Kaylia Forbes was our first blossom.  Her father, Ras Lenny, heard about a new school called Haile High that taught about computers and other technical subjects hitherto unknown to poor Jamaicans. One day he brought Kaylia by, and all our lives were changed.

Though classes were free, it was difficult to find kids able to give up their Saturdays to study topics alien to the primary education they suffered throughout the week.  But Haile High was different.  Our classes began at the beach where we learned to swim and play with new friends from other parts of the island.

Then we gathered beneath the old cottontree on the hill and became as one in an adventure unique to anything we’ve ever experienced.   First, there was lunch that we prepared and served by ourselves.

Then we sat upon the staircase, our makeshift arena for lessons in Spanish and other subjects new to us.  There was "Signing", a language that enabled us to communicate with others who could not hear or speak.  We even learned about health and what made us "tick."

Often, some of the older kids would teach us things they were preparing for their homework due on Monday.  They said that teaching it to others always got them an "A", and that their teachers often deferred to them on topics they, their teachers, had yet to embrace.

Opal Kentish, who had a handicapped son, became the school’s Administrator.  Her niece, Cleo, became our Director of Curriculum. Haile High was up and rolling.  We were the school.   It was our school and we decided what we wanted to be taught.  If an eight year old girl learned something new, she would teach it to another kid… in a fraction of the time it took someone older to do.

After our lectures on the staircase that served as our hall, we got to work with some old computers Kali had carried down from America.  As time went on he brought better ones; laptops that were donated by people who had heard about our little school in Montego Bay.

Soon we had enough computers to seat 12 students.  Kali made furniture; stools and desks and rooms, and the school grew...and we grew.  Eventually every kid that came to Haile High became a teacher, and we gleefully passed-on all that we had learned to all the new kids that joined us.

Soon we had a school of music, inspired by and named after Kali's Brother, Joe Higgs. That's how we learned how to make the "heartbeat" of our native Nyabinghi culture with three drums:  The Bass called the Father; the Fundi called the Son or Dawta;  and the Akette – the Mother.  We learned that when played together as a family; a new feeling came upon us.  We discovered that feeling was the essence of our being… the heartbeat of life!

One day a man came by to teach us how he trains dogs to lead the blind.  It was interesting to know about folks who are not as fortunate as us.  Other people dropped-in to tell us about old things, like the plants found everywhere on our island that can be used to treat all manner of illnesses.  They had learned about the herbs from their Grandmothers, and were pleased to pass on what they knew to us kids.

Best of all!  Kali's Queen, Sam, often flew in from the States carrying more equipment and all manner of new thoughts and ideas that made our eyes big and our minds open to a world beyond all frontiers.  Queen Sam's visits were a big draw, and attendance grew beyond all expectations.  There was never a problem finding teachers to handle the tasks, for we were all teachers.  And that became the predominant theme of Haile High: One teaches another… only at our school, we each teach many more.

Now, with the ever growing trend toward crime and violence in the city, Haile High has relocated to smaller communities where our students are safer and closer to home.  We call these schools "Satellites".  They are run by our students whose efforts are aided by funds, equipment and instruction from abroad.  They are autonomous, yet are guided lovingly by a nucleus centered in the "squatters" community of Longbay (where Opal and Cleo reside) and are backed by Kali & Queen Sam from America.  We still come together as One whenever we can.

You can donate for the kids at Haile High through PayPal

Founders of Haile High
     Queen Sam (Lynn Abbott)
     Kaliflowa (Alessandro Macone)

Haile High Celebrates Treaty Day at Accompong Town with the acquisition of a new laptop for its computer school here. Rubber Cawley (Administrator of Haile High Accompong Town) presents a new Toshiba laptop to teacher Shevan.
The computer was donated by an American Angel named “Mary.”

Concord Rotarians Donate Laptops to Jamaican Schools

On a recent visit to Jamaica, David and Grace McWalter of the Concord Rotary Club, presented the students of Haile High Cousin Cove and Haile High Montego Bay with laptop computers. The schools, which currently number seven (located in five parishes) are training centers that instruct young children how to teach computer skills to the handicapped.

The schools are desperately in need of used laptops to expand their footprint in Jamaica. In their eight years of operation, the concept of training young students has proven to be a success beyond expectation.

