Panther P aws - Union School

Dessalines Remembered
Volume 1 Issue 3
October 1-12,
Sur le pont Lamage édifié en 1786 à l’entrée Nord de Port-au-Prince, vient de périr
Jean Jacques Dessalines, fondateur de la République d’Haïti. Sur le pont reliant le
Nord au Sud, symbolisant l’Union des enfants de ce pays vient de nous quitter celui
qui avait réussi l’Union des noirs et des mulâtres. A partir d’aujourd’hui ce pont
deviendra le PONT ROUGE, témoin muet du drame du 17 Octobre 1806.
C’est à travers les yeux de son camarade de combat, son fidèle et dévoué ami Charlotin Marcadieux que nous allons rappeler la mémoire de l’empereur!
Panther Paws
UNINON SCHOOL
Charlotin Marcadieux
Dessalines vient de mourir à 48 ans. Je ne l’ai pas connu jeune mais d’après les
historiens il aurait pris naissance le 20 septembre 1758 sur l’habitation Cormier,
Emperor Jacques I
près de la Grande Rivière du Nord. Son maître, Jacques Duclos était réputé pour sa
rude sévérité.
Reign: 2 Sept. 1804—17 Oct. 1806
Coronation: 8 Oct. 1804
Les violences, les lacérations, les meurtrissures que Dessalines due subir dans son Full Name: Jean Jacques Dessajeune âge allaient le marquer pour la vie et le rendre aussi redoutable que son
lines
maître l’avait été. C’est donc dans la haine de l’homme blanc qui l’avait tellement Born: 20 Sept. 1758
maltraité qu’il grandit sur l’habitation de triste mémoire. A trente ans, il est vendu Birthplace: Grande-Riviere-duNord, Saint Domingue
comme un meuble. Son nouveau maître plus humain deviendra pour lui un patron
Died: 17 Oct. 1806 (age 48)
et non un bourreau. Devenu empereur plus tard, il fera de lui le sommelier de la
Place of Death: Pont Rouge, near
maison. Au moment de l’insurrection des esclaves, il était aux côtés de Biassou,
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Bouckman et de Toussaint en révolte contre la servitude dans laquelle il était né. Il Predecessor: Empire founded
combattit les Espagnols, les Anglais et enfin, comme son chef Toussaint, il se rallia Successor: Empire abolished
Henri Christophe (North of Haiti)
à la France en 1794.
Alexandre Petion (South of Haiti)
Consort: Marie-Claire Heureuse
Le Dessalines que je pleure est le soldat intransigeant et sévère que a été tout à la
Felicite
fois père et fondateur de la patrie, Héros et martyr.
Jean-Jacques Dessalines was a leader of the Haitian Revolution and the first ruler of an independent Haiti under the
1801 constitution. Initially regarded as Governor-General, Dessalines later named himself Emperor Jacques I of
Haiti (1804–1806). He is regarded as a founding father of Haiti.
Dessalines served as an officer in the French army when the colony was trying to withstand Spanish and British incursions. Later he rose to become a commander in the revolt against France. As Toussaint L'Ouverture's principal
lieutenant, he led many successful engagements, including the Battle of Crête-à-Pierrot.
After the betrayal and capture of Toussaint L'Ouverture in 1802, Dessalines became the leader of the revolution. He
defeated Napoleon's forces at the Battle of Vertières in 1803. Declaring Haiti an independent nation in 1804, Dessalines was chosen by a council of generals to assume the office of Governor-General. In September 1804, he proclaimed himself Emperor and ruled in that capacity until being assassinated in 1806. (Wikipedia)
Inside this issue:
Up Coming Events
Bringing Healthy Back (Lunch)
2
Intramurals
2
Senior College Night
3
 Oct. 17, 2012—No School (Dessalines’s Day)
Halloween Festivities
3
 Oct. 19, 2012—Halloween Dance (Grade 11)
Reading Brings Closeness
4
 Oct. 24, 2012—12:30 Dismissal (Staff Development)
Scoreboard
4
 Oct. 30, 2012—Haunted House (Elementary)
Did you Know????
4
 Oct. 31, 2012—Report Cards Sent Home
Meet Our New Staff
5
 Oct. 16, 2012—Dessalines’ Day Activities
Happy Halloween!!!
We’re Bringing Healthy Back
“I’m finally eating healthy.”, “The food is so good.” These are just a
few comments made by students after one week with our new snack
bar provider.
Jean Marc Nouissar, owner of Deck Bar, has taken on the challenge of
preparing lunch for our Panthers right here on campus. Meals are
made daily and fresh.
The cost of lunch is approximately $5.00 for elementary students and
$6.00 for Secondary students. We are in the process of investigating monthly payment plans and other
options that will facilitate the parent community.
Menus will be sent home bi-monthly. Students are given the choice of a daily special, and a healthy
juice.
We ask that parents make sure that children eat breakfast before coming to school.
Intramurals
Our Intramural Program began last week for the secondary school students. The activities take place during the
lunch periods. It is a time set aside to provide our students with an opportunity to participate in activities "without a
win at all cost atmosphere." Students are able to develop or refine skills in a variety of activities. The program adds a
new dimension to your children's education by improving self-esteem, stimulating other interests, and providing students the opportunity to achieve individual and team goals. While developing a sense of sportsmanship and fair play,
they acquire knowledge and skills required for the future.
The goals of the intramural program are:






