Trinity Yard Video
Get a glimpse of the vibrant life of Cape Three Points and TYS.
Glimpse of Ghana
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TYS is currently finishing up a book and materials drive for a June container shipment to Ghana. We are accepting donations of books; children's, early readers, educational, story, text books, reference materials, educational DVDs, used laptops, solar panels, rust proof garden tools, clothes and sports equipment that are in good condition. All donations can be sent to
Trinity Yard School
C/O Rory Jackson
653 Quarry Road
New Haven, VT 05472
The Trinity Yard School has blossomed in many ways in the 2009/2010 academic year. We have had great successes with both our permanent and volunteer teaching staff. Our students have shown a consistent dedication to the school and their education by working hard both in the classroom and at home, where daily life can be very difficult.
Over the past six months the TYS has benefited from the work of 36 volunteers, including Dean Plager, Olivia Daniels and Meg Young who have taught part-time and Ant Makeral and Macon Jackson whom have joined the staff as fulltime teachers. We are very fortunate to have two really great permanent Ghanaian Teachers, Samuel Agyemang teaching academics and Promise Dogbeda teaching Kente weaving. Overall TYS operations have gone according to schedule.
Emma Lipshultz, a former Putney student, fundraised and set up a bicycle project that provided 60 students with used mountain bikes through an NGO called Village Bicycle Project. The bikes were delivered to Cape Three Points followed by a day of tuning by bicycle mechanics and three days of maintenance workshops with 20 students per day. At the end of the workshops students got to choose a bike for themselves. It was wonderful to see the students riding home on their new bikes, their faces lit up with huge smiles. The project has made a very positive impact on the community and allowed students, workers and team-members easy access to the School, which is almost 2.5 miles from the village. Many thanks to Emma and her motivation in raising the funds, making the contacts and turning an idea into a reality that has changes lives very directly.
2010 Schedule:
January 4 Batik continues
January 4 Agro-forestry, science, agriculture begins
January 11 ESL (learning with laughter) for 1st and 2nd year students begins
January 11 Math begins
February 1st Batik End
February 8th Kente Weaving Begins
February 15th Gailer School project begins
April 5th English in Global Studies begins, for second-year students begins
June 14th Exams begin
June 18th Summer vacation begins
June 26th Putney Student Travel arrives
August 9th new class enrolls, workshops begin
August 23rd new school year begins
November 8th Kundum festival begins (no class)
November 15th class resumes
December 17th Christmas vacation begins
2011 Schedule:
January 10th school resumes
June 13th exams begin
June 17th summer vacation begins
July 1st Putney Student Travel arrives
November 5th Graduation for first class
In February of 2009, the school began a geography class, which met in the morning, and an afternoon class introducing batik, tie-and-dye, and textile production. The students were given both an overview of theory and hands-on practice of textile production, and many responded very positively. In response to this interest, the School has begun an eight-month course in textiles, taught by a recent graduate from a Polytechnic of Textiles in the city of Sekondi, named Emmanuel Gedzah.
Our academic class moved from geography into social studies in April 2009, immediately after our volunteers left. We lost a few students when the English course ended, but have maintained a solid group of 16 since that time. Our academic teacher, Samuel Agyemang from Accra, was able to overlap with our volunteer teachers, and took over the class with a smooth transition. He has gained the respect and approval of the students and community at large, and will continue his course until August, at which point we will switch gears to offering micro-business and marketing.
Our business teacher, Akoeallah Gedzah, a recent graduate from Ho-Polytechnic, will teach a three-month course in how to set up a small business and market products. In January 2010, our School will open to new students who wish to enroll. At this same time, we will begin offering a new trades course in Kente weaving and/or culinary arts, depending on available funding and interest. Our academic classes will focus on our EMK English course, for new students, and an English through Global Studies course, for second year students.
Building
Over the past year TYS has built two compost units with sheet metal and cement with wooden doors to improve soil quality in the gardens as well as a volunteer house measuring 22ftx32ft and bath 10ftx10ft. The new house has become the preferred sleeping quarters of all or recent guests due to the constant sea breeze ventilation. The building was constructed with a cement knee wall, a 2x4 hardwood frame and a 2x6 roofing system. The windows and doors are made of 1x12 mahogany boards with walls built with a local bamboo-like-palm called raffia. The roofing is green aluminum sheet metal that will hopefully prove more effective than standard iron sheet roofing. The building was inspired and initiated by Dean Plager in Jan of 2010.
