By Steve Oldfield
Children, Inc.
Students at Goodridge Elementary in Hebron staged a talent show and expo on African art and native dances, raising more than a thousand dollars for kids living in Kenya.
“The dances and all we are doing is to help students at a school near Nairobi,” said Koda, a third grader at Goodridge. “We want them to to have better water, better homes and better stuff.”
“I’m trying to teach my students to care about other people around the world,” said Bilge Kilgore, Goodridge’s Global Studies teacher. “I want them to learn about other countries and other cultures.”
Students have been learning some traditional African dances with the help of the Bi-Okoto dance company in Cincinnati. The kids admit that their steps aren’t perfect, but they’re still proud of their performance.
“I think the audience thought it was funny but cool,” said Calina, a third grader. “Sometimes, we were making little mistakes, but I think we mostly did good.”
Students also created original artwork for a silent auction, along with traditional toys and African jewelry made out of paper. Students read a book on how to create the toys and they also talked with their counterparts in Kenya’s Kibera Slum by Skyping over the internet.
“Talking to kids in Kibera helps them to really understand that what we do here actually affects people around the world,” Kilgore said.
The students’ efforts raised $1,014.85. Kilgore says that every penny counts and the money will go a long way.
“A dollar buys two pairs of shoes and 80 dollars buys a week’s worth of clean drinking water for the kids in Kibera,” said Kilgore.
Steve Oldfield is assistant director, Service Learning for Children, Inc.
