A Magnet High School in Maryland reaches out to Opac Village
George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology, a public magnet high school in Towson MD, attracts students that not only have talent in the arts but spirits so large as to reach the other side of the globe to people in a small village recovering from effects of a protracted war that they were not a party to.
On March 5, OCHAN’s Bonny Boto (below left) made a presentation to Carver’s senior class about resettlement projects in Opac Village: green commerce, housing, health care, reforestation. Ms. Lisa Reid, math teacher and emcee for this event, led the discussion with the students on ways to support Opac villagers.
Four prominent societies at Carver have dedicated time, effort, and treasure to OCHAN’s relief/resettlement efforts. Last fall, the Student Government Association (SGA), with Ellen Owens as adviser, donated proceeds from their homecoming dance to fund construction of the first public pit latrine (pictured) for the village center.
The clan elders of the village made availability of public latrines a top priority for their citizens who had lived in the unsanitary squalor of IDP camps for years. This facility was completed in March 2010. The elders and the villagers are surprised and so thankful for Carver's support of such infrastructure. The school's name is not new to this village: it is carved into a plaque on the wall of a home built by the school's Literary Arts students two years ago for a needy family. Neither is Opac new to Carver: students first heard about OCHAN's work there through reports written in Carver's newspaper, Catalyst, over the past two years.L-R, Jim Owens, Ellen Owens, Bonny Boto, Carroll Cook
The school’s Envirothon/Environmental Club, with Jim Owens as adviser, has saved acorns from a favorite tree marked for destruction to make way for a new school building. Members of this club have succeeded in germinating the acorns and hope to sell the “treelings” this spring, with proceeds going to OCHAN’s reforestation program to aid Opac’s economic recovery and to fortify this semi-arid environment in its fight against climate change. Joe Javier, a senior at Carver and an avid environmentalist, has worked tirelessly not only to germinate the seeds but to outwit the wily squirrels. Amnesty International Club at Carver, with Carroll Cook as adviser, supports this “green”project as well.
This April, The National Honor Society (NHS) held a benefit concert for OCHAN. Along with a presentation of OCHAN's projects in Uganda, students enjoyed pizza, live bands and solo performances. In addition, the SGA raised funds for OCHAN through a concession table at this event. The President of NHS accepted a bouquet of sunflowers from OCHAN in gratitude for the society's initiative, adviser Terry Holzman's support, and tireless organizing efforts by Jon Henricks as president, Gilbert Spencer as vice-president, and other officers.
Carver Center’s student organizations and their advisers who made the decision to partner with OCHAN in the restoration of human rights to victims of war have revealed much about the spirit and character of this student body and its leaders and faculty. It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities (J.K. Rowling).