to have fun
to provide an opportunity for students to develop sportsmanship and fair play
to provide instruction and reinforce skills learned in the health and physical education program
to promote an understanding and insight into the value of physical fitness for a healthy lifestyle
to encourage all students to participate
to give students an opportunity to have social interaction in a
constructive environment
In order for the intramurals to be a success, student participation
is the key!
Winner of the 1st Volleyball intramural: Grade 12
Page 2
P A N T H E R PA W S
Senior College Night
Our annual Senior College Night
was held Thursday October 11,
2012. Our Guidance Counselor
Beatrice Francis explained the
process. The following major
points were discussed:

Researching/requesting information from colleges

Completion of the application forms

Requesting of transcripts and
letters of recommendation

Admissions criteria

College visits and interviews

Meeting crucial deadlines
We will continue to guide our
students throughout the semester
by setting up another session for
our 11th and 12th graders.
We wish our students success
during this exciting period in
their lives.
Halloween
Union School has some “spooktacular” holiday events planned in honor of Halloween. Our annual in-school
Halloween Festivities will be held on Wednesday, October 31, 2012. In order to make this event a success, our
students need the help and assistance of all our families.
We’ve planned some fun which culminates into the “Trick-or-Treat” experience no one would want to miss!
Here’s what we have planned:
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Parade of Costumes
Costume contest:
3 prizes per grade
Scariest Costume
Most Original Costume
Funniest Costume
Pre-Kinder3 and 4 and Kindergarten Dance Performance
Songs and Dance from Grades1-6
Food and Drinks for all!
Let’s get our costumes ready for the big day. Students carry their costumes with them on October 31. We will
dress up in school; however, we may dress in Halloween colors on that day (orange, and black).
12 noon
12:30
1:00
1:45
Dress up
Trick-or-Treat!
Parade / Contest
Prizes
Songs and Dance Performance: Grades Pre-Kinder-6
VOLUME 1 ISSUE 3
Page 3
Reading at Home Builds Closeness
Reading at home
with your child is important in helping
your child develop
the skills necessary
to become a successful reader, and it can
also build relationships at the same
time. Sitting close
together and snug-
gling over a good
book sends the message to your child
that he or she is important to you and
that you value your
time together. Sharing ideas about the
story shows that you
value your child’s
ideas and feelings. By
making reading time
special, you increase
the chances your
child will see reading
as an experience he
or she doesn’t want
to miss.
Scoreboard
Did You Know????
Our Soccer season has begun! On Monday October 1, 2012, our team
played against QCS @ QCS. The Panthers were victorious 6-2. Union was
able to maintain the lead the whole entire
game with a strong attack and a well organized defense. On Friday, October 12, 2012
our young men were victorious once again!
They played against Morning Star Academy.
They scored 4-1. A good start to the rest of
the year to come. Heartiest congratulations
to the Boys Soccer Team and their coaches,
Mr. Brian Field, Mrs. Kelly Adsit, and Mr.
Mike Saieh.
Union School first opened its
doors in 1919 for children of
U.S. Marine Corps Families stationed in Haiti and was known
as Colony School. It was located
in Turgeau with one hundred
and ten elementary students.
