Holy Cross Graduation

It was a very proud day for Principal Grace Williams and the staff and guests of Holy Cross Anglican School to see 20 of their students graduate on Sunday, July 19th. Staff, parents, honored guests and volunteers gathered to celebrate the success and perseverance of these students, some of whom had overcome great odds. Under the guidance of their teacher Mr Carlos Coba, 16 passed the PSE, and 7 earned scholarships to High School. Holy Cross wishes to thank all the many, many people who made this proud day possible. We wish the graduates every success.

Be Kind Belize Holy Cross Anglican School Graduates

Thank you to the Community!

On Thursday the 15th of June 2011, Be Kind Belize was proud to celebrate the graduation of 24 children from Mr. Zetina’s Standard 2 at Holy Cross Anglican School. All of the students had successfully completed the Be Kind Belize programme.

Two students won additional accolades for being voted as the kindest kids in their class or by demonstrating generosity of spirit with their participation in the programme. Those children are Alhusaan Martin and Jennifer Neal.

Be Kind Belize was started in 2007 to offer humane education to primary schools in San Pedro and it is now being taught in the Cayo district as well. Humane education teaches children the meaning of kindness and empathy, gives them an understanding of responsibility and consequences and helps them to develop reverence and respect for all living things and the planet that we live on.

All of the Be Kind Belize, Kind Kid Winners received a fantastic selection of prizes, which were donated or sponsored. Many businesses and individuals deserve a huge thank you for supporting the programme and putting smiles on the faces of some very wonderful young people. The most exciting prize of all this year was full scholarships to San Pedro Summer Camp with a value of $600. San Pedro Summer Camp gives children the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of activities throughout the month of July. Be Kind Belize will be running a camp programme in association with San Pedro Summer Camp so there will be more fun with kindness this summer.

In particular, Be Kind Belize would like to thank Tammy Peterson from San Pedro Summer Camp, Marty Casado & AmbergrisCaye.com and Paradise Theatre. There were a number of other donors who contributed greatly to the prize packs that the children received and Be Kind Belize could not provide such wonderful motivators and rewards without their ongoing support. Be Kind Belize is very grateful.

If you would like to volunteer as a Be Kind Belize Humane Educator or if you would like to sponsor the programme in some way, please contact Colette Kase on 226 4366 or write to BeKindBelize@gmail.com.

Holy Cross female football team get some gear!

Kelly and David Thompson from Kennesaw, Georgia USA recently made a large donation of football uniforms to the Holy Cross School of San Pedro. These efforts were fueled by their three children; Maggie, Will and Kayla who, while visiting, had joined the local children here to play a few friendly games of soccer.

Kelly’s kids all play organized sports were excited to find something they truly had in common with the local kids here, but could not help to notice the differences too. Seeing the kids playing barefoot with no uniforms, they came up with the idea of asking the parents of Kayla’s teammates to donate their used uniforms, cleats and balls to the schools here.

The Holy Cross Anglican School Girls Soccer Team was thrilled to try out their new soccer shirts. “I feel so professional”, says Heidy in Std VI (grade 8). Heidy loves playing soccer – “It’s fun, and I’ve made new friends”.

Mr. Coba, the Sports Director at the Holy Cross School, is also very grateful for the donation. “The uniforms really help, making the girls look and feel professional and it’s so much easier for everyone to know who is on which team. Having proper shoes is important too – many of the girls play with bare feet and they often cut their feet during the games”.

Kelly and David, who own a home here in San Pedro, hope to make this the first of many donations to the schools of Belize. By approaching other teams in the YMCA, they hope to get enough donations to provide full uniforms and equipment to all the children who want to participate in the sport and help build a league here on Ambergris Caye.

Both David and Kelly firmly believe that through organized team sports, children can thrive in all areas of life. “It helps build confidence in one’s self and trust in others when you are a part of a team that has one common goal and you learn to support each other. It is also an important lesson to teach our children and remind ourselves that collectively we can make a difference in the world,” commented Kelly.

Special thanks to Joel and Sherry Sullivan for donating all of the uniforms shown.

Fifth Annual Holiday Lighted Boat Parade lights up the sea!

The fifth annual Holiday Lighted Boat Parade has come and gone on La Isla Bonita. The dark seas were lit up by festive boats that took the annual route from Boca del Rio and south to the Caribbean Villas area. Along the shoreline, hundreds of spectators lined up to watch the beautiful twinkling lights as the vessels sailed/drove at sea.

Of course, there was judging to be had, and this year’s judges, Einer Gomez, Wil Alamilla, Miss San Pedro – Natasha Stuart, Dianne Lawrence and Mayor Elsa Paz had the hard task of deciding the overall winner. There were several prizes to hand out, so each participant was honored.

The list of winners is as follows:

Most Artistic:

Sea Symphony

Most Religious & Junior Division winners:

Holy Cross Anglican School (only Junior Division participant)

Mayor’s Trophy:

San Pedro AIDS Commission

Best Overall – 1st Place:

Blue Tang’s Sirena Azul

2nd Place:

San Pedro Lions Club

Honorable Mentions:

Canadian Connection

The Rum Punch

Searious Adventures’ “Red Hot” Catamaran (The SEArious Escape)

Congratulations to all participants and winners for a job well done!! Join us again when we light up the seas once more in 2011.

Brightening smiles at Smile Clinic

Volunteer dentists brighten kids’ smiles The Holy Cross Anglican School houses its own modern, air conditioned dental clinic on the school premises, and every chance they get, US dentists volunteer their time to the school to tend to the children’s dental needs. Solicited by Dr. Mark Johnson a long time resident to San Pedro, the volunteer teams find themselves embracing the experience and assist with the many cases of poor hygiene practices that the kids are faced with on a day to day basis. The team arrived last week and is comprised of Dr. Dwight Salmon, Dr. Tom Cable, and Dr. Deanna Cable who hail from New Mexico. The team held clinics at the San Pedro Smile Clinic Too from Tuesday, September 23rd to Friday, September 26th and the kids are very much delighted that they are here for their next check up. From fillings to extractions and teeth counts, before each child leaves they are supplied with a bag of toothbrush, toothpaste, floss and a toy for their brave efforts. Dr. Mark Johnson

Special thanks to hosts Vernon and Francis Wilson of Holy Cross, Cholos for donating the golf cart, Sunbreeze Suites for the hotel rooms and Maya Island Air for the discounted air fare. The team is scheduled for another smile clinic in November of this year. Kudos to the gang for continuing the effort for brighter smiles.