They're really coming! Today was our first official PHS gathering. 
The students and families came to learn about PHS and the details about getting started. 120 students were selected and 113 actually showed up! That's an astonishing number, given how many factors can impact a person's life here. 
They were photographed (again--to ensure that the person that took the exam and the person we verified in the home is the person that came today), measured for uniforms, served sodas and doughnuts, and introduced the families to PHF/PHA. 
Families watched a short slide show of pictures of the school under construction, learned a bit about PHF history, met the teachers, and got all the information about what to bring, etc. 
You could tell that many of them wore their best clothes for the trip to town and to this meeting. Many of them that were so serious when we visited them in their homes broke into huge smiles when they were recognized and greeted by one of us. Even though virtually no one that attended spoke English (including the students) it was clear they were excited to be there and at the opportunities that await them.
For me, it was a chance to see them as a class of PHS students, not just a bunch of people, and to imagine them arriving on the first day. I have never in my life wanted something that I needed in the way that these students and their families must want the education they need to be able to survive in life. It's so exciting to think about having real students at school finally!
The students and families came to learn about PHS and the details about getting started. 120 students were selected and 113 actually showed up! That's an astonishing number, given how many factors can impact a person's life here. They were photographed (again--to ensure that the person that took the exam and the person we verified in the home is the person that came today), measured for uniforms, served sodas and doughnuts, and introduced the families to PHF/PHA. Families watched a short slide show of pictures of the school under construction, learned a bit about PHF history, met the teachers, and got all the information about what to bring, etc. You could tell that many of them wore their best clothes for the trip to town and to this meeting. Many of them that were so serious when we visited them in their homes broke into huge smiles when they were recognized and greeted by one of us. Even though virtually no one that attended spoke English (including the students) it was clear they were excited to be there and at the opportunities that await them.
For me, it was a chance to see them as a class of PHS students, not just a bunch of people, and to imagine them arriving on the first day. I have never in my life wanted something that I needed in the way that these students and their families must want the education they need to be able to survive in life. It's so exciting to think about having real students at school finally!
1 comment:
113/120 - excellent.
I especially like the faces - black, white, here, there, mom, dad . . . the face of a proud parent is universal.
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