ANNUAL UPDATE 2019-20
HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR SCHOOL YEAR
THE QUESTION ON EVERYONE’S MIND
How has COVID-19 affected OPERATIONS?
The 2014-15 Ebola epidemic meant we already had some some experience with school closures due to disease, so when headlines about COVID-19 reached us we immediately went to work.
We reviewed our hygiene facilities and made improvements where necessary. We educated our staff and students about how to protect themselves and others, keeping them up-to-date as new information continued to emerge. And when the government made the decision to close schools, we brought in home-schooling.
Many of our students don’t have internet access at home, so to make sure they all had a way to keep up with their studies, our teachers prepared homework packages, we set up collection hubs in each community, and our teachers kept their phones on so parents and students could reach out for help.
where to next?
Although we are slowly returning to campus, this crisis has highlighted the need for us to enhance our resilience to such events by improving our digital systems and increasing staff and student access to technology. Below, find out how we intend to do this under What Lies Ahead.
KICKING GOALS
We teach our students that it’s always important to celebrate your wins, and this year we’ve had some big ones!
TERRANCE ZACDYUU, MARINE ENGINEER
It comes as no surprise that this young man obtained his first degree less than two years after completing his secondary education at LREC. Before even graduating from high school he had been admitted into the Liberia Maritime Training Institute, and in September 2019 he received his Associate Degree in Marine Engineering.
Terrance has since been in Ghana continuing his studies at the Regional Maritime University, and we couldn’t be prouder.
Helping young Liberians achieve their educational and career goals is what motivates us to keep going, and it wouldn’t be possible without your support.
TVET FACILITIES NEAR COMPLETION
We’re getting very close to finishing construction on our new Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) facilities in the high school building. Thanks to funding from The DEAR Foundation (TDF), beginning in 2020-21 our students will undergo their training in auto-mechanics, electricity, masonry and plumbing in fully-equipped, dedicated work-spaces.
COVID-19 made sourcing materials somewhat difficult at times, but despite set-backs, the structure has rapidly taken shape. We are now working on internal fit-out, and expect to complete the project by September 2020.
COUNTY DEBATE WIN
This was our first year of participating in inter-school debating, but we are off to an incredible start. Under the leadership of LREC staffer Lionel Jyepah, our senior debate team took out first place at county level.
A national level highschool debate competition doesn’t exist yet, but we hope to see one soon as our students are keen to test their skills against the best teams from across the country.
Pictured L-R: Rufus, Vina, Mr Jyepah, Siafah, Abigail, James, Albertha, Jeremiah and Beatrice.
BREAKFAST PROGRAM
Every child needs a healthy start to the day, but we noticed that many of our students weren’t getting that.
Not only does malnutrition lead to poor physical and cognitive development outcomes in growing bodies, hunger isn’t the best foundation for clear focus in the classroom. Although we had a school lunch program in place, lunch comes in the middle of the day when many classes are already over.
Thanks to The Dear Foundation, this year we were able to make school breakfasts available to all of our students, with our kitchen team serving more than 200 meals each morning.
The investment has been worth every dollar - our students are healthier, come to school earlier, and have way more energy in class. That’s what we like to see.
PEACE CORPS
We were really lucky this year to be allocated a USAID Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) to work with our senior science lab teachers. PCV are qualified professionals from the USA who work closely with Liberian teaching staff to build capacity and skills.
In August 2019 we welcomed Joshua , who focused on getting our staff better acquainted with the equipment at their disposal. Although he was withdrawn mid-year when Peace Corps reduced their numbers due to safety concerns, we were fortunate to have Daria join our team. With the COVID-19 outbreak, she too has had to return to the US, but we hope to welcome more PCV in future.
We’re grateful to Peace Corps Liberia for including us in this program - our staff and students gained so much from the experience.
PRISCILLA RECEIVES SCHOLARSHIP FROM FIRST LADY
This brilliant young woman has always achieved outstanding results and shown immense self-discipline in her studies, so when nominations opened for the scholarship program being offered by the First Lady of the Republic of Liberia, Madam Clar Weah, we had no hesitation in putting Priscilla’s name forward.
And after seeing her impressive grades, the scholarship panel equally had no hesitation in making her a recipient!
Priscilla, you’ve earned this. Madam Weah, thank you for supporting young Liberian women to achieve their goals.
