1 Minute Update: Thankful for your support in 2020!

This past year has been a challenging year to all of us in many different ways and Daylight School is no exception. Classes have been delayed and staff has worked diligently to update the health and safety precautions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ve added many hand washing stations, health monitoring and sanitizing procedures. And while this has been complicated at times, there have also been many wonderful and inspirational moments at Daylight School!

Studying for national exams

Thanks to all of your amazing generosity, we have been able to paint our school buildings, purchase a new printer for the school office, provide needed hand washing stations and cleaning supplies, complete the building of our kitchen and install 3 new locally hand made stoves, and are in the process of purchasing two large tents to provide shade for outdoor learning.

Heading into the new year with a fresh coat of paint!

We continue to provide a caring staff, healthy meals, clothing, shelter, and an excellent education! We have just learned that our 8th grade students had another incredible year on their national exams despite the pandemic, and their scores are ranked 4th highest out of 600 schools in Pokot County! WE ARE SO PROUD OF OUR STUDENTS!

Some of our amazing students!
Some of our reliable and talented staff preparing healthy meals, keeping students healthy and taking care of all the day-to-day management.

Our staff has continued to work through this difficult year to keep the school running to support those students who are boarding at the school, as well as the 8th graders who continued to safely study through the year. They have also been a great support to the families of our students and the local community.

We wish you all peace, health and joy this holiday season and a safe and happy new year!

Merry Christmas!

Share

Daylight Students stay healthy and safe!

Some classes are back in session, with more to come! Our students are very happy to be back in class and the staff has been working hard to make sure that Daylight School is following the guidelines set by the Kenyan government and health officials. This includes setting up extra hand washing stations throughout the school grounds so that the students and staff have easy access to them.

The staff has provided many new hand washing stations for the students to use.
Another hand washing station.

Daylight Kenya Director Michael Kimpur spoke to the students about staying safe during the COVID-19 pandemic as classes start up again. He and other staff make sure students understand how important it is to keep their hands clean, wear their masks and socially distance as much as possible. Classrooms have changed to accommodate students sitting further apart from each other and outdoor classes will also be held so that students are not inside the buildings as much.

Director Michael Kimpur advising students of the importance of wearing masks and keeping social distance.

Thank you to Edina Morningside Community Church for their donation to pay for one of the new tents the school will need to set up it’s outdoor classrooms. We are still in need of one more tent and welcome any donations to fund that purchase. We will also be adding furniture and equipment to the office of the school head master to comply with the Ministry of Education.

Headmaster Paul Okiya working in his office.

Thanks to all our supporters for making the dream of an education a reality for so many amazing students and future leaders! Please continue to keep the students and staff in your thoughts and prayers. 

Share

1 Minute Update: Daylight Board Members Make an Impact!

Dear Friends,

Daylight wouldn’t be the amazing school it is without the help of both our Kenyan and U.S. Board of Directors! Over the past twelve years many friends of Daylight have served for two or more years on the U.S. Board and every one of them has helped make a lasting impact for our students.  Our U.S. Board members have all gained a better understanding of how Daylight School functions and has become even more….

We are currently accepting applications to fill general board spots, but also specifically looking for someone with the skills and interest to fill the board’s Treasurer position. Board members generally spend 4-6 hours per month attending our monthly board meeting and any follow-ups. The Treasurer role would be an additional 2-3 hours per month. If you are interested please reach out to Jill at info@daylightcenter.org and she will connect you with one of our current board members for more information. We would also invite anyone interested to sit in on our board meeting on December 7th. Please let us know – we would love to share this amazing experience with you!

Cindy Wagner and Eliot Howard, who have both been on the U.S. Board since xxxxx, share why they are involved with Daylight and have chosen to serve on the Board. 

Cindy Wagner

Cindy has served as a public school classroom teacher, literacy coach, instructional coach, and adult educator for over 30 years. She does some consulting, but is mostly retired, spending as much time as possible with her husband, adult children, and 5 grandchildren. Cindy loves to travel, read, sew, knit, kayak, bike, and fly kites! 

Why I am involved with Daylight School:

I strongly believe in education as a change agent. I also strongly believe that when we strive to be the hands and feet of Jesus, we can feel God’s presence and things happen for good. I experienced and witnessed the hope and joy present at Daylight, and I believe God is truly present in that place. I want to use my talents to support and further the work of God in this amazing place by serving on the Board. 

