Raising Awareness

CI Poverty Simulation

On January 19, Community Involvement hosted their second annual Poverty Simulation. This year, it was put on by Sacred Heart, and actual clients of Sacred Heart attended and helped.

For the first part of the event, students were given new identifications, families and situations in life. For example, one student was a 20-year-old mother and student who also had to work part-time. The simulation was broken into four fifteen-minute periods, representing a one month period. During this time, each family had to keep up with paying bills, food and childcare expenses, while also making sure children went to school and adults went to work.

Though students did not walk away knowing exactly what it is like to live in poverty, they were certainly exposed to many of the realities and daily stresses that come with a life on the fringes.

The second portion of the simulation was a reflection time in which the students were separated into groups to discuss what they had just experienced. A client from Sacred Heart was put into each group, providing their insight to the students’ real-life experiences with poverty.

CI moderator Ms. McCullough said “I found this time to be the most valuable for students since they were able to hear first-hand accounts about living in poverty.”

White For Rwanda

After learning about the conditions in Rwanda in her Social Justice class, junior Meryl Parks felt called to act. Amazingly, this one student organized and put on a mixer all by herself. Wanting to do something more than a bake sale, Parks decided a mixer would be a great fundraiser.

After planning since October of this past year, the mixer was held on December 26 at the Willow Glen Community Center. Though it may sound simple to host an event like this, all of the components that are required to put on a mixer make it sound nearly impossible for a teenager to put on.

However, Parks’ passion for her cause made her hard work all worthwhile. The attendees of the mixer proved the community’s support for Parks and her mission. The proceeds of her mixer went to St. Ignatius Secondary School in Rwanda. Parks was able to raise over $600 for the school.

Microfinance Fundraiser

One of the new clubs on campus this year, the Microfinance Club, recently held a fundraiser to put their club’s mission to work. An original event comprised entirely by the club members, this fundraiser was not your typical bake sale.

For two weeks, students were asked to bring in a dollar a day, either from their own funds or from donations from friends and family. Along with the intention of raising money, the Microfinance Club wanted to educate the Presentation community about the people they are helping.

The proceeds to their fundraiser are going towards funding scholarships for women in South Sudan. They were able to raise over $2,000 and will be able to provide five girls with school fees for a year. With the education they gain, these women are able to start their own businesses, continue their education and make money to support themselves to ultimately leave their life of poverty.

For this fundraiser, the Microfinance club is working with the organization Mercy Beyond Borders. This is the organization that will set up the scholarships for the women to go to school.

This event is very important because it is empowering women who are otherwise seen without worth. Though they are looking to make a few changes, Microfinance has plans to put this fundraiser on again next year.

 

CI Summer Faire

 

                As Presentation women, we all try to serve others as best we can. When your passion for service supersedes the necessary requirement though, you may want to consider joining the 80 others students on campus who share the same passion.

Community Involvement, usually referred to as CI, is one of the most prevalent clubs on campus. It is led by Ms. Murphy, Ms. Richardson and Ms. Foley, three very devoted faculty members. The concept of the club is to connect members of the Presentation Community together through service.

                Ms. Foley takes a lot of pride in the club and the meetings. She described a typical meeting: “It usually starts with some type of prayer. Then we will talk about upcoming service events and give the girls some time to sign up for them. After that, we break into small groups called Service Circles and discuss experiences or information about the places we volunteer. The meeting usually ends with some sort of project. For example, we’ll make posters for the Black and White Ball.”

                Though there are many devoted volunteers in the club, it is not necessary to serve a certain number of hours. “All that is asked of our members is to do some service on a regular basis. We have them turn in time cards periodically, but it’s not something we force,” says Foley.

                The club was in share of last week’s CI Summer Faire and asked trivia questions about past trips to get everyone involved. Sophomore Ariana Czitanic, an active member in CI, was happy with the results of the faire. “It was inspiring to see so many organizations help the community and seeing Pres’ enthusiastic response,” she said. “I ran the Big Brother Big Sister booth and many people seemed interested in volunteering with us.”

                The CI Summer Faire was a success. This event is only two years old and will be done in years to come. Ms. Foley said, “I am not sure how many students follow through with the volunteering, but I think that the fair gives students a chance to see what’s out there. Even just heading about people’s experiences is inspiring, so I think that we will continue to have this faire.”

