HomeMy WebLinkAboutUndated-LWSCC-rpt.pdf WASPAM SCHOOL PROJECT
Ffp 1:437 thea Ckty C.,A'uiiittee decided to initiate a pen-pal
project between children in Lexington and Waspam Donna Bosco and
Marcia Butman, two members of the Committee with children at
Bowman School , an elementary school in Lexington, received
support and encouragement from Mary Ellen Johnson, the principal
at Bowman, and from John Papadonis, the Social Studies
Coordinator for the Lexington Public Schools
Chris Scanlon, a fifth grade teacher and Mena Topjian, a second
grade teacher at Bowman were interested in the project In order
to provide the children with some background on Waspam, so they
would understand who they were writing to , Donna and Marcia made
presentations in these classrooms about life in Waspam In order
to help children understand more graphically the life of people
living in Waspam, they role played an eleven year old girl , Maria
Elena, who was paying a visit to Lexington Maria Elena told her
story, illustrated by slides taken by members of the sister city
committee who have visited Waspam
The role playing stimulated the children s interest and
curiosity Maria Elena begins by telling a little about what
life is like in Waspam She comments on how different life seems
in Lexington, and goes on to show pictures of her family her
house, what she eats , her school and what her parents do She
continues by telling the story of her life Maria was horn in
Waspam, had to leave when she was three years old because of the
war surrounding Waspam and returned to jungle and destruction
when she was 7, after living in a refugee camp in Honduras for 3
years She is now living with her family in Waspam as it
rebuilds
The children have many questions for Maria Elena What happened
to your family in the fighting? Where do you wash your dishes?
If you have no electricity, how do you know when it s time for
school to end every day? Where do you go to the bathroom? If
the pigs and chickens are just runninrg.,�,around , how do you know
which ones are yours? Isn t the river kind of dirty to wash
clothes in? Do you brush your teeth?
After the presentation, the children wrote letters to children in
Waspam These leters were translated into Spanish by Lexington
High School spanish classes and delivered to the elementary
school in Waspam by Bonnie Jones and Eric Rehm, two members of
the Sister City Committe
Unfortunately, we never received any responses from the children
in Waspam In 1989, when Bonnie and Eric visited Waspam, there
were no acccomodations there , so they spent the night in
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Tronquera about 1 hr drive away They had trouble securing a
vehicle to take them to Waspam and were not able to return to
follow up on the responses Mails are very unreliable and slow
The children and teachers at Bowman were disappointed that they
didn' t receive return letters, and so the Sister City Committe
decided not to pursue the penpal project However , the
presentations about life in Waspam were very successful , and
were continued in 1989 and in the next two school years
Teachers in the second , third , fourth and fifth grade, and also
at Clarke Middle School took advantage of the presentations
The presentations used the same format , role playing a visitor
from Waspam, with slight variations depending on the grade , and
the current curriculum of the class In 1989-1990, the project
was supported in part with a Commonwealth Inservice Grant
Debbie 0 Hera, another member of the Sister City Committee and an
experienced teacher , joined the project
In discussions with Kelly Ford , a third grade teacher at Bowman
and Mary Ellen Johnson, the Bowman principal , the idea of a book
project was conceived Bowman had begun teaching reading using
the whole language approach and was developing a Publishing
Center to produce books children had written Kelly wanted her
class to make something to send to Waspam, and had expertise in
book-making as well The Spanish teachers at the High School were
willing to have their classes translate the books
In the school year 1990-91 this project was completed Kay
Dillmore s 1 /2 class wrote books translated by the High school
and by Veronica Welch , the Spanish teacher at Bowman They were
typed and bound by volunteers at the Bowman Publishing Center
In addition, Veronica Welch 's Spanish classes at Bridge, Fiske
and Bowman made a calendar and books of numbers, the alphabet ,
classroom objects, colors and sports, all in Spanish Nancy
Alloways 4th grade class at Estabrook made an alphabet wall
hanging in Spanish These were all brought to Waspam by Matt
Foti when he delivered the sawmill All the classes that made
the books also had a series of presentations on life in Waspam
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What are the benefits of this program to the children in
Lexington?