Three cheers for our Panthers!! Hip Hip Hooray!! Hip Hip Hooray!! Join us
Friday @ Union School October 19th as we will again cheer for our Panthers.
Let’s hear it for our goalie keeper Hunter Villard.
1
First Name
Olivier
Last Name
Noel
Grade
12
2
Tim
Pugh
9
3
Mathias
Baboun
9
4
Franchesco
Saieh
10
5
Sebastien
Delatour
10
7
Alexandre
Fils-Aime
10
8
Maxime
Dorneval
11
9
Hunter
Villard
11
10
Kristopher
Fourcand
9
11
Iniko
Villard
11
12
Carl Frederic
Paret
11
13
Karim
Baboun
12
14
Tristan
Acra
11
15
Haithem
Kefi
11
16
Jonathan
Saieh
8
17
Joe
Mukadi
9
Meet Our New Teaching Staff
Peter BillingsI grew up in New Jersey and have lived there for
25 years. A healthy portion of that time was spent in my
church community where I eventually became a youth
leader. Although this is my first year teaching, I feel my
past experience has prepared me well for it. I also studied
Physics Secondary Education at The College of New Jersey, where I received a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology.
I have always found physics and the human mind to be
fascinating. I have also always enjoyed working with junior and senior high students—not only for their sense of
humor, but also for the duality they represent. These
young adults are often a unique combination of curiosity
and wisdom, opened and reserved, sarcastic and hopeful.
I am doubly blessed to be teaching subjects I love to my
favorite age group.
Although this is my first time living in Haiti, I
have been to this country once before. In fact, my initial
contact with Haiti was through the same church I grew up
in. In the few brief days I was here, I felt compelled by its
people (and the conditions of my visit) to come back.
Now that I am here, and loving life, I am sure I made the
right decision! Furthermore, I was accepted at the Princeton Theological Seminary, and given a two year deferment just before coming here. I plan to teach at Union
School of Haiti for two years, and then return to New Jersey to study theology as a youth minister.
Felix Jean Louis
My name is Felix Jean-Louis, I am a first year
teacher at Union School. I am teaching 10, 11, and 12th
grades. My courses are diverse. They are: Anthropology
(Haitian Culture), Haitian History, Global Issues, Theories of Knowledge, and Comparative Diasporas. I was
born, of Haitian parents , in New York City. I graduated
from Florida State University with a B.A. in History.
Currently, I am writing my thesis on Haitian migrants to
Harlem during the U.S. occupation of Haiti in 1915, in
completion of my M.A. in history with a focus on Haiti.
My hobbies include reading, playing the guitar, collecting
and listening to music.
Claudia Lutes
As a first year teacher from Vancouver, Canada, I am excited to embark on a great adventure
with the Union School, Haiti family. I graduated with a Bachelor of Education degree from
Queen's University, in English and History, and
look forward to contributing to the Middle
School as both the Grade 7B Homeroom, English and Writing teacher. I believe in a safe,
community-oriented, student-centered learning
environment, and strive to differentiate my
classroom to include all kinds of learners. I am
Milenka Larco
My name is Milenka Larco and I am the new Art
Teacher.
Although I initially studied Economics in France, I
have been working with children for the past 10
years.I have worked on a special Art project at the Lycee Alexandre Dumas and worked for a year as the art
teacher at Cours Prive Colette Millet.
I also founded in 2008 L' Atelier, an Art and afterschool program.
I look foward to this great year !