HABARI NEWS: END OF 2018
To all friends of Father Ntaiyia Jubilee School-Narok Kenya. It is almost a year since my last communication and especially news on my school’s Habari News. Some of our friends will have read the news I shared in our parish bulleting on my last trip to Kenya while I was there, but this did not continue in the School website blog after I returned to the US because the website went down for some weeks. At the end of December when I notice there was something wrong with it, I requested a friend of the school who originally helped to set it up and has been maintain it, Mr. Ken Sheehan to investigate what was wrong. He was able in consultation with the Diocese of Rochester to have it in-service again by the second week of February. For friends who could not get the news via our parish bulleting I will repeat on my trip and experience in Kenya Oct/Nov last year. It will be like a brief history that links us to what has been going on and what is going on now in the School.
I left for Kenya on Monday October 15th. Flights were from Rochester, New York City, Dubai, Nairobi where I arrived mid afternoon
on Oct 17th and headed for a two-hour drive to Narok my home town. I went to my residence as it was late for me to go to School that day. The following day I waited before going to school because the children were taking examination until four in the afternoon.
There was warm welcomed as usual when I went there and were all waiting for my arrival. I am always looking forward to meeting the little third grader and other new students for the first time. Then I would ask who the smallest of all and they, with loud laughter will point out at her/him. I then visit with the teachers and those in offices and other staff in the school. It does not take long before the children come around me again. On the second day I had a meeting with the head teacher for briefings and update me on several of school life. Saturday Oct 20 was a public holiday in Kenya like (Memorial Day in US) I decided to have good rest at my place because on such a day we let the students join the public in a local stadium for celebration. On this day also, St. Maximillian Kobe Parish which I serve in the Diocese of Rochester was hosting our annual seniors’ Breakfast and I was able to communicate by phone to them. They greeted me with an African clap of hand taught them.
Generally, it was dry in Kenya when I arrived, but it showed they had had good weather in the near past. There was happy atmosphere in the school even though exams are usually not the best part for the student’s life. In a weeks’ time the continuing students were to leave for a long break until January while the graduating class was left in the School for their National Public Examination that was to end their studies in my school and determines their entrance to High School studies.
As I was writing a Parish bulleting letter for Sunday October 21, 2018 on the story of the Blind man of Jericho who said to Jesus “Master I want to see” it made me see education as light. I often picture if I did not go to school when I was taken at the age of 10 in 1958. Very likely I would still not have known how to read and write; maybe I would not have been a Christian or even a Catholic let alone a Priest. As I have said many times the best picture on this is when I visit my home village and meet my age group who did not get a chance to go to school. Their life and family life say it all. The other side of the same picture are those many boys I educated in a Diocesan boy’s School. I meet a good number of them when I am in Kenya who tell me how they are successful in life because they had an opportunity to go school in Lemek with me. Friends of Father Ntaiyia Jubilee School has given and will continue giving light to many. My mind went back to the words of the blind man who said to Jesus “My Teacher Let me see again”. And I ask all our friends join our prayers with that of the blind man for the grace of God to shine on those in need it so their eyes may be opened and remain opened.
Sunday Oct 21, we had first Mass with the school after my arrival and this was celebrated with liturgical dance by our students. Children put on their best and new song to show me that something new is there since my last visit. I must say I am at home with this. It was to be our last Mass with the whole School community this year. The Parish priests who normally celebrate Mass in Father Ntaiyia School every Saturday evening usually let me continue with Masses when I am visiting but I switch it to Sunday. Monday, students completed their internal examinations and teachers were busy grading while students had extracurricular activities. Wednesday Oct 24th. we had a good afternoon celebrating as we wished our graduating class success in their examination and a bright future after being in Father Ntaiyia Jubilee School some of them for eight years. The school menu was changed to fit the day, and after all the students had their lunch and the ongoing Students were set free to go and prepare for their departure the following day.
Next, I had lunch with all our teachers and other workers in the School. I do this every year during my visit to meet them all in a social gathering. The following day we assembled in the student’s dining room for the event of giving out end of the year reports to every student and after a few speeches the third trimester was officially declared ended. During this event we also acknowledge some students for their exceptional being or services to the others. This year I brought pens and pencils given by students of Wayne Central when I visited them before coming to Kenya and I distributed them so that each student had something (from US). Friday Oct 26th.some parents came as early as 6.30 AM and stated taking the children and this kept going on for the next seven hours when the last child was taken home. Although the candidates of the examinations were still in school I feit most of the children had gone and there was change.