**CONFRONTING ETHNOCENTRISM
While many educators believe in the importance of multicultural
education, there is disagreement over the approach that is most
effective We feel that the tourist approach , learning about
tangible, outward signs of a culture, can reinforce stereotypes
and contribute to a feeling that other cultures are weird , in
comparison to our own
The connection between Lexington and Waspam encourages children
in Lexington to think about life in Waspam in relationship to
their own lives The use of role playing also helps make this
connection real (Of course, actual visitors from Waspam would be
the best ) Children are excited , curious and moved by the story
of Maria Elena They like her Some children completely suspend
disbelief and start thinking of the role player as a real They
ask questions such as "Why is your skin white and your sister
(shown in a slide ) black? Many of them begin to step outside
their own culture, and see life from Maria Elena s point of view
**GLOBAL UNDERSTANDING
Understanding what life is like for children in Waspam widens
the perspective of our children, who have no idea that the rest
of the world doesn t live like we do in Lexington For example,
we showed a picture of the clinic in Waspam to a second grade
class and asked if they knew what a clinic was They were
stumped , and eventually came up with the idea that it was a place
you went to get better at skiing or tennis !
Once children saw the great differences between Waspam and
Lexington some began to wonder why Waspam was poor and Lexington
rich The relationship between Lexington and Waspam is symbolic
of the relationship between the developed west and the Third
World
Exploration of the question Why is Waspam poor and why are we
rich? is an important step towards global understanding
**ELIMINATING STEREOTYPES
We often view people who are poorer than ourselves
stereotypically They seem stupider , dirtier , and in general ,
unfortunate and downtrodden They are deserving of our charity
but we can t imagine that they have thoughts and feelings, that
they possess courage, intelligence, and that they are capable of
great acts
The school presentations , and especially the role playing , allows
children in Lexington to see the people of Waspam in a positive
light They had to leave the town quickly , bringing very little
with them They returned to find Waspam totally destroyed yet
they are rebuilding under great obstacles They don t have
electricity, running water or telephones They don t have
Nintendo or TOYS R US, hut they still play games They go to
school and learn even though they have only notebooks and pencils
and sit on a concrete floor They exhibit self reliance,
perserverance and bravery
In addition, children gain a different understanding of Native
Americans Children tend to view Indian cultures as something
out of the past In Waspam they have an example of native
Americans who are living today in an intact cultural unit
**PROMOTING SELF ESTEEM
Lexington has a multicultural population and many classes have a
variety of children from different countries, including children
of color Many of them may feel ashamed of their backgrounds ,
embarrassed that they speak two or more languagues and
uncomfortable discussing their homeland , since they are a
minority in the dominant suburban middle class culture
Nancy Alloway, a fourth grade teacher at Estabrook hoped that if
the people and culture of Waspam were presented in a postive
light , than the self esteem of children from similar cultures
might be enhanced Seeing that Lexington valued a relationship
with Waspam, these children might feel more valued and less
ashamed of their own, perhaps similar , heritage And , amazingly
this happened during the presentation in her class A boy who
was originally from Cambodia strongly identified with the slides
of Waspam and talked more about his country than he ever had in
the classsroom before
In other classes , children of color also identified with the
presentation A girl from Martinique commented that the school
year ( March-December ) and the weather were the same in her
country One boy from Boston mentionned that Spanish people eat
rice and beans ( is that common knowledge for Lexington children? )
Another boy ate tropical fruits like those eaten in Waspam
These children s culture is denied every day , not by intent but
by omission The role playing of Maria Elena, talking about real
life in Waspam, rang true to them and gave them space and
permission to talk about their own cultures and lives This
aspect of the program could be developed and expanded
**MODELS OF SOCIAL ACTION
Members of the committee have made the difficult trip to Waspam,
flying across Nicaragua in ancient planes and continuing on to
Waspam on dusty roads in the back of pickup trucks Not the type
of trip most Lexingtonians indulge in
The committee collected 300 lbs of baseball equipment and
carried it all the way to Waspam The $17,000 needed to buy a
portable sawmill was raised by the committee and a Lexington
business man and one of his employees volunteered to take the
sawmill to Waspam
The act ) ons of the committee wil hopefully stimulate the
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children s thinking, and provide models for possible action
Many opportunities exist for children in Lexington to become
involved with Waspam, from sending greetings to raising money for
school supplies, to exchanges of high school opr college
students
ALready the children have made books and the Spanish Club at
Lexington High School has contributed $100 to the Sister
City Committee
**SENSE OF GEOGRAPHY
Children develop a feel for the personality of Waspam through
its geography Answereing the question How do you get there?
