Hurricane Relief: Re-Opening St. Croix Montessori

It has been nine months since our Global Giving community first helped us re-open our doors. As we enter into the 2018 Hurricane season, our school is experiencing a touch of PTSD.

 “You want to tell everyone that you are doing well,” says a St. Croix Montessori parent and volunteer. “Because we have come so far. Because we are grateful for all the support received and we can see opportunity for regrowth. Yet the truth is, I am tired; my family is tired; we have been stretched thin for months. We aren’t ready – physically or emotionally - for another hurricane or even a tropical storm. Our community needs hope and strength now more than ever.”

 The Global Giving community understands that disaster recovery is long, hard work that continues for years after the media cycle has moved on. Your commitment ensures local nonprofits directly serve the communities we live in. 

 This June our commitment is simple: remain open.

On an island with 44% of children underprepared for kindergarten and 98% below proficiency levels grades K-12 (USVI KidsCount), our school has consistently risen to the top, with 85% of graduating students at or above grade level and engaging families in an established peace education. Our commitment to community has led St. Croix Montessori, the only certified-Montessori school on the island of St. Croix, to always provide low-income families scholarships even when we do not have the funds in reserve. We have been creative and flexible in the face of challenge by partnering with local nonprofits and organizations to deliver services, provide transportation to extracurricular activities, and meet the holistic needs of our families. St. Croix Montessori is focused on what matters most in life – our children.

June is the month our school bridges multiple timelines:

• Our teachers create a sense of completion and celebration for the students;
• Our school prepares to host students from across the Territory in our summer enrichment programs; and
• We evaluate, reflect, and refine our goals for the 2018-19 academic year.

This June we also continue disaster recovery processes, each day anticipating the enormous relief of eventually receiving in-hand our Insurance, FEMA, or SBA settlement. St. Croix Montessori negotiates with over-booked contractors on how to complete critical repairs before the Summer program and the start of a new school year.

 We persist with optimism, even as our landlord increases rent by 120% and our plumbing line collapses. We plan for acquiring property so that our improvements invest in the long-term needs of our children.

 We hold onto the vision that it is possible to create a hurricane-resistant, sustainable-energy campus that supports children’s academic, social justice, physical, emotional, and spiritual growth from birth to high-school.

 We celebrate the opportunity to sponsor individuals for Montessori teacher certification, thus creating the island’s pathway for Master’s level education and retaining highly-qualified instructors.

 St. Croix Montessori remains committed to love the journey, wherever it may lead us.