CHS Peace Corps 2001-2002 NewsletterThese articles were all written for our newsletter by various members of the Corcoran High School Peace Corps team. The newsletter was assembled by CHS PCP Member Charlene Buerman and placed on the web by CHS PCP member Sean Hueber. Going Somewhere? |
Contents:
Boure Well ProjectFor our 2001 project the Corcoran International Relations Club will help fund the building of a well in Boure, Niger in West Africa. Boure is a village of about 150 people. The village has about 46 households that have no electricity or running water. During the last dry, season the village ran out of water. The people of Boure live by farming millet, beans, groundnuts, and sorghum. They also make ropes and mats from palmetto leaves. The present wells in Boure are shallow and are dug by men until they hit water. Once they do, the wells are lined with the trunks of palm trees. The wells are at ground level and are a muddy mess. Animals are brought to there to drink which contaminate the water with fecal matter once it has filtered though the soil. Mosquitoes breed around the standing water of the well which increase the threat of malaria. By building this well we will be able to ensure a stable, sanitary, accessible, and a permanent source of water for the people of Boure. The well will be built by the government agency OFEDES (The Office for Underground Water Sources ) which is known throughout the country and four men from the village who will help the mason while other laborers haul materials, mix and pour cement. The well will be dug five meters deep and lined with thick cement rings to prevent caving. A cement bib will then be built around the opening with a cement platform encompassing it to prevent standing water. To reduce the amount of sand and dirt particles from entering the bottom of the well a gravel filter will be put at the base. The total cost of the well is $4,428. We need to raise $3,000. The village will provide $1,055 which is 32.25% of the total cost. The villagers will also be providing the gravel, sand and water need for construction and the workers. The building of this well will increase the health of all and the water will not have as much contamination. The cement walls have been proven to benefit the environment throughout Niger so there will be no detrimental impact on the environment. Liz Marcy [Back to Top]The T-Shirts
Corcoran PCPP Featured in Social Education Magazine
The Trip to Boston to ASCDThis past March, four members of the International Relations Club -- all of whom have since graduated -- along with our adviser, Mr. Miller, ventured to Boston. Our objective: to sell our products and promote our cause to the many (*exact number?) professionals attending the 2001 conference of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. The 56th annual conference, which one can surmise from the title is aimed at developing and supervising curriculum for all grade levels, was held at Boston's Hynes Convention Center. Three of the Club officers, Amaris Kinne, Patrick Gannon, and Megan Redmond, as well as Courtney Black took advantage of all the Walking City had to offer. When we weren't selling T-shorts, note cards, and calendars, we were exploring the Freedom Trail, the cemetery where Paul Revere is buried, and, of course, the infamous "T." Despite our fun, however we were disappointed in the amount of sales we made; we would be wary to enter that venue again. We came in hoping to complete funding of our 2000 project, the construction of a maternity ward in Burkina Faso, West Africa, and came up short. We shared a booth with the Peace Corps, whose representatives were both Return Peace Corps volunteers. They had a wealth of knowledge that many who passed by took advantage of. Unfortunately, but in retrospect not surprisingly, the passers just stopped, chatted about implementing different programs, and moved on. Needless to say, our experience was one of learning and fun. [Back to Top]A FIRST FOR CORCORAN'S INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS CLUB! KELLY DIXON, PRESIDENT OF THE IRC IN 1991-92 HAS BEEN ACCEPTED INTO THE PEACE CORPS!Kelly Dixon, the International Relations Club President in 1991-92, graduated from Corcoran in 1992 and SUNY Geneseo in 1996. She will be leaving for Peace Corps training January 26, 2002. She will be posted as a PCV in Thailand. Her post will be at a primary school teaching English, developing their library, and doing community outreach. Kelly is the first active club member to have then entered the Peace Corps although other Corcoran students have done so. Kelly was one of 4 students to staff our Partnership exhibit at the 30th Peace Corps Celebration. [Back to Top]New Picture Of The 2000 Project
Boure Well Project PicturesClick here to see 10 pictures from the Boure well project. [Back to Top]Condolences For September 11thIn response to the recent tragedy our condolences go out to all the victims:
To those who have perished,
To those searching for their loved ones,
To those mourning the loss of loved ones,
To those traumatized by visions of terror from this disaster,
To those caught up in the aftermath of hate and violence,
Emergency and Relief Information 1998 Ithaca College Graduate is our Peace Corps Volunteer for our 18th Corcoran/Roberts Peace Corps Partnership ProjectRosalynn Frederick, a 1998 Ithaca College graduate (Secondary Education) wrote the proposal that drew our attention for this year’s undertaking. She is from Copake, New York (Columbia County) and taught Spanish in public school before joining the Peace Corps. Now she is living in Boure, Niger, a village of a few hundred helping them to have a deep water well, cement lined. She is also working to teach the adults how to communicate in their ethnic language (Hausa) in writing. Rosalynn reports that the harvest has just been completed and was good thanks to beneficent rains this year. The rainy season is fast upon them as well and the well digging has begun. Your purchase of a t-shirt or set of note cards will help fund this project.ROBERTS PENNY DRIVE A FAST SUCCESS!!!The students at John T. Roberts School next door to Corcoran collected $371.20 in the few weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The funds were collected in a 12 foot tall lucite tube attached to the staircase in the Atrium. Students could drop their pennies in and watch/hear them fall! The money was wired to Peace Corps Volunteer, Rosalynn Frederick, in Boure, Niger. It will be used to purchase chalk, pens, paper, and kerosene for an adult literacy project. The kerosene, used for lamps, will allow evening classes. The chalk will allow practice on lap tops (chalkboards). Adults are learning to read and write in their ethnic language, Hausa. This will allow them to communicate more effectively, to keep records, and to improve their standard of living. At present none of the adults are literate. This project fits into the Syracuse City School District literacy theme for this year. The penny tube was so successful it has been reinstalled and will be used for yet another, as yet undetermined, project. The collection yielded 16,265 pennies, 705 nickels, 648 dimes, 322 quarters, 1 one dollar coin, and $27.00 in bills.PicturesClick here to view pictures of the Cyliner at Roberts K-8 School and a pic of our group at work on the new notecard set. |