graphically illustrates for the children the remoteness of
Waspam The difficulty of the journey is hard for children to
grasp , and sets the tone for understanding Waspam They often
have trouble believing a place could be so inaccessible In one
class the children refused to accept the fact that there were no
telephones Several children insisted that if you could somehow
get a car with a telephone to Waspam you would be all set
Geography is also important in understanding the life of people
in Waspam the crops +hey plant the importance of the river for
transportation and for food the abundance of land for planting ,
the capahility for self sufficiency
FUTURE OF THE SCHOOL PROGRAM
This program could develop in several different ways , depending
on the interest of the school system and indi idual teachers
The classroom presentations are an effective way for children to
understand Waspam, and developing nations in general These
presentations can be tailored to the classroom curriculum to a
certain extent , and varied from year to year as Waspam develops
and the Sister City Committee program changes The presentations
can continue and expand , depending on available time of
presenters and on teacher interest Individual teachers could
also undertake projects similar to the book making that occurred
this year
An individual classsroom a school or the system as a whole
could make a greater committment to understanding and developing
a relatinnship with Waspam for all the reasons mentionned above
An integrated unit on Waspam would have benefits for children at
almost any age, and has many possibilities in language arts,
social studies, science, mathematics and art
Finally , a multicultural program or department could be
instituted within the Lexington School System, with Waspam being
a component of such a program
HISTORY OF WASPAM
Waspam is a Miskito Indian town located on the banks of the Coco
River in the northeastern section of Nicaragua This area is
commonly referrrd to as the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua
The Atlantic coast has a distinct history and culture The
multiethnic population of this region includes Miskito , Sumu and
Rama Indians, Creoles, Black Caribs and Mestizos (mixed Spanish
and Indian) English , Spanish and the several Indian languages
are all spoken
Unlike most of North and South America, the peoples of the
Atlantic coast were not brutally subjugated by Europeans, their
way of life totally destroyed Instead, the British established
a protectorate and engaged in extensive trade In the 1800' s US
companies began to dominate the area, extracting hardwoods , fruit
and resin The Atlantic coast remained isolated from and ignored
by the rest of Nicaragua
After the Sandinistas took power in 1979, they attempted to bring
their programs and policies to the people of the coast They
were met with suspicion and resistance which soon turned into
open hostilities Many people fled to Honduras or other parts of
Nicaragua to avoid bloodshed After three years of fighting, the
Sandinistas proposed an Autonomy Law which would provide the
coastal peoples with some measure of control over their land and
government Many people were fed up with the disruption and
destruction of the war , and wanted peace By 1985, fighting had
stopped and people started to return home to their abandoned
villages
Waspam was a center for commerce and culture on the Coco River
It had several churches, a bank , a baseball stadium (hosting
teams from villages up and down the river ) , an airstrip , a
Teacher 's Institute, restaurants and a cinema In 1981 , people
left Waspam, taking what they could carry When they returned in
1985, they found their town totally destroyed , both by the war
and by the fast growing jungle
SInce 1985, the people of Waspam have been struggling to rebuild
In 1990, running water and electricity were finally installed
The Teachers Institute and market are operating However ,
development is slow, due to limited resources Many needs are
still unmet
ESTABLISHMENT OF SISTER CITY RELATIONSHIP
In 1988, the Lexington Board of selectmen appointed a seven
member committee to choose a sister city in Central America At
this time Oscar Arias, President of Costa Rica, had put forward
the Arias Peace Plan One important element of the Arias plan
was return and resettlement of refugee populations that had been
displaced by war in the region The committee decided to focus on
refugee resettlement as a basis for forming a sister city
relationship It felt that supporting returning refugees would