Cindy with students on her visit to Daylight School in Kenya, Summer 2018

Eliot Howard

Eliot was born and raised in Concord Massachusetts. Following seminary, he served two churches in New England. In 1993, Eliot and his family came to Minnesota, where he served for 27 years as Pastor of Linden Hills United Church of Christ. The relationship between Linden Hills UCC & Daylight afforded Eliot the opportunity to visit the school in 2018 

With their immediate family residing in the Twin Cities, Eliot and his wife Jan are grateful for the time they are able to all spend together. Eliot and Jan also enjoy visiting Minnesota’s north shore, and appreciate the civic and philanthropic landscape of this state. 

Why I am involved with Daylight School

Prior to visiting Daylight I was convinced that the school’s mission of educating and developing leaders was being achieved in ways that were comprehensive, sustainable and achieved by adherence to the values of mutual respect and shared leadership. Visiting Daylight in 2018 blessed me with the opportunity to see the mission and practices of the school showing forth in the exuberant and determined lives of staff and scholars alike.      

Thanks to all our supporters and Board Members over the past twelve years for making the dream of an education a reality for so many amazing students and future leaders! Please continue to keep the students and staff in your thoughts and prayers. 

Share

1 Minute Update: Back to Class!

Dear Friends,

The staff at Daylight School was recently notified that classes would be resuming soon, instead of waiting for the formal start of a new year in January.  Many of our students live on campus and have been participating in some non-classroom learning; and our 8th graders have continued to have class so they are prepared for the National Exams for High School placement. 

As noted in an article published on the website The World, “like other countries, Kenya, which closed schools in March, has been juggling the educational needs of millions of students with the public health concerns of an ongoing pandemic. The government’s earlier decision to cancel the academic school year was largely unpopular.”  They also note, “Of course, classrooms will not be the same. Schools must comply with strict new health guidelines ranging from fumigating schools, buying temperature readers and requiring every student to wear a mask.” You can read the full article by clicking here

So what does this mean for Daylight School? Currently our 4th grade and 8th grade classes have resumed, with much attention to social distancing, hand washing and mask wearing!  Daylight will be investing in more hand-washing stations, purchasing sanitizer and detergents to make sure everyone and everything is safe. The rest of our classes will start again soon!

The school was also notified that they will need to purchase two large tents so they can hold classes outdoors.  These tents will cost $1,500 each.  If you are moved to donate toward this large unexpected expense, please go to our giving page HERE and note “TENTS” in the comments field; or if you prefer to donate by mail please note TENTS on your check memo.

We have also been notified that the school will now be required to have a nurse on campus all day to make sure the students and staff are healthy and have the required personal protective equipment needed to provide a safe place of learning!

Thanks to all our supporters over the past twelve years for making the dream of an education a reality for so many amazing students and future leaders! Please continue to keep the students and staff in your thoughts and prayers. 

Share

Daylight School Painting Project

Dear Friends,

Thanks to your support and generosity during our Fall Pledge Drive and Virtual Gala, we have raised over $8000.00, which was matched by our board of directors!  Our Daylight staff in Kenya will use part of the donations to give the school a much needed coat of fresh paint so when school resumes in the new year (with added safety precautions) the students can look forward to a fresh start! 

Just like our homes and schools here in the U.S., Daylight School needs upkeep and maintenance, in the dormitory, the classrooms and the exterior, as you see in the pictures below.  

Susan, our school matron in charge of the girls dormitory shows one of the rooms that will be repainted. 
Waynan, who is in the 7th grade, studies in one of the classrooms that will be painted before classes start again.
Brian, grade 8, outside of the classrooms where the staff will repaint the colorful buildings.

If you have not watched our Gala Video, you can view it on our website here, on our YouTube Channel here or on our Facebook account here You will hear from one of our parents, Rosemary, as she explains how those at Daylight School use your dollars to buy seeds to grow corn and material to make clothes for the students. She explains how every dollar we send to the school is doubled! And now your donation will be tripled with the donation match! 

Thanks to all our supporters over the past twelve years for making the dream of an education a reality for so many amazing students and future leaders! Please continue to keep the students and staff in your thoughts and prayers. 

Share