushes themselves outside of the comfort zone. They have been involved in legislative changes, and developing new programs.”

Jennis noted that the Haiti experience was a big undertaking. When the leadership had suggested they tackle poverty, she had encouraged students to do more than raise money, she wanted them to have a hands-on experience. Each of the fifteen members of the trip, including the adults, worked long and difficult hours, digging in the heat and “showering” with only a cup and a bucket.

Partnering with buildOn, an organization that builds schools in the world’s most impoverished areas, Pathways was able to assist in building a school for the students and community of Tremé.

In addition to Trionfo, the students who attended the trip were Bayann Amer (senior), Tasneem Amer (2016 graduate), Gabby Babula (2016 Graduate), Jessica Caprio (2016 Graduate), Brynn Gille (senior), Venkat Gokaraju (sophomore), Jacob Jennis (2016 Graduate), Stephanie Jennis, Amanda O'Lear (2016 Graduate) and Sam Weinstein (sophomore). Ali Van Riper and Pathways advisors Jim Amer, Nick Brevas and Melinda Jennis also attended.

# # # #

CAPTIONS (photos by Claudia Trionfo)

1: The view from Claudia Trionfo’s host family's home in Tremé Haiti.

2: One of the “showers” New Jersey students used while building a school in Haiti. The Montville Township High School students dug the foundation with picks and shovels. They also made foundation bricks by hand while learning about construction “on the job.” Villagers from 10 to 70-years-old. Worked by their side to construct the educational facility.

3: A night time dance party with the villagers of Tremé.

4: Students from Montville Township High School, in Montville, New Jersey, traveled to Tremé in Haiti. The students spent nine days living with Haitian families and helping to build a school. Back Row: Sam Weinstein (sophomore), Tasneem Amer (2016 graduate), Front Row: Jessica Caprio (2016 graduate), Brynn Gille (senior), Claudia Trionfo (senior) and Amanda O'Lear (2016 graduate).

5: Montville Township High School Students, Claudia Trionfo, Brynn Gille, Bayann Amer, Sam Weinstein, Tasneem Amer working with the children of the village of Tremé in Haiti on the worksite of a new school. The school was built by hand under the direction of buildOn. Using pick-axes and shovels, the MTHS students worked side by side with students, some as young as 10-years-old.

6: A beautiful view of Haiti, taken by Montville Township High School senior Claudia Trionfo, from within the village of Tremé.

7: Montville Township High School senior Claudia Trionfo and Pathways for Exceptional Children advisor Nick Brevas on the worksite. Twelve students and three adults traveled to the impoverished village of Tremé this summer to build a school.

8: Volunteers from Montville, New Jersey and the impoverished village of Tremé, Haiti worked together to build a school for the community. The trip was organized by Pathways for Exceptional Children with students from Montville Township High School. Twelve students and three advisors traveled to Haiti for the nine day build with the global organization buildOn.