DONATIONS
THE JOHNSONS
- TEXTBOOKS
We’re immensely grateful to the Johnson family from the UK whose donation of USD 1,000.00 enabled us to purchase new Liberian textbooks for Math, English, Science and Social Studies for students from Grades 4-9.
This is a massive financial relief to struggling families, but more importantly gives our students a much greater chance of succeeding in their studies. Here are just a few of the many students who have benefited from this donation.
EQUIPSENT
-
LAB SUPPLIES
Thanks to the wonderful team of volunteers at Equipsent in Switzerland, our science labs received a huge boost this year with a shipment of diverse equipment to improve the hands-on training of Physics, Chemistry and Biology at LREC.
Here our Grade 12 students put some of the supplies to the test under the close supervision of Chemistry teacher, Michele Jackson.
PLAYGROUND
We asked and you delivered. After more than 10 years in the harsh sun and unforgiving rains that characterize Liberia for much of the year, our old playground equipment was rusted and dangerous.
We resolved to build back better, and with your help, we’re well on the way. Our construction team have been working on our TVET facilities, but as soon as they’re finished they’ll move on to completing this project, ready to welcome our students back for the next school year (COVID-19 permitting!)
PEACE CORPS
- FACE MASKS
Even though they don’t have volunteers on the ground right now, we’re grateful to the Peace Corps Liberia team for still supporting their school communities in times of need.
When COVID-19 broke out they donated 25 face masks to help keep our staff safe.
ALUMNI MAKING STRIDES
Terrance is not the only one of our graduates we’re proud of. More than 80% of our graduates have gone on to further education, either at a tertiary level, or in vocational training, and 10% have already found employment. It would take too long to list all their achievements, so we’ll just hone in on a few.
HANNAH
Whilst a student at LREC, Hannah was the grateful recipient of a Universal Outreach Foundation (UOF) scholarship covering the cost of her vocational training.
After graduation, Hannah gladly volunteered at UOF’s after-school activities center, Strive, as a way to pay-it-forward to other young Liberians. There, her quiet, hardworking nature didn’t go unnoticed.
Thanks to further support from UOF, Hannah is now enrolled at the Monrovia Bible College where she is training to become a nurse.
QUATAMA
Front, center, with a heart of gold, is Class of 2019 graduate Quatama. After an intense year of study, he achieved the best WASSCE (West Africa Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations) results in his class.
He knew that IT was the goal and took a teaching job at a small local school to start saving for tuition, but thanks to some of our generous private donors, he’s now studying Computer Science at Starz Institute of Technology a lot sooner than would otherwise be possible.
Abraham (left) and Charles (right) aren’t doing too badly either, with the former currently teaching at the same local school, and the latter enrolled in Public Administration at the Seventh Day Adventist University.
MASTINA
Valedictorian of our first graduating class in 2017, Mastina was always a very gifted mathematician with a genuine love of the subject.
She passed the entrance exams at the University of Liberia with ease, and it seems only right that she is currently studying for a Bachelor of Accounting.
STAFF WHO UP-SKILLED
Our alumni are not the only ones who’ve been working on their further studies. We want to congratulate those members of our team who have accomplished their own educational goals in the last 12 months.
NEW TO THE TEAM
This year we welcomed seven new members to our team. Thanks to your support we’ve been able to give these fantastic individuals job security. By providing employment opportunities, you’ve enabled each of them to plan for the future, invest in furthering their own education, and provide for their families. In return, they bring their skills, enthusiasm and big hearts to the table as we work together to give young Liberians the best outcomes possible.
DAVID DOKIE,
TEACHER & SMC
David joined us to teach Grades 7-12 Literature. Despite being new to the team, his enthusiasm for helping both his students and colleagues succeed has meant he was quickly nominated to join our School Management Committee (SMC), where he supervises our junior high school division.
MAGGIE GOTOGBO
, ASSISTANT TEACHER
Maggie helps out in our Kindergarten (5 year-olds). She is also completing her studies for a C Certificate, which will qualify her to teach a class in her own right in the near future. We’re always glad to see more women entering the teaching profession, and are happy to support her as she pursues this goal!
ORETHA WARD,
COOK
Oretha came on board to help our kitchen staff roll out the breakfast program, which has been a huge success! Every day she helps cook, serve and clean-up after more than 400 meals, ensuring our students have enough healthy food in their belly to stay motivated.
