Greg Mortenson

Budding artists at Hilton Head Island High raise money for a school overseas

Thanks to Hilton Head Island High School art instructor Monique Dobbelaere for sharing the story of “heart education” going on at the school.

Monique writes:

“The drawing classes and Pat Read’s honors English classes are participating in an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural project, which culminates with a unified goal of raising $5,000 to help build a school in Central Asia.

“It is inspired by the book ‘Three Cups of Tea,’ a documentation of Greg Mortenson’s journey to promote peace through education.

“Since September, our students have undertaken several efforts to raise money. They’ve had a booth at ‘Rock the Nest’ in October; distributed ‘Pennies For Peace’ containers; and are selling items throughout the community, including an ongoing display of their artwork at ArtWare in Main Street Village.

“The Interact students, under adviser Jennifer Weitekamper, have and will continue to support this fundraiser. They contributed change collected in the ‘Quarter Run’ here at school.

“We are pleased to share that through our combined efforts, we have raised $1,600 so far.

“Parents and other community businesses are important collaborators in this effort.

“Jennifer Megliore, owner of ArtWare, supports ‘budding artists.’ She provided the students with wall space to set up an informative display to sell items that promoted their art and efforts. The students created the display, worked with Jennifer to install it, and continually work to replace the items that are sold. I would be remiss not to mention that she gave up valuable wall space for no profit.

“Walmart also allowed the students to set up a temporary informative display and sell their art items on the property on two occasions in December.

“Many parents and teachers also agreed to participate in the project by collecting pennies or signing up to give their time to other fundraising efforts, such as the 2009 Blues Over Beaufort Air Show (May 16 to 17 at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort).

“This week, cards with student artwork and poems inspired by ‘Three Cups of Tea’ will be for sale at ArtWare. Staples kindly donated the printing costs.

‘THREE CUPS OF TEA’

“Throughout this ongoing fundraiser, we wish to support the hope for Mortenson’s vision of building schools in the remote villages of Pakistan and Afghanistan. He has no political agenda; his mission is to provide an education for the children of this region, for which he has built 55 schools to date.

“The tradition of drinking three cups of tea is about building relationships. In Pakistan, drinking three cups of tea is highly symbolic: on the first cup, you’re a stranger; on the second cup, you’re an acquaintance; and on the third cup, you’re family.

“The book by Mortenson and David Oliver Relin is a New York Times No. 1 bestseller (www.threecupsoftea.com) with the long-term goal of addressing poverty and terrorism.

“Building schools in the remote areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan involves time, a precious commodity in these days. Mortenson has taken the time to understand and respect another way of life … time to build trust through relationships … time to let love guide the answers to some complex and tough questions.

“So many people believe in what he is doing. Shortly after our first fundraiser, some of my colleagues shared with me that a group of teachers who have a book club is donating money to go toward paying for a teacher’s salary. Slowly, I am realizing just how many hearts the book has spoken to.

“This was a new unit introduced this school year. Having read the book this past summer, I thought that the Central Asian tradition on which the book is titled would serve as another opportunity to involve the students in an international art project that would introduce a different culture … and ultimately serve to create positive change through a school in Central Asia.

“Student interest was the deciding factor for introducing this new unit in the syllabus. In the beginning of this school year they agreed to read the book, create a work of art based on it, and raise money as the culmination of the project.

“The students already have a wealth of compassion … it’s just about presenting them with opportunities to express it.”

The Island Packet appreciates all written and photographic submissions from readers. All submissions become the copyrighted property of The Island Packet, which may use them for any purpose, including in print and online, without compensation to the submitter.

(c) The Island Packet 2009

http://www.islandpacket.com/opinion/columns/seafoam/story/789576.html