The Haitian Club has done it again folks, another successful bake sale where they sold out in less than a minute. They did this by selling cookies, brownies, and a traditional Haitian dish, Pate, which is very popular in Malden. Pate is made from puff pastry with either Carrie chicken, fish, or beef inside.
The club had its sale on April 27th in front of the main office and it attracted a large crowd of students who were eager to grab a treat.
Though as exciting as it was, it became very overwhelming and stressful for the club and hard to maintain. “This was something new for me,” said junior Christel Jean-Baptiste on how it was like experiencing her first bake sale and describing how overcrowded it was when participating in the sale.
Baptiste would not give herself a designated role, rather she tried to “help out in any way I can,” during the bake sale and will be in the upcoming event that is coming up on May 18th, where the club will be hosting a fundraiser and Baptiste will be creating a dance and reading a poem. The club is trying to donate some money to an organization in Haiti, one for a library and another for an orphanage.
Another Junior, Leisha Fortunat, thinks that “you got to make a difference everywhere you go.” Fortunat had gotten the club running again and loves the Haitian club with it being something that she is “not getting tired of.” The members have so many responsibilities and the club not only has a lot of issues, they’re also meeting up with friends that you usually do not have a class with.
Ruthma Eugene, a junior, makes all “posts, all the videos, getting info out, getting info in and keeping track of what everyone likes, dislikes.” Nehemie Joseph, a junior, is the secretary of the Haitian Club. That means writing the letters and telling the club what is going on.
The club has definitely gained some attention from students and teachers in the school and the members appreciate that. They love that their culture is being spread throughout Malden High School. “It's just a way for me to connect with my culture.. You know?” Joseph stated. The Haitian club is thriving and is representing more, which is what they want to do in order for their club to grow. They want to let everyone know that anyone is welcome does not matter of their ethnic background, sexuality, or gender.
It happens to be a “community,” for Jean-Baptiste, and that “you get to know others, for me personally, it’s an outlet where I can be myself.” Being who you are and not hiding is what Jean-Baptiste describes as not having to “dilute yourself.”
Eugene describes the Haitian club as an enjoyable experience because you get a taste of different things and you “see more people that you did not think were Haitians as well.”
They happen to be very proud of themselves because they were seeing the progress that they have made in joy block and ideas started overflowing. They started “planning everything,” and realized that there are other nations here coming to support and they “appreciate everyone showing up.”
The Haitian Club members want to remind those who want to join and become leaders of the club that they should have fun with it. “We want something we want to accomplish, we’re still having fun,” Joseph said. They are definitely looking to recruit more people and looking into anyone who wants to join whether it be upper or lower classmen.
