Sarah Wolf, former Newtown resident, member of Newtown Quaker Meeting and George School graduate, resigned her teaching job in NYC to go to Haiti after their earthquake in 2010 and created “child friendly spaces” in the makeshift schools amid the ruins.
Sara Wolf, third from right in first row, in Haiti with her Haitian teaching team. Sara’s innovative program created for the children after the 2010 earthquake is now a national program in Haiti with the Dept. of Education. department of Educatio
Sara Wolf to Present Update from Haiti to Newtown Quaker Meeting
Sara Wolf, educator and international development coordinator, will speak about her education work in Haiti at the Newtown Friends Meeting on Sunday, December 14 at 9:45a.m. Traditional Quaker worship based on expectant silence will follow at 11:00 a.m. The public is invited to both events.
Sara holds a degree in political science from Haverford College and a master’s degree in education from Harvard University. A long-time resident of Newtown, she is a graduate of George School and a member of Newtown Quaker Meeting.
Wolf, 45, first traveled to Haiti in 2009 with a team of New York City educators supporting local teachers. For five years before that, she taught global history at the International High School in Queens, a public school serving newly arrived immigrant students.
After the devastating earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010, she resigned from her teaching position to join the recovery effort in Port-au-Prince. Sara worked with relief organizations to create “child friendly spaces” in the makeshift schools of emergency camps. Rejecting traditional, lecture-based methods, she introduced art, music, dance, sports, and yoga to help children regain a sense of safety and joy during the crisis.
The Ministry of Higher Education took notice of her creativity and partnered with Sara and Université Quisqueya, Haiti’s flagship university, to extend this work to rural communities. In response to ongoing violence and political instability in Haiti, Sara later established and now directs the Model School Network (MSN). The MSN is a coalition of Haitian and international partners dedicated to creating coherent governance models, Haitian Creole curriculum, and equitable support systems for schools across the country.
As Director of the MSN, Wolf leads a broad partnership that includes the Ministry of Education, Haitian and international universities, and several philanthropic supporters. Together they work with 500 schools nationwide, strengthening culturally grounded
curriculum, improving school leadership structures, and promoting student well-being and equity between rural and urban communities.
Wolf’s leadership stresses collaboration rather than competition. Under her guidance, the Model School Network has become a space where diverse partners share expertise, align strategies, and co-create solutions rooted in the daily realities of Haitian classrooms.
“Systemic change in education does not come from isolated projects,” Wolf said. “It comes from strong coalitions, shared priorities, and a commitment to equity for all children, no matter where they live.”
Sara will also speak about the personal challenges of working in Haiti. After living in Port-au-Prince for nine years, she and her husband, Demeter, moved to the neighboring Dominican Republic for safety in 2019, where they now live with their two daughters and young son. Although she manages most of the MSN’s work from abroad, Sara continues to travel to Haiti about one week each month. Day-to-day operations are led by her Haitian colleagues.
Newtown Friends Meeting co-founded by Peaceable Kingdom painter and Quaker minister, Edward Hicks, in 1815, is open to all who wish to attend. Regular First Day Education classes (Sunday School) for all ages begin at 9:45 a.m. and Meeting for Worship begins at11 a.m. Childcare is provided.