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NIMGIL, Yap (YCHS News, June 08, 2014) — Thanks to the support of both Habele and Waa'gey, twelve YCHS students were able to participate in this year's Robotics program.  The students and their coaches, Mr. Michael Wiencek and Mr. Darrell Holloman, began working on the robots in January. The teams met at least once a week throughout the spring semester and practiced with the robots every day within the final weeks before the annual Yap Robo-Day Competition against the Seventh Day Adventist school.

In this year’s competition, two robots faced off head-to-head on a playing field divided into two halves by an 8 inch high wall. Tennis balls, foam soccer balls, and foam footballs were scattered throughout the playing field. The objective of the game was to place as many balls as possible onto the other team’s side of the wall.  The winning team was the one that had the least number of balls on their side of the wall at the end of two 5-minute rounds.


The YCHS team challenged themselves by designing and building three different robots. Each robot involved complex engineering.  Many different designs and prototypes were needed before the students were satisfied with their final products. Two of the robots created their own unique claw designs that could grab and lift balls, as well as battering rams to knock tennis balls off of the dividing wall. The third robot also included a battering ram, but used an innovative two-wheel system to trap balls into a reservoir and then shoot them through holes in the wall. The intricate designs showed a great deal of understanding and creativity from the students.


On Tuesday, May 27, YCHS organized the 3rd Annual Yap Robo-Day. The day began with exciting volleyball and basketball competitions between YCHS and SDA. During the day, YCHS students also sold local food and coconuts as a school fundraiser.  The day concluded with the robotics competition which began with two of the YCHS robots competing against each other to demonstrate the rules of the game. In the final match, two sophomore drivers—Annalyn Tareg and Kobe Sacres—took home the State Championship title for YCHS for the third year in a row.

Congratulations to our entire robotics team and thanks to all of those who make the Robotics program possible on Yap!

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A South Carolina based nonprofit has sent a thousand English language dictionaries to the picturesque Island of Pohnpei. Its one of four states in the Central Pacific Ocean that make up the string of islands called the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). The dictionaries include an abbreviated atlas, something local island students can use to learn more about distant North American geography.

This unique donation is enough to provide every eighth grade student across Pohnpei State with something previously unheard of – a dictionary of their very own.


More than forty boxes of books will soon arrive in the Pohnpeian city of Kolonia. They will be distributed to the 900 eighth grade students who are enrolled in the roughly 30 public schools across Pohnpei and its Outer Islands. Dictionaries are also enroute to eighth grade students at the Pohnpei SDA School, Calvary Christian Academy, and the Pohnpei Catholic School, as well as readers at the downtown public library.


The donation is particularly meaningful as Pohnpei, like all the isolated islands in the Central Pacific, struggles with economic and educational challenges. Among those lucky enough to enroll in the nation’s two-years community college system, only a tiny fraction will earn a degree, according to recent data from the US Government. Per-capita income remains under $3,000 per year and many families still rely on subsistence fishing and farming.

The donation was organized by Columbia based "Habele," a group of former Peace Corps Volunteers who served as teachers in Micronesia. They partnered with Ray and Barbara Dalio of Connecticut. Their Dalio Family Foundation provided the vision and support to design and implement the project.

Larry Raigetal, A Habele volunteer from nearby Yap State, helped piece together the effort. “This donation is exactly what local educators and librarians told us they needed. It’s a huge opportunity, particularly those students struggling with generational poverty.” Raigetal is also the founder of “Waa’gey” a nonprofit in Yap that works to preserve traditional skills, and has partnered with Habele on projects in that State. He spent several weeks in Pohnpei this winter working to develop plans for the donation of the dictionaries.

South Carolina based charity Habele has been working in Micronesia since 2006. In addition to coordinating donations of text, reference and reading books, the group awards scholarships and provides support to community-based after school programs. These include traditional dugout canoe carving (through the Waa'gey organization) and Micronesia's first ever-high school robotics team exhibition. Late last year, Habele created a computer lab for Our Lady of Mercy Catholic High School and provided cases of donated books to the Pohnpei Public Library


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Outside their classrooms, over twenty students and classroom teacher Patrick Kelly from the Yap Catholic High School (YCHS) along with Waa’gey volunteers were clearing under a shady tree that will become their carving site for the next few months.