contribute in a small way to peace, and in addition, the aid of
Lexington residents could make a big difference in a community
rebuilding from scratch After considering Guatemala, El
Salvador and the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua , the committee voted
to recommend that Waspam become Lexington s Sister City in
Central America
Since 1988, the Lexington Waspam Sister City Committee ( a
volunteer committee of interested Lexington residents) has been
actively engaged in strengthening the sister city relationship
The committee feels strongly that this relationship is a two way
street , a genuine partnership of sisters
Lexinton, rich in material resources, has much to offer a poor
community like Waspam In 1988 the committee sponsored a town
wide dri •e for baseball equipment so that the many enthusiastic
players in Waspam and surrounding villages would have a chance to
play once again And since 1989 the committee has been raising
money to send a portable sawmill to Waspam so that reconstruction
can take place at a faster pace In the winter of 1991 the
sawmill was shipped to Waspam, accompanied by Matt Foti and John
Fobert of Foti Tree Service, wh'D volunteered to visit Waspam and
train residents in the use of the mill
On the other hand,a relationship with Waspam benefits Lexington
in many ways, as well By becoming friends with people in a such
a different situation from ourselves, we can learn to step
outside our own culture, developing a tolerance for and
appreciation of differences Such an openness to others enriches
our own lives and furthers peace and harmony , both at home among
the many different groups that make up the population of the
United States and in the world , among nations
Seeing the reality of life in Waspam gives us a new perspective
on our own lives and helps us consider what is really important
to us Iii such a materialistic society, we find it hard sometimes
to keep our own values in mind But the people of Waspam
rebuilding their town against overwhelming obstacles, can be an
inspiration to us in Lexington perhaps helping us retreive
something missing from our own lives
To pursue these goals , we ve visited Waspam and we;ve had people
1
from Waspam visit Lexington We feel these exchanges are very
important In addition, we ve established a school program to
help our Lexington children understand and contribute to the
sister city relationship
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PRESENTATION TO LEXINGTON SCHOOLS
1988/89
Grade Number of Presentations
2 1
4 2
5 1
1989/90
2 1
3 3
3/4 1
4 2
5 4
7 1
1990/ 199u
1 /2 1
2 2
3
Li 1
Spanish 6
classes
Spanish Club (LHS)
E ALL.f1-Ct�ly.
L1r=.Frl•1 E'UMLUATIUN
Please re=spond t ' this evaluation c4 the Waspam pilot program as it related to
'our classroom
Were the materials appropriate for Your children:
. 3 Yes
No
Comments
2 Did the presenters relate to the children in a manner that was
understandable and clear%
13 Yes_
Nr_
Comments
Was the cnntent cif the program related to the Social Etudies
curricjlum%
IC)
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Comments
4 Would You be likel to fcllow up classroom presentations if a list of
a:tivities and, or materials were supplied%
I3 ,. e=
Nc
Comment = ((t-- \\/\
it
- -
,
Dc gu feel that pieces of this unit should be incorporated into the
elementary school curriculum given sufficient time/funding , etc ?
i 2_ Yes
I Flo
Comments
What did you like best and least about the program%
7 Gia You feel that the teachers workshop ( in December) was worthwhile? Why
or why not ;
Would you want this presentation in your class again next year ? If Yes,
would You be interested in a more extended presentation o' er a period of
week=_ %
pi', Hee I
ce Would You be nterested In conducting a 4c.11cw-up project it which Your
class ccllected or made something to Oe sent to Waspam
Yes - U
T a- c,x4 Ix' _
nicrz
LICU — I
:,0 Please rate _ erall the Lie.=-spam Froqram
(� Excellent )
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EVALUATION
1 Were the materials appropriate for your children?
The children asked many questions They understood the basic
material presented " Eric Pe11 ,2nd grade
"Yes, the slides were paerticularly effective " Bruce MacDonald,
5th grade
The material was excellent The children fully understood the
needs when they were able to view children from Waspam and the
conditions of their environment Map -and discussion of location
was very appropriate Maureen Sullivan, 2nd grade
2 Did the oresenters relate to the children in a manner that was
understandable and clear?