ANNIE TOE, CUSTODIAN
Annie became a member of our team in September 2019. She loves working with our tiniest recruits, and is careful to take good care of their learning space to make sure they get the most out of each day.
HAWA GRAY
Hawa joined in July 2020 as one of our Custodians - the team which takes care of school cleaning and maintenance. She comes from the local village, and has two younger sisters who have attended the school.
SAMUEL KOLLIE, REGISTRAR
Samuel commenced as our Registrar in February 2020. With a background in both IT and accounting, as well as experience teaching, he has been a valuable addition to our administrative team.
ALETHA LIYEAN
Aletha joined us in September 2020 as our new Kindergarten teacher. She recently graduated with an Associate Degree from Rafiki Teacher Training College, and we’re pleased to welcome her to the team!
YOUTOE MOORE, CUSTODIAN
Youtoe helps to keep our classrooms and campus in good order. With younger siblings and cousins in the school, she also serves as a mentor to keep them on track as they complete their education at LREC.
WHAT LIES AHEAD
We’ve come a really long way since we opened our doors in 2008 as a Kindergarten-Grade 6 school with just 181 students, 25 staff, and a single building. We’ve expanded to a full Nursery-Grade 12 educational facility with more than 340 students and 47 staff. We’ve implemented school meals, on-site medical, and vocational training programs. And despite Ebola, the economic slow-down of a UN mission draw-down, and COVID-19, we’ve thrived.
But there’s still more work to be done.
Every child deserves a good EDUCATION.
As we look back on our year and celebrate our triumphs, we know it’s equally important to reflect on the challenges that lie ahead and how we’ll tackle them. So what’s next?
Improving digital systems
We’re working to improve our digital systems to increase our resilience in situations like Ebola and COVID-19. Both have highlighted the need to develop ways for students to access their education remotely when circumstances necessitate.
This year we brought in an online education management system, and currently have a development team working to better tailor it to our needs. With contributions from parents, we were able to purchase 8 new laptops for the school, and will continue to do so annually to ensure our equipment stays up-to-date. We also implemented internet infrastructure upgrades, improving connectivity in our main building.
This is a start, but there is further to go. With a large campus, we want to ensure staff and students anywhere on grounds can access the internet. This will require both further infrastructure investment and increasing our regular expenditure on data.
Increasing female teaching staff at secondary level
We see it as critical for our young women to have strong female role models throughout their educational experience, but we’ve noticed a dearth of female applicants for teaching positions at the secondary level. This is a problem we’re determined to help solve.
We’ll be working with our existing female teaching staff to encourage them to upgrade their qualifications by adjusting their working schedules where possible to allow for additional studies. We’ll also be giving them opportunities to teach at these levels and build their experience and confidence working with older students.
Completing our science wing
A theoretical understanding of the sciences can be quite dry, but you should see our students’ eyes light up when they pick up a scalpel for their first dissection. Engagement is critical to the learning process, and we’ll always go that extra mile to try and achieve it.
We have three dedicated science labs under construction, but only one is currently operational, and needs a refurbishment to install dedicated work stations complete with gas, water, and lockable storage space for equipment.
We’re currently seeking USD 26,000 to complete the building and fully fit it out. If you’re in a position to help, and want to see more students excelling at science, please get in touch.
TVET accreditation
We want to make sure every student who graduates from LREC achieves not only an academic qualification (WASSCE), but also a nationally recognised TVET certification.
We’re currently liaising with the relevant authorities to make this happen, but there are a few things we need to do.
Thanks to a generous grant from The DEAR Foundation, our new TVET facilities are under construction with dedicated training spaces for masonry, auto-mechanics, electricity and plumbing.
We’ll also be increasing the amount of times our students participate in TVET classes, to ensure they complete the required number of training hours.
Solar/sustainability/environmental
In 2018 we put in a partial conversion to solar. We have already recouped the cost of the initial investment, and will continue to see annual savings to operating costs of more than USD 20,000. Our next goal is to convert the remainder of the system, which will cost USD 35,350 but return 10% on investment over the life-span of the system.