A fallen log that had been cut down during the initial clearing of the new school campus was identified for the students to carve their fist canoe.

Before all the carving took place, Larry Raigetal of Waa’gey gave some safety tips on how to handle carving tools including adzes.  A brief lecture was also given on core principles and fundamental values of canoe carving.  The students waste no time is getting their first hands on experience by starting to carve out the main hull of the canoe.

The project which had been in discussion between Waa’gey and YCHS for the past few months was put into motion following a school visit by Waa’gey volunteers where a presentation was given to students on the values of traditional skills including canoe building and navigation.  Mr. Kelly who teaches at the school said the project will also allow students, particularly those who are skilled in hand work to carve other things such as the school seal and crosses to be put on the classrooms.  “The students are very excited in doing this extracurricular work “said Mr. Kelly

This is a historical project as it could be the first canoe ever carved out by high school students on the island.  Furthermore, the fact that more than half of the student participants are female presents quite an interesting scenario, said Raigetal of Waa’gey.   While the process of canoe carving lays out specific roles for both genders, actual carving is one carried out by the men.  Waa’gey is also considering bringing its weavers under the project.


The project allows Waa’gey carvers to visit the school once a week and work with the group.  However, at some later stage of carving, and as dictated by carving procedures, more frequent visits and work on the canoe will become necessary.

Waa’gey is a community-based organization founded by local s and chartered under Yap state laws.  Waa’gey uses traditional skills to confront the social, economic and environmental challenges faced by the people of Micronesia’s most remote islands. Both Yap Catholic and Waa'gey are proud partners of the US-based Habele, a small nonprofit serving students across Micronesia.
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Habele, a US-based charity, has inaugurated a computer science education program on the Micronesian island of Pohnpei. With the financial assistance of donors Barbara and Ray Dalio, Habele has begun shipping computers, software, and related accessories to Our Lady of Mercy Catholic High School in Pohnpei.

The charity is working closely with Sr. Isabel Seman at Our Lady of Mercy to build the most appropriate computer lab possible for the school’s needs.

“The idea is to teach students the information technology skills they will need the rest of their lives,” said Neil Mellen, a director of Habele. “The twenty-first century is going to be online, and high school students in Micronesia need to start preparing for that reality now.”

Habele has sent the school Mac computers, monitors, peripherals, and the most common commercial software applications students will encounter. The choice of Macs rather than PCs will help familiarize Our Lady of Mercy students with the types of computers used at most of the higher education institutions in the western Pacific, assisting students with the often-difficult transition from high school to university.

Habele aims to provide the school with a total computer package: all the equipment needed to set up a first-rate lab, plus assistance with the installation.



“So often in the past, Micronesia has seen poorly-targeted or poorly-implemented aid projects,” said Mellen. “Our donation to Our Lady of Mercy is different. These are exact computer systems the students need, and we’re sending out a local technician in October to make sure it all runs smoothly.”

Habele board members and volunteers will also conduct periodic site visits to work with the school on its computer science program.

Since 2006, Habele has provided scholarships to K-12 students in Micronesia to attend private schools in the country such as Our Lady of Mercy Catholic High. The scholarship program has provided access to classroom education for dozens of low-income students annually, but now the charity wants to increase access to computer training as well.

“The traditional student skills—your reading, writing, and arithmetic, if you will—are still an important part of our mission,” said Mellen. “But we’re realizing more and more that students need fluency with computers and the internet as well if they’re to be full participants in the twenty-first century.”


Due to its remote location, Micronesia has historically lagged behind other countries in terms of access to information technology. Habele aims to change that on Pohnpei.

“Students around the world have a natural interest in computers. Micronesian students are no different. The stumbling block in Micronesia has been access to top-of-the-line equipment, and we’re grateful to the Dalio family for their help in rectifying that lack in Pohnpei,” said Mellen.

With its focus on local partnering and targeted education, the Habele-funded computer lab is the first of its kind in Micronesia, and is different from previous efforts to bring computers to the islands—efforts that have sometimes been less than successful due to insufficient cooperation with local schools or bureaucratic encumbrance.

