Press

Teacher Testimonials

Lake Washington

School District No. 414

Samantha Smith Elementary

23305 NE 14^th St.

Sammamish, WA 98074

Office: (425) 868-5116 Fax: (425) 836-8258

Jon Holmen, Principal

joholmen@lwsd.org

Karen Dickens, Asst. Prin.

kdickens@lwsd.org

Pat Stoll, Office Mgr.

pstoll@lwsd.org

Sue Welch, Secretary

swelch@lwsd.org

Libby Boucher, Secretary

lboucher@lwsd.org

Dear Fellow Educators,

At Samantha Smith Elementary School, on the Sammamish Plateau, students are accustomed to a rich learning environment. Each classroom has top of the line technology, textbooks covering every subject area, highly-trained staff, and involved parents. To these students, their experience is “the norm.” The majority of these students are unaware of the significant educational advantage they have when compared with communities in developing countries around the world.

In Troas, a small village in Uganda, students spend their days sitting on wooden benches, surrounded by walls of mud and sticks. Classrooms that are well-equipped boast chalk boards, which teachers use to write entire lessons. Since the school does not have the resources to purchase class sets of text books, students use poster paper to copy lessons out of the teacher’s book to display for the rest of the class. Supplies that most American students would consider typical—crayons, pencils, paper, glue sticks, books, journals, etc.—are very limited due to the cost of purchasing and transporting supplies to this village. Scarce teaching resources mean students do not receive the high quality education they deserve.

Through Adopt a Classroom, my students have had the incredible opportunity to partner with schools in Troas and Rwenjiri. As a way to support Ugandan children, while also educating my own students about the living/learning conditions in developing countries, I invited guest speakers (volunteers with AACofWA) to share their experiences with our students. Kimberly Calhoun came to Smith to show photos and video clips to our students. She talked extensively about her experiences working with Ugandan children, and also answered countless questions. . Through the “Adopt a Classroom” program, we “adopted” two classes in Uganda, and this spring, we held a two week read-a-thon. The passion and determination the students put into collecting pledges and reading really made this fundraiser a huge success. The kids were so pleased to present AAC with a check for over $2,500.

Then, a few weeks later, Rebecca Coffey, another volunteer, visited our classroom to show more photos, share local music, and talk further with my students about Ugandan village life. My students were shocked to see condition of the schools of their Ugandan peers.

After receiving our check, AAC wired the money to Hopkins, the headmistress of the schools in Troas and Rwenjiri, She and Sam Lawrence (her brother) then used the money to purchase much needed school supplies for both of the schools. They were thoughtful enough to record a DVD and take photographs as they were delivering the school supplies to each of our adopted classrooms. Our students were so excited to see this DVD footage presented by Sam Lawrence (visiting from Uganda!) after their fundraiser.

Seeing students gain a new understanding of the world beyond their comfort zone and become passionate about serving an impoverished community has brought me overwhelming joy as an educator. I’ve gotten to learn alongside my students about educational life and daily living conditions in Uganda. I have also had the privilege of helping my students make a difference in that environment. As my students have experienced what it feels like to give and to serve kids in Uganda, they have become even more motivated to work for change. As our partnership with AAC continues to strengthen, I know kids’ lives will continue to be impacted, both here in Sammamish and on the other side of the globe.

Sincerely,

Megan Burch

4^th Grade Teacher, Smith Elementary

mburch@lwsd.org

________________________________________________________________

June 5, 2007

Dear fellow teachers,

The second grade team at Cascade View Elementary, along with their students, enjoyed participating in the Adopt a Classroom program. It was heartwarming for us to see children, who come from advantaged homes, embrace participating in a project to help less fortunate children in Africa. We had been studying Africa through books and videos, but this project helped to make the study more personal to each of us.

Our classes loved seeing the DVDs of the children in their school before they received our gifts. It was especially powerful for the kids to see the school children receiving school supplies and balls, paid for through our coin drive, in the follow-up DVD.

I would highly recommend that other classes get involved with this worthwhile project. We are very thankful for the privilege of helping other kids, and to learn more about ourselves as givers.

Sincerely,

Joyce DeLurme

2^nd Grade Teacher

Cascade View Elementary