Schools

UDHALIYAH FALCONS DONATE 250 WATER FILTERS TO “WATER IS LIFE” IN GHANA

By Kirk Peterson

Remember FALL FESTIVAL 2012? Udhailiyah Falcons raised $2,500 dollars on that night for charity. The middle school student council officers researched 4 humanitarian causes in the world and presented their findings to the middle school student body. Then students voted on the project they wanted to support. The winning humanitarian project was “WATER is LIFE”. The donation was sent to the “Water is Life” organization and purchased 250 water filters that have been sent to help children in Ghana have access to clean drinking water.

The founder of “Water is Life” Ken Surritte was really pleased to hear about our donation and conveyed thanks to the students personally for their contribution. On June 15th Udhailiyah Falcons are setting up a SKYPE call in the library at noon. Middle school student council officers and interested middle school students are invited to attend the SKYPE call with Mr. Surritte on that day.

More information on “Water is Life” is available athttp://www.waterislife.com/

Save Tree, Save Life: A Teacher’s Perspective

By Debbie Rutherford

I tried to save a tree last summer. A red oak circa 1864 majestically and quietly reigned among a grove of beautiful trees across from the baseball field. If you have been on “back campus,” you probably never noticed it as you headed to a soccer game, a tennis match, or to the small apple orchard near the gazebo, but you benefited from it. Although the exact facts might be debatable, a mature tree can produce enough oxygen annually to support four human beings. The tree was part of the landscape. The red oak provided shade, beauty, and oxygen to the world around it. And now it will provide wood for the flooring of future school projects. (We need that, too. Recycle and reuse.)

Why do people try to save trees? Trees matter in all sorts of ways. A few years ago we were extremely mindful of some very important trees that were on the site of what became 1893 House. In fact, the architects and the school re-drew the siting of the house to “save” these very important trees, and then along came Superstorm Sandy, which—you guessed it—uprooted and destroyed those trees. This summer I joined the Tropical Biology students and teachers in Costa Rica for 10 days. At a large area of primary forest in the Monteverde Cloud Forest, we observed old, old, old trees which have never been “managed” by humans. Costa Rica takes up less than 0.1 percent of the world’s landmass and contains 5 percent of its biodiversity.

Those trees really matter. 30 percent of the country’s landmass is held in reserve, and 90 percent of its electricity is produced through renewable means. Costa Rica had one of the worst rates of conservation in the 1980s and turned this around by 2005. We can take inspiration from Costa Rica’s model and ask how our footprint on the planet can be lighter. Mercersburg does have an environmental master plan and will continue to take action.

At this point in the year I hope your children have adjusted to the new year or their new school and gotten their bearings. They are experiencing challenges and occasional discomfort and asking their own important questions. Our tendency as adults can be to try to jump in and solve problems for them. However, the better course, normally, is to listen carefully, let them process, and ask them, “What do you want to do about it?”

At Mercersburg we encourage our students (and faculty) to think critically, question, and take action; this is learning by doing. They may not always get the answer or result they want or expect, but the process is instructive and informative… and the questions and caring matter.

As associate head of Mercersburg Academy, PA, Debbie’s schedule is busy with a wide-range of administrative duties: overseeing the school’s residential and student counseling services, working with architects on the campus master plan and other campus building projects, and spearheading the school’s Accreditation for Growth plan. Nevertheless, Debbie is well known for her understanding nature and her door is always open to colleagues, parents, and students.