Pennies for Peace
Could your Pennies be used for Peace?
I’ll be the first to admit it: I don’t stay focused for 84 straight minutes, four times a day. I’ve got my own methods for combatting the wandering mind; some tried-and-true (counting ceiling tiles), some less conventional (desert island, anyone?). But very rarely do I consider how important those 84 minutes are. And I’m not just considering this now because of the schedule change, and not because I’m going off to college (where I’ll be scared into taking furious notes instead of listing the five movies I’d bring to a desert island). But rather because someone finally thought to tell me that there are kids out there who cherish those minutes.
You see, the whole campaign that Greg Mortenson started, to build schools for kids throughout Pakistan and Afghanistan, was inspired when he saw a group of students sitting outside in the dirt doing their lessons. They had no teacher (three days a week were all their instructor could afford, being “shared” with another village), no books, not even a building to sit in…yet these kids, most of them younger than you and me, were going to school. They were doing multiplication tables in the dirt, I imagine, and explaining problems to each other; hardly the sort of thing most of us would do if left to our own devices. But here, to me, is the worst part: some of these kids want nothing more than to have what we have (and, if you’re anything like me, take for granted every day): teachers, books, a building, and five days of instruction a week.
Luckily, this is a story that can end on a happy note: as Greg made very apparent when he visited MHS back in February, there’s more than a little something we can do to change this. For only about 12,000 dollars (1,800 of which have already been raised by QMS, local businesses, and some students here), we can have a school built overseas! Right now, there are change collecting containers in the cafeteria, main office, and Ms. Baldini’s room –but don’t be fooled by the name “Pennies for Peace”; 1-cent donations aren’t the only ones acceptable: nickels, dimes, and singles are all viable, and twenties are never turned down. There are also plans in the works for t-shirts to be sold in the main office (proceeds of which will go to the fundraiser), and fundraiser nights are being negotiated at The Chateau restaurant and Friendly’s.
Note: Some students have voiced their reservations regarding the school, arguing that by educating the children in Afghanistan and Pakistan we are simply supporting terrorists. According to Mortenson, the creation of schools in these countries by Pennies for Peace has the opposite effect: at these facilities, children are offered an objective education that covers basic skills and subjects, instead of the extremist doctrine taught at the only other schools in the area. Education, like that offered by Pennies schools, is one of the most effective weapons against terrorism. (Makes your donations all the more important, doesn’t it?)
-Jen Christianson
*For those who wish to get involved:
Visit room 235 (Ms. Baldini's room) for more essential information. Currently the bulk of volunteer work involves making signs for posting around the high school and collecting the coin jars placed in all of the QMS social science classrooms and local Mansfield businesses; done primarily on weekday afternoons following school. However, most of those involved in the project are current seniors, and as such we are always looking for juniors and underclassmen to continue efforts in the fall (whether or not we reach or goal of $12,000. Why stop at one school, right?). Sara Yeransian may also be contacted for more information.