Ring beams, elevated slabs, bamboo screens and high water tables. Almost sounds like a fast food menu, but rest assured, this is the latest progress report from the Haiti School Initiative. Besides, our crew has plenty better things to eat... A synopsis on school construction status follows, with exhaustive coverage of construction and communities available on the Students Rebuild Haiti blog.

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École La Dignité - The ring beam has been poured, and the school now awaits the wood roof trusses and metal roof sheeting. Ring beams are a structurally crucial layer of concrete running along the top of a building's exterior walls, and tie the walls to the shear plates bolting into the roof trusses. For Dignité, as with much the rest of Haiti right now, these shear plates must be made on the construction site. Meanwhile, Hervé and his crew have laced together secure bamboo window screens we've been anxious to see. The classrooms should be done before the start of school in October! Top: Ring beam being poured. Above: Window & door panels manufacturing

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École Elie Dubois - The last of Elie's rubble was cleared from site late one Sunday night–a good call as the trucks could have free range moving materials across town! The contracting crew has been signed on and are ready to work. The contractors (right) and a very caffeinated Carl Harrigan

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Collège Mixte Le Bon Berger, Montrouis - The first floor of phase 1 is complete, and the crew has formed, laid reinforcing for and is pouring the second floor slab. Check out how to form up an "elevated slab." (Hint: Requires a huge supply of temporary supports and reused sheets of plywood.) For good measure, the school's back yard is also being leveled out. Unplastered 1st floor walls, but O! those confined masonry interlocking columns!

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École Baptiste Bon Berger, Pele - All the rubble from demolition has been crushed and trucked away–and foundation trenches has begun. Shortly after the first trench along the edge of the site was finished it had filled with water, demonstrating how close to sea level Pele is...and presenting just another little construction challenge. (Hint: water pumps.) Evidence of high watertable in foundation trench

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Institut Foyer du Savoir - Ground officially 'broke' late last month & construction is underway! AfH Regional Program Manager Eric Cesal (left), schoolmaster Pastor Dorcinvil Wilkesse (right) and the school's construction contractor take an unsuccessful jump photo.