“No more used computers showing up in boxes, unannounced and unsupported,” said Mellen. “That’s not how Habele operates. We’ve identified a need, and we’ve worked out a program to address it directly. We’re not part of the US aid program, we’re not part of the FSM government. This is a hands-on, results-oriented approach to education assistance.”

Habele was founded by former volunteer teachers to fill in gaps left by the US-funded public education system in Micronesia. With its focus on direct assistance and its close monitoring of education outcomes, Habele operates with an efficiency that government programs often lack.

Those interested in supporting Habele’s efforts can learn more online at www.habele.org.


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Written by Duane M. George of the Pacific Daily News

Some youths in Yap will wear real high school sports jerseys for the first time ever.

Habele, a U.S.-based charity, sent custom-designed sports uniforms to Yap Catholic High School and SDA School, two private high schools in Yap, according to a news release from the charity.

Habele has been working with the two private schools for years, providing scholarships to needy students, supplying the robotics program and making the targeted donation of library materials.


The uniforms -- the first of their kind for both schools, the release stated -- will help inaugurate intramural sports leagues at both schools. Previously, the students crafted crude jerseys out of old T-shirts by spray-painting numbers using handmade cardboard stencils, the news release states.

"We're tremendously excited to be helping the high schools with their nascent sports programs," said Alex Sidles, a Habele director. "These uniforms will give the students a lot of pride and enthusiasm for their schools."


The new uniforms feature the schools' names and colors on one side and can be turned inside-out to reveal a white side.

Basketballs, volleyballs - Habele also will send high-quality basketballs and volleyballs to each school.
"Sports are such an important part of growing up to be a healthy, well-rounded adult," said Sidles. "It's a real pleasure to help these schools out with that."


The sports program is the charity's first initiative in this field and was made possible by Habele's donors and volunteers, the release stated.

To learn more or to help Habele's educational mission, visit www.habele.org.


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US-based charity Habele has sent a collection of sports uniforms to Yap Catholic High School and SDA School, the two private high schools on the Micronesian island of Yap. The uniforms, the first of their kind for both schools, will help inaugurate intramural sports leagues at both schools.

“We’re tremendously excited to be helping the high schools with their nascent sports programs,” said Alex Sidles, a Habele director. “These uniforms will give the students a lot of pride and enthusiasm for their schools.”  Previously, the students had been crafting crude jerseys out of old t-shirts by spray-painting the cloth beneath handmade cardboard stencils.

The new uniforms feature the schools’ names and colors on one side—light blue for Yap Catholic, maroon for SDA—and can also be turned inside-out to reveal a white side. The American made reversible jerseys allow the schools to set up teams within their own campuses.

“These are really good uniforms,” said Sidles. “We had them custom designed and crafted for each school. I’ve seen the student athletes play at these schools, and they deserve the best equipment we can get them.”


In addition to the uniforms, Habele will be sending high quality basketballs and volleyballs to each school. “Sports are such an important part of growing up to be a healthy, well-rounded adult,” said Sidles. “It’s a real pleasure to help these schools out with that.”

The two schools are not yet scheduled to play regular matches against one another, but Sidles said he is hoping for a couple of exhibition games during the school year. One possibility is to incorporate an exhibition game into the Yap Robot Day festival. The two schools’ robotics teams compete against each other on Robot Day, and it might be possible to showcase a game between their sports teams at the same event.

“The uniforms just open up more possibilities for public games, intramural leagues, competitions between schools, whatever you can think of,” said Sidles. “I played basketball for my high school, and it was one of my favorite parts of the high school experience.”

Habele has been working with the two private schools for years, providing scholarships to needy students, supplying the robotics program, and making the targeted donation of library materials. The sports program is Habele’s first initiative in this field and was made possible by Habele’s US-based donors and volunteers, including Barbara and Ray Dalio of Connecticut. Those interested in learning more or in helping Habele’s educational mission can visit www.habele.org.




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Waa’gey founder and volunteer Mr. Larry Raigetal gave a presentation to the Council of Tamol (chiefs) from the neighboring islands of Yap on the ongoing activities of his group's work.