"The children's minds were really stimulated as evidenced by their
curious relevant questions Catherine Boyd, 5th grade
A straightforward presentation that held the children s interest
for the entire period Jim Hathaway, Judy Rosenbery, 5th grade
The material was presented in a way to humanize the experience
Eric Pell , 2nd grade
Yes, she related the children s experiences living in Lexington to
what life is like in Waspam Veronica Welch, Spanish teacher
Superb ! The children obtained clear , well -defined information
and joined in with their ideas in open discussion
Maureen Sullivan, 2nd grade
No question that the presenters were used to being around young
children Kay Dillmore, 1/2
Yes ! My children were enthusiaistic and interested They had
many questions Judy Weeks, 3rd grade questions
3 Was the content of the oroaram related to the Social Studies
curriculum?
Yes, in both grades the children need to learn about different
kind of shelters and people Need to look at similarities and
differences Grade 1 /2
e
,
We ( second grade) worked with maps and always refer to the United
States and world map Children clearly understood where these
people lived , their climate and the concerns developed by their
civil war Another clear point was how people in the community of
Lexington were able to help these people-how people depend on
others, how people have to adapt to their environment 2nd grade
It ties in nicely with the concepts of the Communities unit
3rd grade
The concept of basic human needs and their impact on society 4th
grade
It fitted in nicely with our work on racism and self esteem 5th
grade
4 Would you be likely to follow -up classroom presentations if a
list of activities and/or materials were suoolies?
The more opporttinies for Lexington children to be more aware of
life outside lexington the better 5th grade
Our children would like to communicate with the people of Waspam
2nd grade
It would be interesting to see a unit developed around Central
America As an area in flux I feel our kids could learn a great
deal about the current problems that developing nations face
5 Do you feel that nieces of this unit should be incorporated
into the elementary school curriculum aiven sufficient
time/funding_etc . ?
Definitely- community interest abn involvement with concerns of
the world can easily be joined to our concept for second grade-
American Indians and Pioneers The people of Waspam are Indians
as well
It 's important for children to understand how different people
live in different cultures
I feel this makes social studies come alive for them The
children got very involved in and actually believed the role play
It 's a great lesson on geography and culture
We already have much more than what can be taught effectively
think it 's better as a one shot experience
6. What did you like best and least about the program?
I liked the slides and the idea of taking a character like a
little girl and having her describe the slides
Children were able to understand how people in Lexington can
affect change and guidance to people elsewhere in the world
I liked the enthusiasm of the instructors
I liked the slides and the way the presenter assumed the persona
of one of the characters
I liked the idea of a "role-player" visitor from Waspam I was a
little troubled that we were expected to totally believe
I wish I could have had more time--the students had a lot of
questions and were very interested in the slides
7 Did you think the teachers workshop was worthwhile?
Yes, I learned a great deal about Nicaragua
Absolutely-gave us a sense of involvement , also a necessary
background
Yes, I like to learn too
5.000b
CENTRAL AMERICA
AND THE CARIBBEAN MAPS ON FILE`—'''
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Waspam School Project
Marcia Batman
With a grant from the Commonwealth lmer-
vice Institute and support from the Social
Studies Department and elementary teachers at
Bowman School, Mardi Batman and Debbie
O'Hara,of the Lexington Waspam Sister City Com-
mittee have talked to second, third, fourth, and
fifth grade classes at Bowman.
In order to help children understand the realities of
life in a revolutionary third world country, one of
us role-plays an eleven year old girl,Maria Elena.
