SHS peer leaders give a helping hand
Published on December 19th, 2007
STONEHAM, MA - A handful of Stoneham High School upperclassman recently organized a coffeehouse last Wednesday evening in order to spotlight attention on the thousands of displaced children in Uganda.
According to SHS senior Nicole Dalamangas, secretary for the local Invisible Children charity project, the 37 students in the high school's peer leaders program were moved to action after watching a popular documentary on the plight of children in the war-torn country.
The African country, engaged in ongoing civil war for nearly three decades, is the site of a deadly conflict where the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) often forces children into arms.
Although a fragile truce deal has been brokered between the Ugandan government and the LRA, more than 1.5 million people have been displaced from their homes and forced to live in overcrowded camps.
"They take the children from their homes and make them fight, sometimes against [their own] parents," Dalamangas explained. "We're trying to raise money to protect these children by sending them to a school and an environment that's safe."
According to Jasmine Tham, also part of the peer leaders program, Wednesday night's coffee shop was a large success, with over $900 being raised for the non-profit Invisible Children charity.
The funds were generated through a bake sale, as well as through raffle, tee-shirt, and button sales.
"It went pretty well. We had a lot of our students show up and a few parents," said Tham, describing the event, where the same documentary that originally moved the 37 students was shown. "We showed the video and everybody was touched by that."
The SHS pupils are also continuing to raise money through the raffle of a World Series baseball. Those interested in participating can purchase tickets at future SHS basketball and hockey games.
All money raised by the upperclassman will be pooled together with donations from 196 other local schools in the region. The California-based Invisible Children charity will then send the money directly to administrators and officials at the Altanga secondary school, located in Northern Uganda.
To date, the school has received enough funding to construct a brand new education facility, which is situated close-by a camp containing an estimated 70,000 displaced Ugandans.
Last year, the charity's schools for schools program raised over $1.2 million for similar projects across the country. So far, $730,312 has been raised this year.
According to SHS Principal Edward Russo, the coffeehouse for the Invisible Children project is just one of the many outreach efforts the peer leaders program has spearheaded this year.
The competitive program, which only accepts a limited number of student applicants each year, was instituted in Stoneham in 2000 in order to foster respectful relationships amongst the student population.
In order to be accepted in the peer leaders program, sponsored by the Anti-Deformation League, pupils must fill out an application, obtain three teacher recommendations, and if picked by a selection committee, undergo an interview process.
The handpicked peer leaders then attend a three-day training session from the Anti-Deformation League, and return to their respective school districts.
"They'll continue to coordinate activities about respect and facilitate discussions among their peers at the high school and at the middle school on issues like discrimination, bullying, and harassment," Russo explained.
"I think the peer leadership program provides a great service not only to our high school, but to all the schools in Stoneham," the SHS principal added. "It will have an effect on them for the rest of their lives."
According to Sharon Chapman, who teaches the peer leaders course at the high school, the 37 chosen students are regularly organizing workshops, group discussions, and other charity events throughout the district.
At the start of a regular school year, anywhere from 60 to 70 students seek to enroll in the competitive course and outreach group.
"It's not like they're the PC police. But they're out there and see what may be an issue or what could be an issue," Chapman said. "I do the best I can to balance out the room, so they have contacts throughout the school. I don't want the same cookie-cutter kid. I want kids with different backgrounds."
"These kids are looking at what's going on and they try to address something before it becomes an issue. It causes other kids to want to do the right thing and to step up too."
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