CANDIDATES: We had the weekend of Oct 27 and 28 with the candidates of public examination after the continuing students had left for their long holidays. The candidates had their examination rehearsal with the invigilators on Monday October 29th and started a three days exam timetable on 30th. Each day I went to meet them after their last paper of the day. All Saints day was their last day and I was waiting for them to come out at about 11.30 AM Kenya we were 8 hours ahead of NY. They all came to me and I congratulated them as they busted in Good-bye song ready to leave Father Ntaiyia School in the next 24 hours. A good sendoff meal had been prepared for them and teaching staff and other school workers joined them for lunch. After this they had time hand back the school items such as text books before starting to pack their personal items. A few parents came for their children that afternoon and they took their children while the others had to wait for the following morning. Friday November 2 parents came for their children and by 11 AM all hand left the school. Domestic workers were left cleaning and before they too left the following day for their break.
Without students for me the school was like a ghost town. There were three more weeks for me to be in Kenya and I had some work in the School that needed to be done when the students are away.
Now I had to embark on some work that can only be done when the students are away. Each year before I leave for Kenya, we hold our Friends of Father Ntaiyia School 501 Charity BOD meeting and discuss among other things what needs to be done in line of maintenance and repairs in the School during my visiting. We also discuss on new projects especially those we may have received specifically donation for. If funds have been given for a project, we respectfully honor the intention of the donor. Other Funds come from donation we receive during the year to help my School and especially Christmas time from Friends and well-wishers of Father Ntaiyia Jubilee School
MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR WORK:
It is clear now from last two years that repair work is going to be a routine each year as the buildings are now 10 years old. Because of this we select the neediest repairs as we can not do everything in one year. Last November I supervised replacing new floor in two class rooms and part of the students dining room, new floor had to be done and some other work in a classroom adjacent to the Library that will be used soon as a computer lab. We paint each year some areas that were not painted since constructions.
NEW PROJECTS:
The Board of Directors (BOD) this year accepted to fund what is needed for computer teaching in Father Ntaiyia Jubilee School as one of the new projects. We agreed that I initiate this project by preparation for a computer lab (classroom), solar power because power is very much unreliable in Kenya, installation of W.I.F.I. and have these in place before purchasing of 25 computers and their accessories. Our aim is to equip one classroom with computers and required accessories so that different graders can go there for their computer course rather than trying to have computers in every classroom for now. In this case we wish to make is possible for groups 25 students each to have a computer session.
By end of November last year before I returned to the US W.I.F.I. had been installed and was working very well. I used it to communicate with BOD members and were happy for its success. Next job on this was on computer classroom or lab. I invited an electrician and a compute installation expert, and they worked on what is needed in electric wiring, sockets and arrangement of furniture for students. This was also done before I returned to the US.
SOLAR POWER FOR COMPUTER TEACHING
During our BOD meeting before I left for Kenya, I had requested them to fund a solar power project as a back up for computer teaching in my school. I presented the estimated budget that had been made for me by a Solar installing firm and the BOD had accepted it pending more information during my visiting Kenya. After I arrived in Kenya, however, and consulting further with the same firm, they advise that we should have the solar power as main power for computers and not as back up because it is more reliable than the main grid in Kenya. I informed the BOD members of Father Ntaiyia Jubilee Charity about this new development which I made clear was going to cost twice the original quotation. The members accepted but advised that I get more information. I emailed a friend of mine from Austria who has been installing solar power in a hospital in Ewuaso -Tanzania and in Loita – Kenya Mr. Ludwig Mulleder and after several e-mail communications and phone calls between him and through me to Mr. Steve Dietl for BOD and Brian Kibiwot of Davis & Shirtliff Ltd (Solar)-Narok we settled for installation of solar power to be inverted into ordinary power and with possible extension for use in School office building and lighting other buildings. Consulting Ludwig was very helpful, and we thank him for sharing his experience and technology on installation of Solar power.
PUBLIC EXAMINATION RESULTS
As mentioned above on Candidates, the public examination was done while I was in Kenya and the results were out when I was still there, and I was the first to get the news. We had 44 students who took this examination. Pass mark (points) for students to go to government High Schools and County High schools by invitation is 250 points out of 500 of which. We had 33 students above this. Those with about 225 points can go to private High Schools owned by parents and are affordable and of this we had 6 students.
After the results were out, I called the teaching staff and other staff back to school from their holidays for a meeting. We all reviewed the examination results and discussed other matters of the school. There are factors that may affect final examinations. The best students were among those who have been in this school long and weaker are those who join in between. We must allow other students to join in other grades to keep the student number reasonable, as I have mentioned in the past some of our students leave for other school before our final class with them. The reasons for this vary just as those who come to us from other schools.
TO BE CONTINUED…… From January 2019