Maria was born in Waspam, had to leave when she
was three years old,returned to Jungle and destruc-
tion when she was seven years old,and is now in
the process of helping her town rebuild. With
slides taken by members of the Sister City
Waspam Encouraging the urge to help change
(continued from page 51 The Lexington Sister City Committee is actively
Committee who have visited Waspam, Maria involved in helping Waspam rebuild. We show
Elena tells her story slides of 3011 lbs.of baseball equipment,collected in
The children have many questions for Maria Elena: Lexington, being presented to the elementary
Where do you wash your dishes? What happened school teachers in Waspam by two Sister City Corn-
to your family in the fighting? If you have no elec- mittee members. Children hear about the commit-
tricity, how do you know when it's time for school tees campaigning to raise money to buy a sawmill
to end every day? Where do you go to the bath- for the town so that cutting a board will take 2 min-
room? If the pigs and chickens are just running utes rather than two hours. Perhaps our involve-
around, how do you know which ones are yours? ment will encourage children to think of ways they
How do you fix your outboard motors? What does can help improve the world. For example, in Kelly
the Moravian religion believe in? Isn't the river Ford's third grade class, the children are hoping to
water kind of dirty to wash clothes in? Do you make books, translated into Spanish by high school
brush your teeth? Spanish classes, to send to the school in Waspam
Answering these questions benefits our children is Eliminating Stereotypes of Poor People
several ways. A Sister City relationship benefits both cities. Can
we retrieve something missing from our lives by
Global Understanding pursuing our relationship with the people of Was-
Understanding what life is like for children in Was- pam? Seeing the reality of life in Waspam gives us
pam helps widen the perspective of our children, a new perspective,and helps us consider what is
who have no idea that the rest of the world doesn't really important to us. The Lexington children
thought about what they would bring with them if
live like we do in Lexington. For example, we
showed a picture of the clinic in Waspam to a sethey had to leave Lexington in a hurry, the way
r
Maria Elena left Waspam. They also wondered
ond grade grade class and asked if they knew what a
what games they might play if they didn't have
clinic was Nintendo, computers, or Toys were stumped, and eventually Toys R Us.
came up with the idea that it was a place you went
to get better at skiing or tennis. In the future, we The people of Waspam, rebuilding their town from
hope to explore this issue in greater depth, thinking scratch against overwhelming obstacles, can be an
also about why some countries are rich and some inspiration to us in Lexington. Privileged to know
are poor people of a different culture and class, we will gain
a greater understanding and compassion for a dif-
ferent corner of our world.
Sister city exchange ,program represents
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tem film Wee Bowman 9dtos wrecked.rat nor Nberegs I sal wade and phrases inboth Bpm
thaw
and fro the want to the Cambia Do you lehand Muktte. whataubfactsdoymtakstaeahod'1'
childrenofWegiamtowrin k. really like bemball? I rids ds. Boas esid,"We Nudt keens SaoO�sa�
My favorite team is as Beaten Salaam Reefer a Md.'Mtudenb
Reda My knit. plow is disetweed
happened
allies
Or...ur.all.Pretty eo I won d the ewwa to
Dear ptlaa, be pug to the Rd Bea plat created gams after the teen a de- Deer Plena
Yesterday we saw some Yds ea the Royals. Oh by the stroyrd Sorry yaw tan was de-
about your comity. I am sorry way I am ahoy and I am 8 yeas 1a gsi leers, whkh were bier shwye&I hope you tan read IL
a
that then was war and you sed old.I just hid my 8th bertha,.le k.. - - alas. Have you lived in Wasp a yaw
tomove screen the thetoHondo- a fia Some at the prsmb Buena said."life tried nes on whole lWllhave not Ned mla-
ns:Tido year l'm Piing beer- that I gee wee a beYstber hoop. Whit l*vim like,fora dd. Blida ingten my whole Ills. I lived in
bedlam a teem.Do you like base- A bastametl. Do you have a auatsed what ampmel to flake Washington and men. My
bar?I do Pm all Pigtail emote hobby leer bee"eebssa.am? dam i s war and how children dad hes his awn abpland We go
What do you eat in Waspen0 lasits bead? created pmeeMtthe town ad - to Alaska bthe Widens.
Hae we eat ell ibis of r
food like Yafamd,
lard- Yarfileed
plike plm.Weeat Wdalit Pack In Wry stas, wits were bier Danldytatman
Your bind. translated by Anthony Beat's home
tinily n aen
t The dans. he ad& fled the
manned to rebnild their town aide Bow* deo it the hiii awl, Manna between the United States
was devastated by the fighting. In Nina TbpWbn'a MOOS graders said area Nkaregn,parte Manly the oose
'7s' tee an adtedas to talon order to naorwatruct the high school they wee sorry,the teen was do- delving and the affects dwr. 'But.
miss ho � r�saporssod
to the Ind. Ladoga npreee�tives they nua other babe the people�edd hon It mirth!ane comated on how it was hard f
tbew school. . farthanto ride to the
ten. hmandJensaretravdsgto a portable saw mill.Work opresently Othse said abed 1ssArtl, The students were low
Waspam to earns the c...._r ty's being ale by four diem saws.The stab m tl�al and bled by the fighting and the reality
needs and to being bade pertinent m- saw mill is dN1n the aura. a �lo that children dud. Scanlon adds.
formation. Two fiend Huse en pbmd te ad.Than there a the"desk
far the sawmill. On quota."she sed,Mot. 'Matas do And,a picture with a addle bolding
occomo.m..... __ _.-_ .snag ,__.'...:w waw. ' maddae was vr., thgalina. k•
said.
