Sixty students at Windemere Secondary who belong to Ms. Lee ‘s 9/10 choir and the UNICEF club have decided that writing letters to their sister school, Mwituria, is something they want to pursue.
Heather Hall, a PA-MOJA volunteer who visited Windemere recently, was thrilled with the enthusiasm of the Windemere students. “These students have shown that they care deeply, give generously, and help willingly, the three ingredients that leading educator, Barbara Colorosso, believes will guarantee children grow up to be ethical people,” said Heather.
Windemere students watched the PA-MOJA 2013 Christmas video and asked questions about the Kenyan school system, Mwituria Seondary, and the wildlife on the Ol Pejeta conservancy. One student was so moved, she left the class, went to her locker and returned with a donation for PA-MOJA.
Here are just a sample of the kinds of questions that students asked.
“What kinds of instruments do Kenyans play?”
“Here in Canada they teach us what to do if we come across a bear in the wild but what do Kenyan students do when confronted by a herd of elephants or a water buffalo?”
“What kinds of plants do Kenyans grow in their school gardens?”
“What are their job prospects once they finish high school or university?”
Heather took some video footage of the choir practising for an upcoming concert which she hopes to share with Mwituria students when she travels to Kenya this summer.
In the meantime, the letter exchange will go a long way to bridge the gap between students in both countries who want to share their thoughts and feelings and become more knowledgeable global citizens.
The questions that Windermere students have for their counterparts at Mwituria are really interesting. It will be interesting to see their responses.
Wonderful to see the students’ interest!