Make A Difference In Belize: Help Caye Caulker Youth Achieve Their Education Goals

Thank you for visiting our website to learn more about Caye Caulker's very first high school, Ocean Academy: A Non-Profit Community High School. 

 

The story of how Ocean Academy was founded and built is summarized below. However, it is the youth who tell the story best, so please take a moment to meet the students and learn why it was so important to open a high school on their island.  Find out how you can get involved through donations of school supplies, scholarships, or volunteer work.

 

Caye Caulker Needed A High School: Before Ocean Academy's opening, education finished on the island at Standard VI (Grade 7/8). Just a few privileged families could finance the daily commute to mainland high schools. Young students had to travel alone and navigate the capital city’s streets, or leave their families to board on the mainland. Parents were desperate for safe and equitable access to high-school education. 

 

Two Travelers Who Never Left: Heidi Curry from Texas, and Joni Miller from British Columbia, are two  independent travelers who came to Caye Caulker  and loved it so much they never left. Inspired by the community’s need for a high school, they decided to help by appealing to the goodwill and generosity of fellow travelers.

 

Doors Opened in 7 Months: In February of 2008, Heidi and Joni held community meetings, built this website and created a charity (Travelers With Heart) to raise funds for a non-profit community high school that would be open to any student who wanted to learn, regardless of socioeconomic status.  Co-Founder Dane Dingerson donated the land and building.  Desi Rosado, a Belizean-American, funded start-up costs. Backed by the determination of the community, Ocean Academy was accredited by the Ministry of Education. 

 

September 2008: Ocean Academy opened it’s doors to 35 students as Caye Caulker’s very first high school. 

 

International Recognition: In Ocean Academy's first year as a school it has already been recognized as an exemplary school for Youth Engagement, by the Canadian Centres of Excellence for Children's Well-Being.

 

Funding:  Fundraising continues to be a priority for the continued success of Ocean Academy. 90% funding comes from individual donations and grants.  Ocean Academy is not funded by the Ministry of Education in our first year. Families pay a fraction of the school operating costs, and co-founders pledged to fundraise the remainder.   Your financial support keeps our doors open.

 

Thank You: We have been honored with support from donors, volunteers and business patrons from around the world. The synergy from every donation, big or small, has helped us make this dream a reality for the youth and families of Caye Caulker.