With the kindness shown by Concord Rotary, Haile High will be able to expand to further regions of Jamaica where poor children reside… children who would otherwise never experience the benefits of a medium common to most Americans, and to some affluent Jamaicans.

David and Grace McWalter visit Cousins Cove to present Haile High School with laptops donated by the Rotary Club of Concord, Massachusetts. Tasheika Perry, Director of Curriculum (left) beams with joy as 7-year-old Princess types her first letter on one of the computers.

David and Grace McWalter join students from Flankers and Montego Bay during an outing at Doctors Cave Beach. With laptop computers, even the beach can become a “classroom”. In the foreground are two units delivered by the McWalters; who were, of course, required to participate as students themselves.

The evening before the last class was held, Kali and Queen Sam sat out on the porch enjoying the Queen Menen Tarry. In recent months it had once again become a source of conflict. Now the next day Joe, a sign painter, would be coming to paint the wall. We had chosen the words and graphics but it would be up to Joe to bring our message alive. How this splendid creation was accomplished, Jamaican style, is another story! Stay tuned.

Tamesha joins Teboh and Palawas with the Binghi beat. All of our students are taught the heartbeat that is so essential to Jamaican music. Her Daddy is a Rastaman, so she is a natural on the subject… and loves to play at every opportunity.

Administrator of Haile High, Opal Kentish enjoys the rhythm of the Binghi Beat while Joseph paints the school’s wall. The man on her left is Ruddy Perry of Cousins Cove, who has opened his plantation there to our satellite school. His daughter Tasheika and wife Vern are its teachers.

Haile High goes International in ’08!

On 14 May, Kali, Queen Sam and Cleo closed the door on the CottonTree location of Haile High for the last time. All the equipment, supplies and structure that had been its home for eight years was now in the hands of its students. It’s up to each of them to keep their part of Haile High active. Together we have learned a lot more than how to turn on a computer. Together we have built Haile High from a dream to a success. Now we are taking another step. Here are the caretakers and their missions.

And more to come…

With the opening of the branch in Accompong, Haile High has taken the first step toward its ultimate goal of international schools all over the Third World. Stay tuned for more… the next step is Indonesia!

 And that is the Family Store called Haile High, where nothing is on the shelves but fun and education...free to anyone willing to learn and to pass on to others, that which they've bought by their time and interest. Click here to see a document with the first two lessons we teach at Haile High. Click here if you need the free Adobe Reader software for PDF files (to read the document).

HELP!

Haile High needs funds to expand its work in Jamaica. With five new schools in four parishes, the time is right to help make our proven concepts available to more locations. In our eight years of operation, we have never begged money; nor do we intend to now. However, we have some exceptionally unusual and exclusive premiums to offer those who have asked about contributing to our school. Here they are:

COPS vs RASTAS

An exciting futbol match that Haile High arranged when tensions arose between the Police and Rastafarians in 2005. Never viewed before, this hard fought (and sometimes hilarious) game video is a must to anyone interested in futbol, Jamaica, and the quelling aspects of settling old disputes on the green turf of Jarrett Park in Montego Bay.

Click the image to see the full-size story

This DVD is offered as a premium for donors sending $20 (US) or more to:

Or donate via PayPal by clicking the button below:

Lynn Abbott
153 Summer Street
Acton, MA 10720

(For addresses outside the continental U.S., please add $5 for shipping and handling. Allow 3 to 4 weeks for delivery).

The Haile Lion

And more exciting premiums to come …

Patwah in dhe Mix!

After hearing about a language expert’s explanation of why Patwah is a better language than English (easier to understand and therefore learn, clearer at communicating ideas and the verbal part of the Jamaican culture) they decided that we need to be more active in enlightening the world about Patwah. Toward that aim, a writing assignment was developed, here are the results.

Assignment: What have you learned at Haile High that has meaning for you? Answer in Patwah and then translate into English.

From Opal Kentish – Administrator of Haile High

Veneika Smith – Teacher at Flankers – 11 years old

Tamesha Lemonious – 9 years old

^*Fear is not a subject at Haile High, however, we instruct that it’s an impediment to proper education.  For more about fear, click here.