Burman and Bao abs showed
Waspam is focus mambas d a� .
of pilot program 3�ap BonnieJ�. and Eric me will visit Weapon to disuse the
sawmill project They ora alae
Sister city group bringing pen pal letters from 00
Sy Whisk Menke •is see global linker among and begins raising funds Lexington' en
tor •translated by
'"""""'a""p°in' zr"Ay best communities•to uothratend how psi, o� for Waspam sawmill the high Sr fide eschool ,AmndraWng
wags moorog a r the foes of mrmNies, and nations non a The Lexington-Wampum SLS events in the Mnui mss
an mladSsdpli wry pilot social Mud- meet rf ant ps City Committee would like to Marcia Nutmeat.co-chair
is mess for damming. ailddle •toprima amodeldcodldrheWank all the people who sup -Waspam
edloa and high school Masada. Won with shad=tying to sus.4 by spplandinsour float ....patoiSlater city Co L nee
John Pnpadml..social studies pro• teastivs methods to war at the P�trfot's Day parade r• A e W1ift$pine Lane
kggrads E-0. hopes •sod, to maids a foam for sbr We really enjoyed participating
to have ate program ready far Sep- dust.to apply SAD and Son* W
the parade End malting public
teeiba.Pramtly waking wMk mem- acquu4tl to thedaasoon our dans to raise money to buy a
beedLestogtm'ssecity mmmb- Presently. Pspadoni t•lading to sawmill>Q W
tae.Pigskins is driving•to build a flt the new a rrioultm Into Oberaepam, Nicaragua.
town/seised patorshlp. (rides two or tine.Btd.lsesN.it tic Thanks also to all the oommfttee
..rho as.skis sissiscs.bison, flydhls.aineto add to dionevmth members who contributed in
airs n will ambles social studies, grad0/00.1litY mna many different ways to make the
lamprogn arta. the so®mlq. sod And.along with traosistttg islers, float a ruoomm.
the foreign asp papa" bs Id. school staled, could be to- Wampum is a Mlakftu Indian
mid. volved in fund raring drives. Pape town an the Atlantic coast of
Mena 9. ,,_ and llama Boom dont Md. Managua.During We contra war
an vinteng % deraintary •bfinidtheprogram."wel eprg the town was destroyed. Resl-
stfiosL showing suds foam But. to Milan mer of Arndt%g outside dents of the town we now In the
mm's Must trip to Nicaragua."Part the entad system." Peados"said. proms of rebuilding. but they
of this process.' Papadams mid. "is araab we be pawed. only have chain maws to cart
to see which grades•e most apps boards from trees. Cutting me
plate"Sr the program.The goal is to board takes over two hags by
trivalve any different grade levels. chain saw.
he said. Recently,a member dear corn-
'Papadmts aid his gosh kr the mfttee. Hen lisle, visited Was-
program are Idly. Waking with pam. He learned W 4 one of their
the Mssmdasdu Global idusttm most fait needy was■portable
athe � Y sawmill. On April 29. two more
Cleography Mama
'students to see global eo®actroo.
11th other world sermtries."
Strewing the pias we dm to the
draft stage and subject to datge.
Papadanis mid some of the goads are.
1
e
a
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3SR . 4-0' Y t h,'S3M" Y i • &
Chris Scenlon's fifth grade class at Bowman School hear a lesson on the town's newest sister city a
Waspem, Nicaragua,by Marcia Butman and Donna Bosco of the town's Sister City Committee.7t►e class
writes letters to the corm unily'a children which were sent along with hasebWl equiprrwnt collected from
town residents.
i
.
Thursday, February 14, 1991 5
Learning
Students publish books for Nicaragua
By Jon A.Towns • "- ;r' r 1'.