Our most recent and more prolific project yet is a Library building that will serve the TYS with two classrooms/Library wings and large octagonal connecting space. This center octagon shaped room will have a second story serving as a place to read, catch the breeze overlooking the Gulf of Guinea. With the help of the Jackson Hole students, TYS students and our faithful workers Emmanuel, Bombay and Joseph we have dug and poured a foundation for the TYS Library building measuring two east and west wings at 22x34 ft and a center octagon at 36ft in diameter. It is our plan of finish both wings by August of 2010 and slowly design and build the center building as a yearlong project.
The Trinity Yard School has given many youth from the and states and Cape Three Points a new outlook on life, helped support families and has allowed young people in the rural coastal area around Cape Three Points a chance to continue their education in more ways than one. The school has only been running for two years and in that short time many people have benefited, and we are just getting started. Overall it has been a very productive year.
Sports
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This season we have had a huge success with both our A and B boys' soccer teams, playing 18 matches and a dozen friendly games. Both teams will register with the regional soccer association to play matches at home, as well as in metropolitan areas, in a coastal division. Unfortunately the soccer equipment suffers much damage due to the dirt pitch on which the teams play. TYS plans to invest in a new set of cleats to be used during matches. The girl's team has struggled with time and space to play, as men's teams heavily use the pitch. During a recent meeting we collectively decided to focus our resource towards the culture group instead, as it has gained much popularity in the past year. The troupe has traveled to different villages performing for funerals, marriages, and festivals, and is in negotiation with eco-villages and guesthouses in neighboring villages to arrange for paid monthly performances.
Volunteers
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TYS has received two great student trips from VT and WY this year. The TYS students have recently worked alongside the Gailer School students, of Vermont, in a month long short story writing workshop lead by Gailer school director Lonny Edwards and teacher Ainika Luna. TYS students also traveled as a class with the Gailer students to visit, Takoradi Market, the Cape Coast slave castle and the Kakum National Park canopy walk, as well as the capital city of Accra. For many of the students this was the first journey out of the region, and for a few of them the first time to the paved road. The trip was a huge success for both groups.
A second trip from Jackson Hole Wyoming, led by Mark Palmer stayed in the yard for almost three weeks. The group of 14 high school students came on a service oriented project and fundraised enough money before arriving to dig and pour the foundation for the new Library Building. Together with American students TYS has constructed and planted new gardens, built compost bins and set the foundation for the new library/classroom building. The trips have proved essential in the energy of the school in opening many eyes and creating opportunities for growth in students from both cultures.
Our founding sponsors and board members and sons, Bob and Sam Evans and John and Evan Dacosta came to visit the School this spring. They brought with them many great materials for the soccer teams, solar lights and headlamps for the students and many shorts donated by Puma. Most importantly they provided positive encouragement to the students and assured the incoming class that TYS is doing what it can to help the youth in the area. After an awards ceremony that acknowledged the hard work of the team members and the culture group with various achievement awards, the soccer teams were able to cram into two buses and travel to the W.R. Stadium’s practice pitch. It was a great visit with John and Bob and an experience that many of the players will never forget.
In July of 2010 the Putney Student Travel program Led by Kelsey Burns will travel to Cape Three Points for the third consecutive year to help build the Library alongside TYS builders and students interested in joining in with the effort. We hope to fill our Library through assistance of The Books for Africa Library project as well as our own TYS book drive that will ship a container of approximately 10,000 books and will arrive in Ghana this July.
The new class of 2013 has signed up to join the School in August of 2010, and will be starting the year with a two-week English exercises through theater led by Lincoln, VT school teachers Devon MacLeod (teacher of the year 2010) and Bonnie Melenik (teacher of the year 2009).
We have returning teacher Ant Makeral, and two long-term volunteer teachers, Rosie Nelson and returning for a second term, Oliva Daniels who will all join our academic staff.
