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2/8/2011 9:28 AM 

Your faithful, but elusive reporter here has lots of news to share from Fr. Symon in Narok. I spoke with him shortly after he arrived safely in Kenya and he was as delighted as ever to be with the children at the Jubilee School!  He said the 3rd graders seem to be getting tinier with each passing year, noting that people in Kenya are sending their children to school earlier than they have in the past. I like to think that word has spread throughout the communities in Maasailand that the Jubilee School not only has wonderful facilities to accommodate boarding for elementary school students, a compassionate and very capable Matron, who looks after them so well, but also teachers who are doing an excellent job preparing them for future studies.  With the enthusiasm shown by numerous applicants and the many acceptances and arrivals, I think the numbers speak for themselves.  We did expect 170 students in total...the way it works is that families apply, they are then given letters of acceptance and we wait until school opens for the children to arrive.  Fr. Symon has heard that several families have had difficulty transferring their children in time for the first term, so we may see a few more children at the beginning of the second term, which begins in May.  In any event, we are off to a good start!

So, where to begin? Well, this morning I received a nice e-mail from one of the Maasai Safari guides from the Camp we stayed at in 2007 and 2009 in the Maasai Mara who was happy to share the news that his children are now at the Jubilee School. James, who happened to attend the Boys secondary school that Fr. Symon built and headed in Lemek, Kenya, along with two other Maasai guides at the Camp, were all surprised to learn that we were friends with Fr. Ntaiyia (as they referred to him) and that he was building a school in Narok, which is the gateway town to the Mara. Their enthusiasm and acknowledgement that their schooling was instrumental in their success (being extremely articulate English speakers and guides at Rekero, a highly praised Camp) was such beautiful affirmation when we met them in July of 2007, while the Jubilee School was still under construction.  Anyway, his delight at having his kids at the School is just more wonderful affirmation that we are all on the right path.

The other more recent newsworthy event is that we finally were able to ship a 40' container of school furnishings: desks, tables, chairs, blackboards, a complete elementary school library of books and other items off to Kenya just before Fr. Symon left on January 30th. It was quite a production, which has been in the works for some considerable time, since the items were donated after an elementary school closed near my sister, Kady, in the Washington, D.C. area, and she was able to ship them up to Ontario for safe keeping at the Rectory where Fr. Symon lives.  Thanks to the enormous and incredibly generous help from parishioners in the cluster of Parishes that Fr. Symon serves in the Ontario and Sodus areas in Upstate New York, the container was loaded in less than 2 hours...a record to be sure...in January weather no less! Thank you one and all for your never ending kindness and charitable assistance that you so willingly provide Fr. Symon and the Jubilee School whenever it is asked of you. As an Upstate New Yorker myself, I'll admit to a slight bias...but given the outpouring over the last few years of the good people who live in the greater Rochester area, I think it is fair to say you won't find bigger or more kindly hearts anywhere on the planet! Fr. Symon's parishioners are such a steady source of inspiration to him. He is proud of the people in the communities he serves and so sure of their grace and goodness...as this last endeavour proves! It is far from a cliche when we say, "We couldn't have done it without you!"

So the shipment is due in the port of Mombasa, Kenya sometime around March 17th...let's hope the luck of the Irish will prevail through customs and its eventual transport to Narok. Rather than depending solely upon luck however, we have retained assurance from our shipper too, that the extensive paperwork which we have been processing for well, let's just say months now, is in good order, so we expect that the shipment will get to the school by early April. Since the children will be on break then, it will be unloaded and set up in the new Dining Hall and in the classrooms where needed. I can't wait to see the photos when everything is in place!

Speaking of photos...last you heard from me, I was hoping that we could post extensive photos upon Fr. Symon's return from his visit last July/August. I believe we have some on line, but didn't develop a good array to really give us all a more precise idea of how things are looking. So, Fr. Symon is determined to engage in some serious picture taking while he is visiting this time, so that we can see how the campus is evolving.  As previously mentioned, we have a  Two Bedroom Teacher's House that has been built and also the Dining/Activity Hall with storage rooms for grain etc.

When I spoke with Fr. Symon he said that the people who are installing the large industrial sized stoves that we have purchased were there putting everything in place. Given the number of children we now board, who have three meals a day, the addition of stoves will be positively critical and our cook is overjoyed.

The Creamer Family from Barrington, RI are the generous benefactors of this amazing new building, the Dining Hall/Activity Center.  In 2009 they donated the building in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, whose essence is one of faith and understanding and who is the patron saint of the Americas and the Unborn. An important icon of the image of Mary, the Blessed Mother of Jesus, is revered in Mexico City.  The Creamers' profound faith in Our Lady of Guadalupe will nourish our many children who reside and are educated at the Jubilee School by their inspiration to donate this wonderful facility. We are deeply grateful.

I've mentioned the Teacher's House before but have not elaborated because it has taken us awhile to complete. The Sgarro Family from Barrington , RI generously funded it when we first started much of the construction of the school in 2007, in honor of their four parents/grandparents, who inspired a love of learning, a sense of social commitment and a high regard for those most important adults who invest themselves so deeply in our children's success, TEACHERS. This housing will enable us to recruit and employ some outstanding, dedicated Teachers who embrace our mission as a boarding school for such young students. We are profoundly grateful to be able to provide such a residence and also can not thank the Sgarros enough for their patience and incredible generosity by donating this. Fr. Symon has praised the 'paint job' since that's my particular obsession (and line of questioning), but we'll be looking to post pictures soon!

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