Staff Blog
Last October we entered the Support Give-Away Contest for Resource Mate, the library automation program we use at Cebu Children of Hope School. It doesn't sound too glamorous, but we thought it would be worth it to submit the required essay to see if we could win a year of free tech support. The essay had to describe how Resource Mate helps impact our community. Well, we just found out we won the contest!!! Woo Hoo!!!
Here's the essay we submitted:
It’s library day and Eugene wants to check out the next book in the Ranger’s Apprentice series. He looks at the spine label and heads to the “Fla” part of the Fiction section. Juliet wants to check out a Clifford book. She read one in her class and is excited there are more books about Clifford. I help her look in the Easy section and we hunt for the spine labels that have “Bri.” Mary Grace is ready to tackle chapter books and wants to know where to look for ones for girls. I point her in the direction of the Fiction section of books with spine labels that read “Ame” for American Girl books. Maybe she’d like to try a Junie B. Jones book too. The Level B reading class is studying about camouflage. A bunch of the kids ask where to find books about animals that use camouflage. We brainstorm about how to do that and someone remembers that we should search on the Resource Mate computer using the keyword camouflage. The Reading Challenge contest is in full swing. Kids race into the library each day to return their books and check out a new stack to read at home. Teacher Amanda comes into the library looking for books on the theme of risks and consequences. She searches and finds a number of books she can check out and keep in the classroom for the kids to read while they are working on this topic. Teacher Alfie stops in right before leaving for the day to check out some books to read to his girls at home. Sounds like a pretty normal day in the life of a library.
But the library at Cebu Children of Hope School is anything but normal or typical in this city of 866,000 people with one public library. Our library serves the community of children who reside at Children’s Shelter of Cebu, an orphanage in Cebu City, Philippines and the staff who work with the children. All of the children who come to live at Children’s Shelter of Cebu are from the surrounding communities on the island of Cebu or neighboring islands. The vast majority of the children have either never attended school or have attended very little. When the children start attending school at Children of Hope School, they often do not know the letters of the alphabet much less how to read. Usually it is safe to say no one has ever had a book read to them. Needless to say, they have never seen a library.
The children are thrilled to learn what a
library is. No one has to convince them
how cool it is to browse the shelves of books and check out books to take home
to the shelter. Teachers have also often
never been inside a proper library. To
have an automated system and thousands of books at their fingertips is pretty
unbelievable. The children and teachers
are taught how to look for books in the library. They learn what spine labels and bar codes
are and how the books are organized on the shelves. They are taught how to search for books by
title, author, subject, or keyword. The
children hover around the Resource Mate computer in the library eager to have
their books scanned so they can start reading their selections.
Most of the children who come through the doors
of the shelter and school are adopted either locally or internationally. Currently the children have been adopted into
families in fourteen different countries around the world. The experience and knowledge gained at our
school and in our library goes with them to their new countries, communities,
and families.
On the surface, the little library at Cebu Children of Hope School seems pretty normal, but every day really is a little bit miraculous in our slice of the world on the tiny island of Cebu in the Pacific Ocean.
Bright Future Ahead
As an adult, we wonder what the future will look like. Too often, we are afraid of it, not trusting. It is funny. Even though we are more experienced than little children they often teach us to keep calm and have faith. The future is in God’s mighty hands.
Kids arriving at CSC are unsure, uncertain and sometimes doubtful. They have been through a lot at a very young age, but they never waver about the future. At CSC they learn to trust again; to know that they are provided for and do not need to worry if they will have another meal. They look straight forward with hopeful hearts. They rest in God’s knowing hands that they will have a bright future ahead.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” --Jeremiah 29:11
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New Faces
Just as the kids are finishing up summer activities and heading into the last three weeks of their summer break, the school staff is getting geared back up to kick off the new school year. Whew! Summer went by so fast! The staff reports back on Monday, June 8 for two weeks of planning and preparation. Six new people will join our staff this year, so we have lots to do to get ready for the kids on June 22. Five of the new members are from Cebu or someplace nearby. Each will bring a fresh set of skills, one is an elementary major, another is a math major and yet another is a special education major. The sixth new person, Amanda, is from the US, just having completed her studies in science education. It’s been a couple of years since we have had a teacher from North America, so we are looking forward to having a native English speaker on the staff full time.
Amanda
More news of fun and learning will follow from the school halls in the weeks and months to come, but as we get ready for the kids, think of us and pray especially for the six new teachers, Alfie, Micillent, Lyrah, Amanda, Ethel and Ivy, who have committed to teaching at CCHS this year.
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He's Got the Whole World in His Hands
Today we had a few Staff members from the LOGOS HOPE ship visit
us here at CSC. Their ship is docked here in Cebu City for the month of
May. It was fun for our kids to interact with young
Christians from all over the world, We had people from Europe, from
South America and one young lady from Florida. It was good for our kids
to hear the accents and to learn a few words of other languages, but
most important it was good for our kids to see the light of the Lord
shining it the eyes and beaming from the hearts of each of these young
people. One of our kids was surprised to learn that someone from
another country already knew about God....he thought that CSC was the
only place that told people about God. 
That conversation that I
overheard really brought home to me the staggering responsibility that
we have, we are telling kids about THE GOD, the creator of the
universe, their creator. WOW, what a blessing and what a
responsibility we have! All I could think of was the
children's song; "He's Got the Whole World in his Hands". That HE
does, and I am thankful for that fact. We all need to be reminded of
these simple truths from time to time. Thank you to the amazing young people of the 
Logos Hope for helping to bring this simple truth home to me today! 
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A Wet Responsibility
Jerry Salgo is one of the many people behind the scene making everything go smoothly. He is in charge of the CSC facilities, along with the maintenance and security personnel. While classes have been out on break, his team has been working to repaint and restore the school so that it will look as good as new when the students return near the end of June.
One of the projects they were working on was removing a
whirlpool from the therapy room. Cebu Children of Hope School acquired the
whirlpool several years ago and it was a great asset, meeting some of the
physical therapy needs of our kids. It has since worn out its welcome and is no
longer being used. The decision was made to remove it and sell it if possible. Uncle
Jerry, being the conscientious steward that he is, needed first to ensure that
it was working properly. As a man of high integrity, no task is too small or too
silly for him to oversee the details personally. It is one of the many reasons
we appreciate his hard work.
Once the removal is complete a new project will begin. The therapists, Jinkee Reasoner and Marwin Abong, have begun developing plans for a sensory wall to be installed. This will provide different tactile stimulation and be part of the therapy treatment for kids at CSC.
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CHS Graduation 2015
Children of Hope School recently celebrated its graduation.
Three students graduated preschool and are ready to move on to
kindergarten.
Five
students graduated sixth grade and are ready to make the transition from
elementary to high school.
It was a fun day to think back on all the hard work the students had put in over the past year. Each student received an award from their teacher, highlighting their individual accomplishments. Recognizing the hard work means a lot to each child. The graduates enjoyed their big day and are excited for next school year.
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