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GOOD WILL: Laurel’s O Ambassadors are back
Laurel Elementary students are gung-ho about raising money to build schools in underprivileged areas of China.
The O Ambassadors Club formed last year to raise funds to build two schools in Kenya. The group’s enthusiasm has spread and the whole school now is involved.
This school year has been designated as the Year of the Panda and students are raising funds to benefit Asian countries, mainly China.
Among the fundraisers under way are a school newspaper that sells for 5 cents an issue and a ceramic rice bowl project where students and teachers have created pieces for judging.
The goodwill organization was started in the district to help raise funds to build schools through Oprah Winfrey’s international program.
Under the leadership of principal Dennis J. Devorick, the O Ambassadors last year set a goal of $8,500, but within 50 days they had raised more than $20,000 to send to Africa.
Laurel Elementary is planning to mark its 30th anniversary at a dinner Jan. 26 — Chinese New Year — and more fundraising will take place for this year’s cause.
In conjunction with the anniversary, the 130 fourth-grade students under the direction of Todd Cole and Brenda McKissick are writing a book that will be published by Vuthy Kuon. All the students are writing stories and poems for the book, called Spartan Times, which will review the past 30 years at the school and commemorate its anniversary. It will be for sale in paperback in early May.
Kuon who published an illustrated a book called “A Gift of a Rainbow” for the school last year, will illustrate the cover.
The school also is selling 22-inch wooden replicas of the Laurel Elementary School that have its history on the back.
Principal Kevin Mahoney, who picked up the orders for the school replicas, said, “They are beautiful.”
They are based on a full-length photo of the school taken by Clark’s Studio, and from that, Dave Kennedy of Historical Landmarks in Zelienople designed them, Mahoney explained.
“They turned out extremely well,” he said, noting 102 were made, and although orders were taken for them, there still are some for sale for $25 each.
According to Devorick, the O Ambassador program has chosen Laurel for two new programs this year.
One is an innovative enrichment program, Community Connections that links Laurel with Iles Elementary school in Springfield , Ill.
This program is designed to strengthen the local club’s understanding of global and local issues through a community mapping process. Clubs from the two schools will create Google maps of their communities online and identify needs in their communities. They will be able to monitor each other throughout the year online.
The second program, Girls World, involves scrapbook exchanges with a school in China. The Laurel girls are creating the books for the exchange and one scrapbook already has been sent.
The students also are collecting 5 cents per day in change in Chinese food containers.
“We are monitoring our fundraiser goals by hanging paper cranes in the cafeteria for each $10 raised,” Devorick said. “We are almost halfway to our $8,500 goal.”
Mahoney credited Devorick for his enthusiasm and leadership in the O Ambassadors program.
“Mr. Devorick is the integral part of making it all work.”
(Tomorrow: Students and teachers create ceramic rice bowls for an art show that will highlight the school’s 30th anniversary dinner later this month.)
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