Students and staff carried a water jug during the fundraiser to symbolize the long distance many around the world must walk to gather water for their homes.
Students at Sackett Educational Center held a Walk for Water for the third year in a row on Friday, May 24. Students read the book “A Long Walk to Water,” which tells the true story of Salva Dut, a part of the Dinka tribe and a Sudanese Lost Boy, and the fictional story of Nya, a young village girl that was a part of the Nuer tribe. The book, written by Linda Sue Park, was used as a platform to support Dut’s program, Water for South Sudan, which began in Rochester.
According to Social Studies teacher Joal Bova, the project is a way to help his students think beyond our region and consider issues on a global scale. He often looks for ways to get his students involved in projects with a global reach.
The walk took place on Sackett’s grounds, and students and staff took turns carrying a large water jug as they walked – symbolizing the long walks many in South Sudan (and around the world) must take to bring water to their homes.
Along the walk route, students set up stations with items of interest related to clean water. Among them, a petition to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo pushing for funding for clean water and infrastructure, and the results from a water taste test the senior class completed earlier in the year.
As of May 31, students raised nearly $300 for Water for South Sudan.