Parent Visitation

Today is our third day dedicated to hosting families of our students. It is always a mixed day for me. The excitement of so many students anticipating the arrival of their families is wonderful, but there are also students whose families do not visit because of the distance such a visit would entail. It is a rather sad sight to see them moping around.

There are some families who have noticed this and have sought to include these students in their own activities. Seeing this has been edifying.

Today we inaugurate our parent association. I have asked four parents from Dodoma to serve as the first officers of the club. In the future the parents can elect their officers, but for the time being, I thought it would be good for me to choose so that we can get things off to a good start. I chose well! Last week I met with them along with Kizito. They are very keen on supporting the school -- not afraid to share concerns that will help us grow, but genuinely supportive of the school. I am looking forward to the meeting with the parents.

Families are also receiving progress reports. I worked most of last week on them, using Excel and doing a merge in the Word. It all worked well, and I printed the reports on Friday. As I was stuffing envelopes yesterday (which brought me back to my first job, stuffing envelopes at ABC Mailing, my Uncle Joe's bulk mailing business in Toledo, Ohio), I realized there was something wrong with the biology grade, so I had to do some sleuthing, correcting, and reprinting.

I also figured out too late that one of our teachers does not know the meaning of "commendable". Our teachers use coded comments, and this teacher wrote the code for "attitude, effort, and achievement in this course are commendable" for those students doing remarkably poorly. Oh, well. Maybe it will encourage them.

Sometimes I Wonder...

You'll see on the right side-bar that there is a visitor "tracker."

Don't be frightened, but I know who some of you are (like families of volunteers!). But others, I haven't a clue -- but I'd love to know, if you'll let me.

So if you care to, send me an email introducing your self. (The address can be found in my introduction on the right.)

Here's to U of D High School

I was principal at the University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy at the end of the 1990s and the beginning of the new century.

As I watched this video of the school, I couldn't help but be proud AND be hopeful that we here at St. Peter Claver High School might enjoy some measure of the success of U of D High.

Fixed an Important Link

But it still needs to be oiled.

I just tried the link to the Chicago-Detroit Jesuits under the "You Can Help" section to your right. It was broken, so I repaired it. It needs a little oil, however.

An Important Interactive Map

Please click here to see a very interesting interactive map regarding spending on food.

A one dollar bag of rice in the U.S. is not the same as a one dollar bag of rice in Indonesia. For an American, who, on average, devotes about seven percent of his or her spending to food, it won’t matter that much if the price of rice doubles to two dollars. An American can likely take the money that would have gone to a “non-essential” item and put it towards food instead. But for an Indonesian, who devotes 43 percent of his/her spending to food, it could mean less to eat.

Tanzania is not listed, but I can tell you that nourishment is what most people spend most of their money on.

EE-I-EE-I-O

My sister Toni along with some great friends in Toledo had a fundraiser last night for us. It was held at one of the great watering holes in greater Toledo -- Dale's Bar and Grill in Maumee, OH (thanks to Bill and Liz Anderson, owners, for hosting the event). The goal was to raise funds for our agricultural project.

Initial reports are that we'll have a few moo-moos here, baa-baas there -- here a cluck, there a quack, etc. My friend Mary Russell (buy her book!) donated enough money for 4 milk cows with the provision that we name them -- Mary, Donna, Jessie, Danielle. Happy to do such (it is less attractive to name animals raised for slaughter, though!).

I just completed a call with my oldest friend in the world, Rob Loeb, who co-chaired the event with Toni. He reports that folks had a marvelous time.

If you weren't at the event and would like to help, feel free to head over to Chicago-Detroit Province of the Jesuits site here, and donate what you can. Please choose "Eastern Africa" as your designation, and write "OLQP farm" in the comment section of the on-line donation form.

Thanks to all for your continued support!

*****UPDATE*****
I just heard from Toni that $8,455.00 has been raised so far. Can you help us hit $10,000.00? You can click on the link above.

A Sad Day

Today is Scholastic Martin Waweru's last day among us. He'll be leaving to make his annual retreat and then heading to Kenya to visit his family before starting a program in educational leadership at the University of London.

Martin has been a great companion, and I shall miss his presence here in Dodoma immensely. Last year at this time I was having a particularly tough go of it, and he was there accompanying me every step of the way through that dark valley. And before that when there was a bit of tension in our community it was he, so much junior in this Jesuit life, who called his elders to face the issue and to forge a way through the difficulty.

In late December I discovered a teacher whom I'd employed was not going to show up, so I had to re-arrange the schedule. I asked him if he would be available to teach mathematics because he is trained as a maths teacher, and he agreed on the spot.

And what a maths teacher he's been. Recently a visitor asked five students who their favourite teachers were, and 4/5 mentioned him (and the fifth had a different teacher for mathematics). He exhibits just what you want to see in a good teacher: very high expectations and a willingness to support students in every way possible to help them meet those expectations.

Just two hours ago at our weekly baraza, I announced his departure, and along with Mwalimu David and the Headboy and Headgirl bade him farewell. Oh the tears among the students! -- and a few discreet ones among some school employees, too. His own words of farewell to our students were spot on, encouraging them to shoot for the stars.

In a couple of hours the Ivrea sisters will join us SJs for dinner to bid Martin farewell, and later some of the lay teachers living on campus will join us to lift a glass or two; and then tomorrow he departs.

We humans are not the only creatures who will miss him, either -- Chui our cat prefers Martin to everyone else.

Fortunately, I will have a chance to visit him in London when I pass through in November! Already I'm saving my shillings so that I can take him to a nice place.

Karibu tena, Waweru!