Stan Writer BOWMA 4 BLI I X 01. -'
Dozens of books IndMdually .e i
written and illustrated by Luring• t ti
ton elementary school students P e" 'Q.v* a . -.,.,' x I'' l„ „ TA
will be delivered to children in , . , �" 4 i' 1 �� lo. 44r 1, g 1r..
Waspam, Nicaragua on later Msr cx '; j e + �,
month as part of a "sister city" 1,
pry IS' LE
The hooka, all of them trans- r
, hi
Wed into Spanish by local high PI
school students and published at .r it
the Bowman School with the help a i
of a state grant.will help improve r.
the spartan equipment available to i
teach students m Waspam •:i ' aiedsq,,,
according to a spokesman for the at.Waspam-Lexington Sister City 3ifi
Committee. Gf
f r 4k
Sponsors said m addition to ales aD _ ,
+ ?r{a ' O •
serving as a teaching experience
for local students,the project also ,. 1, e < a
acquainted them with children of . "t �-:
similar ages who have undergone .r ,r �. 't, .'; ..`a.:
f 4
'it's a two-way street. Pieta lir Jon Towns
While students In Shown at the Bowman Publishing Center where the Waspam books were printed and bound are,
Lexington on mayhave from left, Danny Baptiste, Grade 1; Donna Bosco,Lexington-Waspam Sister City Committee;Rita
Casey, Bowman Children's Press manager;Wendy Bonner,Grade 2;Margaret Griffith,Grade 1 (at
more on a material end of table);Katrina Uhl,Grade 2,and Kay Dilimore,Bowman teacher.
level,they team about
Children that had to The books will be brought to to he project was Joe Toomey's the Bowman Children's Press.
leave their home and Waspam by Matthew Foci, owner honors Spanish class at Lexington said the grant was obtained with
start all over' of the Foil Tree Service.Foil will High School,which translated the the help of Bowman principal
also deliver a portable sawmill books into Spanish. Mary Alice Mary Ellen Johnson and several
Donna Bosco and the tools and equipment to Saudi.the chair of the foreign Ian. teachers.
maintain it. He will be accompa- page department. was also
Med by another Lexington rest- instrumental In the efforts. "This has facilitated children's
dent, John Fobgt, who works writing by putting it into a book.It
suffering and deprivation as a re- with Foil. They will leave Ledng- The books include alphabet.cal- is an exciting challenge for the
suit of the civil war in that coun- tea Feb. 19 and remain in Nkara- ender and dictionary books, children and has improved their
U . gun until the sawmill Is assembled which were prepared with the help writing because they are creating
"Ws a two-way street.While Mu. and workers there are trained to of teacher Veronica Welch who stories instead of just sentences,"
dents in Lexington may have more use it, also helped with translating when he said.
on a material level, they learn it has taken two years to raise the deadline for the delivery
about children that had to leave funds for the sawmill. which Is IIPPresteheff A prime mover in the project
their home and start all over." needed to help build housing inwas John Papadonis.coordinator
said Donna Bosco. a member of the community,according to Mar- "ibis iswin's education tames of social studies, who committee
the committee. cia Butmen. alive, when you get both the members described as Y%sav-
in addition to a book-making Batman,another organizer,saidildren's hearts and minds mental'in getting the book project
project at stay DWmore's class at Waspam was chosen as one of involved. Bosco Bosc°said' going."Right from the start he saw
the Bowman School.fourth grade Lexington's sister cities during the Teacher Alloway at Estabrook this as a way valuable teaching.
Spanish classes at Bridge and 1980s by a group appointed by said that the project brought life tool in terms of global education,"
Fiske schools are also making Town Meeting members.Because to the students.studies."The kids Bosco said.
i books. The class of Nancy Al- of damage caused by the war,the hVe been very excited doing the
I loway, a fourth grade teacher at community was abandoned to the project and has made their stud- 'The expansion of stories into
Estabrook School, also made an jungle at i one point, although It its very m anln9ul and alive to another language enlivens the stu-
Illustrated alohabet wall hanging bad orevidusly been a cultural and ,w.,,."ah a,,,,rddents' interest and is soother