Thursday, February 15, 2007
Lakeside Elementary Students Making a Difference A World Away
Susan Drummond's 4th grade students at Lakeside Elementary School in the Winton Woods School District are making friends - and making a difference - a world away from where they live.
Drummond’s class was the first group of students to join All As One's Children Caring About Children Project. The project supports the All As One Children’s Center in Freetown, Sierra Leone in West Africa which provides food, shelter, education, medical care and love for 50-70 orphans. All As One is dedicated to providing the orphaned and destitute children of Sierra Leone with a loving home, education, medical care, and a chance for a better future.
Drummond’s 26 students stayed in at recess to search the Internet for information about the orphans of Sierra Leone. Armed with what they learned, they set out to raise $30 a month for the last seven months of the school year. Within four days they had met their $210 goal. The students were soon joined by Lois Minton’s fourth graders, and both classes have now raised over $500 for the children of All As One. Drummond’s class is featured on the cover of the February issue of the All As One newsletter.
“The students went above and beyond my expectations,” Drummond said. “They have shown such compassion and love for their new friends from Sierra Leone. I am so proud of their selflessness and humanitarianism. They are demonstrating what they learn at school—that character counts.” The Children Caring About Children Project allows students the opportunity for character growth, while opening their eyes to the world around them. Through the project, Drummond’s class will receive photos and introductions to many of the children they are helping, as well as regular updates from the Children’s Center.
“I am very proud of Susan’s idea and the children’s response,” said Winton Woods Superintendent Camille Nasbe, who stopped by the classroom to drop off her own donation. “What a wonderful thing to teach her students—global awareness, compassion, and activism.”
Sierra Leone is ranked as one of the poorest and least-developed countries in the world, according to United Nations statistics. The UN Human Development Index (HDI) measures poverty, life expectancy, literacy, education, and other factors. In the 2005 report, Sierra Leone was ranked 176 out of the 177 countries measured.
Drummond said her students plan to share a DVD presentation about the work of All As One with other grades and classes at Lakeside in the hope of adding to their fundraising efforts.
To read the entire article about Drummond and her students, go to www.allasone.org. Click on “news,” and then on “All As One Newsletters” and “February.”
Click here to view online article at Cincinnati.com.