More important than the finances, this will enable us to remove current 4-hour daily restrictions on electricity use, meaning more computer lessons, better lighting in rainy season, more interactive TVET classes, cooler learning environments (with fans), the potential for afternoon and evening adult literacy classes for the community, more administrative efficiency, all-day access to photocopiers for teaching staff, and the list goes on.
You want more? By supporting this project you’ll be helping to save the environment from harmful diesel generator emissions, in a time when the world is already beginning to experience the ravages of climate change.
Senior sporting facilities
We want to make sure all of our students receive opportunities to develop not only their academic abilities, but also their sporting prowess. Playing sport brings both physical and mental health benefits, teaches students how to engage in friendly forms of competition, and builds their confidence both on and off the field through safe forms of risk-taking, We began expanding to a high school in 2013, and our students have been practising on our elementary football field and basketball court (they’re determined!), but we think they deserve a proper-sized pitch.
With a large campus, we have the space, but need to bring in bull-dozers to clear the brush (USD 710), install goals and nets for football and volleyball (USD 450), construct a full-sized basketball court (USD 17,160), and prepare some stands for supporters to watch the games (USD 3450 per 25 foot section). These facilities will benefit not only our students, but also the more than 30,000 other people who reside in the Duazon area and have access to these facilities.
CHANGES AT THE HELM
FAREWELL PRINCIPAL WOLOKOLIe
Henry Wolokolie (known affectionately as Wolo-Wolo by his students) will be moving on to new challenges outside of LREC at the end of the academic year.
Over the past 8 years he has devoted himself to the well-being of his colleagues and students, simultaneously playing the diverse roles of mentor, colleague, friend, and leader.
We wish to express our sincere gratitude for all his efforts to build and grow the school. Thanks to Henry, we have gone from an elementary school to a full Nursery-Grade 12 complex with a body of more than 50 highly successful alumni. We have a junior high wing, a functioning science laboratory, and TVET facilities under construction. We have students who come back to us after completion because he has made them feel like family. We have a network of friends and connections within the broader Liberian community who want to see the school succeed.
It has been a pleasure to work alongside someone who was bold in decision making, personally determined, and who never shied from a challenge.
We sincerely wish him every success in whatever life brings next.
Welcoming new leadership
Stepping in to take up where he leaves off, we have Rochelline Marshall-Davis and Elaine Cole.
Rochelline Marshall-Davis, Principal
We are pleased to introduce Rochelline Marshall-Davis as our incoming Principal. Ms Marshall-Davis’ background includes working with students from pre-school to university level. She has also provided research, administrative, and technical support to a variety of initiatives across the education, health, community, and business sectors. Led by her passion for education, prevention, youth, community and behaviour change, Ms Marshall-Davis has joined the LREC community committed to creating opportunities for transformation and empowerment. She has a Master’s Degree in Community-Clinical Psychology, several years of doctoral training, and over 15 years of experience working in the United States and Liberia.
Elaine Cole
,
Head of Academic Affairs
Elaine has been with us since 2008 when we took our first students. As our Kindergarten teacher she has educated a generation of our students, helping our youngest people navigate school life for the very first time, and continuing to provide a strong, compassionate role model as our preschoolers grew into young men and women.
Elaine has an Associate Degree in Education and more than 30 years teaching experience. She has served on an array of committees supporting school leadership, and we are confident that as Head of Academic Affairs she will help our staff and students go from strength to even greater strength.
WELCOME MESSAGE FROM OUR NEW PRINCIPAL
I am grateful about how the Liberia Renaissance Education Complex (LREC) community has welcomed me as new principal. Despite the challenges being faced with COVID-19 we have been able to figure out how to start moving forward.
Staff are responding to the call to return to being on campus regularly, committees are being formed and we are actively working together to get the campus in shape for our students.
We are successfully finishing up this school year and preparing for the upcoming school year with new safety measures, activities, and ways to save our parents money.
I am ready to join forces with all of you to continue the success at LREC and am fully committed to education, health and prevention. Overall, I am passionate about our youth and the community. Together we can continue to motivate and encourage our children to stay the course! I am confident that as we expand the children’s horizons our youth will gain broader life experience, develop self confidence, and be better equipped to be healthy, responsible, and thriving members of society.
“Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better than you found it.”
OUR FINANCES
When you gave us your money, you gave us your trust to implement educational programs as effectively and efficiently as possible. We want to repay that trust by sharing with you how that money was spent.
