Sicomac Student Council to be honored in Washington DC

Nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something.

The spirit of this quote is evident in the actions Sicomac Elementary School students embraced this year in their efforts to raise funds and awareness for the UNICEF program K.I.N.D (Kids In Need of Desks).  Their activism did not go unnoticed.  The Sicomac Student Council is a recipient of the 2011 Jefferson Awards Globe Changer Award.     

The Jefferson Awards are a prestigious national recognition system honoring community and public service in America. The Jefferson Awards are presented on two levels: national and local. They began in 1972 to create a Nobel Prize for public service. Today, their primary purpose is to serve as a "Call to Action for Volunteers" in local communities.

Principal Debbie Kirsch,  Student Council advisors/teachers Ronnie Powers and Gail Cordello along with Student Council Executive Board members Matthew Chagares, Abigail Heffernan, Thomas Scrivanich and William Rice will travel to Washington DC  today accept the award.   The group will be honored at a ceremony at the Capitol Building and attend a black-tie event later this evening.  “Every student is a member of the Student Council so this award will be shared with our 350 students.” said Kirsch.

The Wyckoff Board of Education honored the group with a plaque and accolades at Monday night’s Board of Education meeting.    

“The district is extremely proud of the Sicomac student body and principal Debbie Kirsch for receiving such a prestigious award, said Richard Kuder, Wyckoff interim superintendent of schools.  “Wyckoff schools have a long history of community service as part of student’s educational experience," he added.

Each year the Sicomac Student Council identifies a community service project that will focus on school, community and the world at large.  The students selected UNICEF’s K.I.N.D. project this year after learning about it from MSNBC’s  The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell show.

“We watched the video about how kids sit on the ground for 6-8 hours in order to learn and we were just so shocked,” said  student council president Matthew Chagares.  “We never gave our desks much thought before,” he added.

 K.I.N.D.’s mission is to provide school desks for children in Malawi.  The philosophy of giving them a desk, where a child can write and concentrate, is the first step towards creating an educational system that attracts, and keeps, eager young students.  K.I.N.D’s goal is to provide 46,000 desks for 172 schools in UNICEF Malawi’s Schools for Africa network.

Earlier this year, Lawrence O’Donnell visited Sicomac and brought a desk for students to view.  Students then had the opportunity to sit at the desk and learn what impact their efforts will mean to Malawi students.  “It made me feel connected,” said Chagares.

Prior to launching a fundraising  campaign, teachers had their classes sit on the floor to experience one lesson as their counterpart in Malawi would.    “We couldn’t see the teacher, couldn’t see the board, it was very frustrating and uncomfortable,” said Chagares.   

The Student Council ‘s fundraising efforts, donations and determination resulted in securing  $6,000 on behalf of K.I.N.D.   Desks that seat two pupils cost $48.00 each.

Students Abigail Heffernan and William Rice “were hoping to meet people who changed the world” during their visit to Washington DC while Thomas Scrivanich wants to meet “some senators.”  One wish will come true.  The group is scheduled to meet Senator Frank Lautenberg,

To watch the video about K.I.N.D. visit http://thelastword.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/12/16/5660919-the-last-word-teams-up-with-unicef .