Skip to main content

Long-term Commitment to Doing Good

Imagine walking several miles to school each day as a second grader. Now imagine that when you arrive, school is conducted in an open field with dirt floors and perhaps one tree offering shade in the blistering sun. You are taught by a village elder. There are no facilities, no latrines. At the end of the day, you walk the more than 6 miles back home.

This was the reality for children in Kalina, Tigray. When we learned of their need, Saint David's eighth graders in 2011 - the occasion of our school's 60th anniversary - made a commitment to helping children in Kalina by raising the funds to construct an elementary school. In celebrating our anniversary milestone, we wanted to do for others what others had done for us, by breathing life into two new programs. The first, Horizons at Saint David's (now in its 12th year) would serve children in need close to home; the other, would serve children far away. Both involve the education of children and serve the greater common good. 


The Saint David's Kalina School, an elementary school serving Muslim boys and girls, officially opened in Tigray in the summer of 2014. Three of our Student Council Presidents accompanied me to Kalina for the opening. Ever since, we have remained committed to educating children in Tigrayan communities in Ethiopia. In 2018, we helped build a second school located in Al'asa. In February 2020, I and the Student Council President at the time visited just prior to the Covid shutdown. 

In the ensuing years, Ethiopia has suffered from a large humanitarian crisis caused by the country's civil war, the pandemic, and a drought that has killed livestock, left 10 million people food insecure, and displaced 5.8 million people. Sadly, this confluence of crises resulted in both schools being closed to children. Al'asa was completely destroyed during the internal conflict and Kalina was utilized as a hospital and shelter for displaced villagers.

The Al'asa school, destroyed during the Ethiopian civil war, will be rebuilt.

But there is hopeful news. With the peace accord signed three months ago, it is now possible to rebuild, and our boys have committed this year to raising funds to reconstruct the Al'asa school. Money raised will come from initiatives spearheaded, planned, and executed by the boys themselves under the guidance of their teacher Tom Ryan, including walk-a-thons, quiz shows, pay-to-play sports, and ice-cream sales.

Last week, Aaron Fossi, our Save the Children partner for the project, met with seventh and eighth graders during Chapel to kick off this year's initiative. Mr. Fossi explained that because of the conditions in Ethiopia, our boys can do good on a tremendous scale. "What you are all doing collectively is important," he said. "It is going to go really far for the kids there, making a huge impact on their lives." In true Saint David's fashion, our boys are excited about this initiative and determined to follow in their predecessors' footsteps to ensure success.

Through sustained effort and commitment to Ethiopia, our boys learn to be "in it" for the long haul. They are learning that even when faced with setbacks, there is value in carrying on. The opening of both Tigrayan schools resulted from critical reflection on our school's mission, the identification of an important issue, the development of a strategic partnership with Save the Children, dedicated hard work, and perseverance.

This work very much aligns with the Spirituality pillar at the root of our school. As our current Student Council President notes in his yearbook letter to his fellow graduates: "From the moment a student steps into Saint David's... As his first day unfolds in the classroom, Saint David's begins to weave in lessons that will shape his morals, values, spirituality, and grace." 

Ut viri boni sint

Popular posts from this blog

Resilience in the Teaching of Languages

Above: The Nerf microphone ball enables boys learning remotely to hear their classmates well. The pandemic has challenged educators to reinvent and reimagine units of study to keep learning engaging, regardless of how it is delivered. The following article, written for Saint David’s Magazine by our Modern Languages Chair Dr. Victoria Gilbert and Lower School Spanish teacher Flor Berman, addresses how this was done in the Spanish immersion language program at Saint David's. Ms. Berman and Dr. Gilbert, recipient of the New York State Association of Foreign Language Teachers' Ruth E. Wasley Distinguished Teacher Award, presented on the topic at NYSAIS’s Flexible Classroom Conference last summer. How Spanish Classes Have Bounced Back Resiliency implies an ability to bounce back, but as teachers working with the youngest learners in the school, we would reframe resiliency as the opportunity to reimagine. Whether boys are learning through a face-to-face experience or through the med
Read more

The Role of Faith in Social-Emotional Learning and Psychological Well-Being

The following article by our School Psychologist, Dr. Michael Schwartzman, appears in the current issue of Saint David's Magazine : During one of my first observations in a Saint David’s classroom 15 years ago, I witnessed two first grade boys in a verbal altercation. Although it was contained just between the two boys, their observant teacher had them talk it through and then shake hands on being in a better place for having done so. I was very impressed, and still am, with this approach that the school takes many times throughout the day.  It helps establish a firm idea of how to behave, especially in social situations where emotions can be stirred and run high. Through this experience repeated consistently day in and day out, better, more productive ways of engaging become increasingly integrated by the boys as they develop socially and emotionally in interaction with each other.  As the School Psychologist, I spend a lot of time thinking about the touch points for student and t
Read more

Storytelling Demonstrates Understanding

Their time had arrived. As the lights dimmed in our Otto-Bernstein Theatre, the astrophysicists, a mix of jitters and excitement, awaited their opportunity to share insights and stories about the workings of the universe. Which planets might support life? Is there water on Mars? What are Dwarf Planets?    "Let's take a look at our closest neighbor, Venus," invited one presenter, before revealing that the planet - while ideal in proximity - has surface temperatures of 900 degrees F: "Imagine - standing on the surface would be like being burned alive!"  Later that same day, in our Graham lunchroom, early 20th century immigrants of all ages from Italy, China, Ireland, Russia, among other countries, waited, with hope and determination, their turn to be interviewed for admittance to America. It wasn't going to be easy. They would be asked pointed, potentially life-altering questions by various processors. "What's that cough? It doesn't sound good,&qu
Read more