Waa'gey is a Habele supported extracurricular program. It uses a mentorship model to support at-risk high school aged students through the instruction of traditional cultural skills.

Following a brief introduction from Andy Tafileichig, the acting Chairman of the council, Mr. Raigetal provided a brief summary of what the program mission and objectives were.  He said, Waa’gey is premised on the need to protect and safeguard our dynamic cultures by providing hands on opportunities in canoe carving, rope making, fish trap making, and weaving among others for the younger generation of the state.   Raigetal also briefed the councilmen on Waa’gey’s key partnership with two foreign entities namely a US based charity organization Habele and Yapital a European company. He said both organizations have been very supportive in providing tools and equipment to support Waa’gey in addition to providing scholarships for Yapese students attending private primary and secondary schools.


Following the brief summary, a lively discussion including questions and comments were entertained. The consensus of the councilmen was that the program is vital to the need to preserve the dynamic cultures and traditional skills of the islands by keeping the future generation of the state engaged.  The group felt that COT must be encaged and get more involved in the project including being on the organization’s board of directors, an idea that is much welcomed by Waa’gey.  It was also discussed by the group and agreed that support from the main island is critical as the program is for the entire state of Yap.  As such, it was shared amongst the members that the Council of Tamol must give its support to the program as it is in line with its own mission to protect our culture.

The councilmen also expressed appreciation for the scholarship program extended from Habele and assure of their future support in encouraging their island students to apply.


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US-based charity “Habele” has begun shipping books to the Micronesian island of Pohnpei as part of a statewide public literacy project. The books include reference materials, cultural research literature, and regional histories. There are also texts dealing with local languages, arts and plants. The books are headed for high school and public libraries, where they will be available to both students and the community at large.

Neil Mellen, a Habele Director, explains: “Public access to topically relevant works is limited. There aren’t bookstores, and many people don’t have the money or the computer access to buy books through the Internet. Brick and mortar libraries may be on the decline here in the US, but in Micronesia, they’re still the cornerstone of a well-read, educated public.”

The donation -nearly a thousand hand-chosen texts- ranges from scholarly collections of source documents detailing early western contact with Micronesia, to children’s books about traditional and contemporary arts in the Pacific. There are also detailed reference guides to local fishes as well as fiction and poetry books by native Oceanic authors. Support for the effort was provided by Habele’s US network of volunteers and donors, and in particular, Ray and Barbara Dalio of Greenwich, Connecticut.

“There’s a huge hunger in Micronesia for the printed word,” said Alex Sidles, another Habele Director. “Micronesia is a society of readers. What’s been lacking in the past is wide access to quality educational literature, and we’re doing something about that. Focusing on content that is relevant is key to drawing a broader selection of readers into the libraries.”


Founded in 2006 by former Peace Corps Volunteers, Habele prides itself on its hands-on approach to assistance projects. By donating books and other materials directly to the schools and libraries, the organization avoids the lengthy delays and financial overhead that sometimes plague government-run literacy efforts in Micronesia. As longtime Habele volunteer Matthew Coleman said, “The key to literacy is simply reading. Our group puts good books in people’s hands and let them do the rest.”

The carefully assembled donations are headed to the Pohnpei Public Library as well as libraries at Calvary Christian Academy, Our Lady of Mercy Catholic High School, the SDA High School and Pohnpei Island Central School. Habele’s approach will be work with the libraries and schools, determines what works, and then reinforce success. “If we get detailed and constructive feedback from the local partners,” said Mellen, “then many more books and materials will be sent later in the year.”


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Mary Dorothy Alexander Vickers

Dorothy “Dot” Vickers, 91, of Winchester, Virginia, passed on to the Lord, August 27, 2013, at Consultant Nursing Home in Woodstock, Virginia.

Mrs. Vickers was born in Shelby, North Carolina, December 27, 1921. Mrs. Vickers attended Western Carolina Teachers College in Cullowhee, North Carolina. She was a member of the Opequon Presbyterian Church in Kernstown, Virginia. She supported educational activities all of her life.


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