A Collection of Thoughts from Black and White

By Tanya Padgaonkar, Special Sections Editor

A Perspective from a Chaperone…

Hey everyone, Mr. Mumper here. I’ve dreaded it for all of October, and now it’s finally here. Black and White. Someone please rescue me? Actually, no, it’s alright. I can do this, with this handy-dandy checklist in hand. Okay, so…

Flashlight: check.

Detention slips: check.

Protective gear…? Er, check?

I think…I think I’m ready.

But the moment I walk into the Hollywood themed gym, I know I’m in for a long night filled with sweaty teenagers, but (hopefully?) maybe a little bit of fun for myself too. I’d have to say though, the coolest thing I’ve seen all night was the crowd of boys and girls jerking and break dancing to the song “You’re a Jerk.”

Well, I guess people seem to be having fun. Standing atop a large ladder with a flashlight isn’t exactly my ideal Saturday night… I wish there was some Hawaiian music on. But at least the kids seem to like the DJ since they are singing along with almost every song. I’m not sure why the majority of the people seem to be in the middle of the gym though, since the foyer has spiffy looking card tables and there are refreshments outside. CI and NAHS really managed to incorporate the Hollywood theme into everything, from the decorations to the movie of old Hollywood films in the background, they thought of everything.

But apart from that, the whole experience is making me a little bit sad. I’m not in high school anymore! I can’t dance or even go to these things without a legitimate alibi. You know, I’m actually pretty impressed with all of these girls though. I’m supposed to be checking for drugs, alcohol, etc. and I haven’t found anything! Hey, these are actually some pretty good quotes. I’ll have to be sure to keep these and other positive Pres-related thoughts in mind in case one of those yearbook or newspaper students comes to interview me. Mr. Case warned me about them before I left. Now, where’s that checklist of mine?

By Angelia Tran, Business Manager

A Perspective from a Pres girl’s date…

Name:  Jonathon Stutchman

High school:  Saratoga High School

Grade: 12

Mission: Black and White Charity Ball at Presentation High School

Thoughts: Presentation is a typical private school, small, only females, and not too exciting.  The dance will be kind of boring, not many people will be dancing, and there will be chaperones patrolling. But I told Ivy Nguyen I would go since she’s a senior and it’ll be her last Black and White.

October 24^th 2009: It begins…

Preparation: 30 minutes to get ready and dressed. I must remember to wear something that matches lots of things to be safe since Ivy isn’t sure which dress to wear.

Mission begins: We are meeting at one of Ivy’s friend’s house for pictures and such. Perhaps I will meet other dates. I have a feeling I’ll be with them for the rest of the night. Then time for dinner! Ivy says we’re splitting the bill at Pasta Pamadora.

7:45 PM: Dinner is done and now at Presentation. The beginning of this dance is awkward since no one is dancing. This is typical of dances though, so, hopefully, things will improve. For now there are other things to do, like take professional pictures and play blackjack. How nice.

9 PM: For the most part, the music is pretty good.  The DJ isn’t too amazing, but I’ve been to dances with much worse. Actually, this dance isn’t too bad and not too different from the ones I have gone to before.  The only difference is, typically at schools like mine, there aren’t so many cops…and the chaperones usually aren’t so strict about the dancing.

11 PM: Time to leave. Wow, they really want us off campus fast. That’s different.

Notes: I didn’t think that the gym would be so big, and didn’t know that the school was really nice looking.  Also there was a lot more sports awards in the gym than I thought would be at a private girls school.  I really like the people though; they weren’t at all how I pictured.  They seem a lot more real and fun than previously thought.  Also there were more of them than I had thought.

A Perspective from a Police Officer…

Matt Christian and his brother are police officers, but their high school alma mater is Mitty. Still they came to Presentation, teenage stereotypes put aside, to chaperone the Black and White Charity Ball, the first for Matt who has only chaperoned other Presentation events such as the Mother-Daughter Breakfast. Unlike his experiences at Mitty, Matt found the Bellarmine boys to more well-behaved than he had thought and the Pres girls pretty decent. He was even further impressed with the charity aspect of Black and White as the proceeds of the night are given to Sacred Heart. Also, there were no incidents as he checked the parking lots and the rest of the campus for any criminal activity, critical or minor, to keep those on campus that night safe. The only safety breach came when some local neighborhoods kids hiding out at St. Chris managed to soak some students with water balloons as they were leaving the dance. While he and the other officers had rushed over, there was no one there. So, sadly, while the night had gone well otherwise, there was a casualty that night – a girl’s chic dress.