On April 26, 2013, Holy Child Academy (HCA) Middle School students enjoyed a visit from recent graduate Leighann Adelizzi ‘11.  A sophomore at Episcopal Academy (EA), Leighann spoke to HCA students about her recent service trip to Haiti.  Leighann had been selected to be part of EA’s first group of students to visit its partner school, the St. Marc’s School in Haiti.  Instead of vacationing with family or friends, Leighann spent a week away from all of the comforts of life and traveled to one of the poorest countries in the world.  Upon arrival at Port au Prince, Leighann was struck by the devastation caused by the 2010 Earthquake, the poverty, and the trash. 

The purpose of their trip was to visit St. Marc’s School and forge relationships with the children and villagers.  After a few days in the capital, the group set out for the school which was located on the top of a mountain.  The group had to hike for over 2 hours in 95 degree weather (and wade through a mud river) to reach the village that housed the school.  Along the way, Leighann was amazed by how friendly all of the local people were. The EA group was greeted by the school children and locals singing to them. Leighann was brought to tears by the sight (and admittedly by the happiness of having the trek behind them).

Her visit with the children of St. Marc’s was Leighann’s favorite part of the trip.  She said that although she speaks enough French to communicate, language wasn’t necessary to connect with the children.  They taught the children games like duck duck goose and the hokey pokey and they communicated through laughter.

Reflecting on the trip with the HCA students, Leighann said that she didn’t feel like the devastation defined Haiti.  “…[I]t wasn’t until I actually got to experience the interior part of [the country] the actual people, their faces, their stories, and the school that my perception drastically changed and I realized what a beautiful and amazing place that Haiti is.” 

In addition to her service work, Leighann is an avid runner.  Leighann’s 4 x 400 relay team recently won the Philadelphia Academic League at the Penn Relays.  She also plays volleyball for a travel team called the Keystone Juniors and is a member of the community outreach board at EA.  If life isn’t busy enough for Leighann, she was recently selected to be the photography editor for EA’s school newspaper.

When asked about her time at HCA, Leighann said she had “amazing relationships with the teachers and faculty at HCA.”  She went to say that she was “able to confide and trust in the teachers and faculty, and they were able to adapt to the individual learning of each student which really helped shape my educational framework going into high school.”