Christel House International Committed to Jamaica… High School Construction On the Way

Christel House International President and CEO, Bart Peterson, flew into the island from Indiana earlier this month, to reiterate the international organization’s commitment to the education of Jamaica’s children. Peterson was in Jamaica to participate in a groundbreaking ceremony to commence construction of the high school on the Christel House Jamaica campus that now houses Kindergarten to Grade 5 students, located in Twickenham Park, Spanish Town. 

The school was established in Jamaica in 2020 by the late philanthropist Christel DeHaan, Founder of Christel House International, who was determined to help break the cycle of poverty for children around the world through education.  Since opening the first school in Mexico in 1998 the Christel House network has grown to 9 schools in 5 countries including India, South Africa, the USA, and Jamaica. Jamaican Co-Founder and National Ambassador, the Hon. Sally Porteous, negotiated the public-private partnership with the Jamaican government to secure the land on which the school sits.  

Porteous, in welcoming President Peterson in her address to the gathering at the groundbreaking ceremony said: “Christel House Jamaica has been providing world-class education for underprivileged children. Can you imagine the generational impact that the school is creating in its mission of transforming lives?”  

She further stated that the school, through the continued support of Christel House International, is now getting set to entrench itself even further in the St. Catherine community and the education system with the construction of the high school at the Twickenham Park campus.   

When asked why they were so dedicated to Jamaica, the Christel House International President responded “Because Jamaica is special… we are here to stay, and we intend to keep growing in and with Jamaica.” 

The school serves over 350 students from Kindergarten to Grade 5 and plans to grow its numbers to 840 by 2031, adding 60 Kindergarten students each year.  Each child, when ready, will have the opportunity to matriculate to the high school, which should be ready for the 2025/26 school year.  

Jamaica’s Education Minister Fayval Williams said the institution was “sowing the seeds of greater equity and social justice” in the community and was indeed a model for more engaging and effective education. She welcomed the impending addition of the secondary level institution.    

Quoting his own experience, Christel House Jamaica Board chairman, and Custos for the Parish of Kingston, Hon. Steadman Fuller, spoke to the importance of positive intervention in the lives of children regarding education, underscoring the stellar work being done at Christel House. In particular, he said, the Christel House model has succeeded in fostering greater parental involvement in the education of the children, who are often coming from broken or challenged homes. 

In addition to a safe and secure environment, Christel House Jamaica provides daily breakfast and lunch, transportation to and from school, uniforms and also health and social interventions, all free of charge. The Jamaican institution follows the same model as Christel House Learning Centres, serving over 19,000 students since its inception in 1998. 

By combining rigorous academic instruction with parental involvement and five years of college and careers counselling after graduation, Christel House graduates outperform their peers internationally, with over 90% of students passing final exams, and over 90% of Christel House graduates going on to tertiary level enrolment or gainful employment.  

The directors and staff certainly intend to replicate that performance in Jamaica, and, if the rousing and eloquent Vote of Thanks delivered by Grade Five student Danielle Soares is any indication, they are well on the way to achieving that goal.