News Archive Junior School Reading Marathon Goes the Distance for Haitian Students in Need
| | Print | |
|
Junior School Reading Marathon Goes the Distance for Haitian Students
Twenty years after it was first introduced, the Grade 2 students at the Junior School will again take part in a French Read-A-Thon to raise money for students in developing countries. From April 27th to May 14th, the students will read half an hour each day in class, and will also take a French book home to read each evening, and another more challenging book to read for the weekends. Sponsor forms were sent home with each student, with the amount raised based on the total number of books read per child. This year, the funds will go to L’Institution Univers in Ouanaminthe, Haiti. Through the involvement of TFS staff members over the years, the students have had the opportunity to see the Haitian school grow in size and scope. Founded by a quartet of dedicated local professionals who were driven to make a difference in their village, the school will graduate its first class from Grade 12 this year. Much is still needed to support L’Institution Univers. For example, students often walk 2-2.5 hours each way to attend, their classrooms are very simple, and teachers are allocated one piece of chalk per day. Said TFS Grade 2 teacher Denise Pang of the students’ dedication, “They go to school because the education is so important to them, not because they have to. They see it as the only way to have a future.” And for $20 (Canadian), each student can also receive a hot meal of rice and beans for lunch for a year. How do the students at TFS feel about helping other children so far away? According to Mme Pang, they love it. And those students who are reluctant to read often find their ease with reading French and interest in books increase dramatically. We can call this a great win for TFS and L’Institution Univers!
|
