CHS Peace Corps 1996-1997 Newsletter

These articles were all written for our newsletter by various members of the Corcoran High School Peace Corps team. The newsletter was assembled by CHS PCP Member Sara McManus and placed on the web by CHS PCP member Mike Lamb.

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New 1997 Project

The 1997 Corcoran Peace Corps Partnership Program's project is to raise the funds for an herb garden in Mali, Africa. The garden will contain plants used for medicine. They are being grown because many are in danger of extinction. The project was proposed by PCV Kris Hoffer, with whom we completed our 1994 project, also in Mali. Peace Corps Volunteer Marcy Forgey will teach the local people how to care for the garden, including some modern techniques for the watering and caring for of these plants. Much of the money being raised is for a fence which will protect the garden from animals.

The goal of the International Relations Club (IRC) is to raise $10,000 for the medicinal garden. The notecards, hand-drawn by Corcoran art students, feature some of the plants that will be grown in the garden. All of the drawings are medicinal plants from Africa.

Hanna Kinne

The Peace Corps Partnership at the NYSCSS Convention

In March, the IRC attended the New York State Council for the Social Studies Convention which was held in Syracuse. Along with staffing a booth to sell notecards and T-shirts, three members presented to a (small)group of teachers on the joys and learning experiences that result from a Peace Corps Partnership. The teachers were very enthusiastic. We hope that many of them can convince their schools to begin a Partnership Program.

Thank you to the Social Studies teachers who visited our booth.

New Notecard Designs

Each year, art students at Corcoran can participate in a competition for the International Relations Club. They draw pictures that will be selected for out notecard prints. This year's project is to aid in the construction of a medicinal herb garden for the Dogon people of Mali. To tie in with this project, the artists have drawn plants that are used for medicinal purposes.

The club members have just selected the drawings and the new set of notecards will be available in August. They will be sold in packages of 12 assorted notecards with matching envelopes for $7 post-paid. They will be printed on recycled paper.

Fran O'Rourke

1996 Project Completed

Corcoran's 13th project, to fund the building of a community kindergarten for the villagers of Mensase, Ghana, is completed! We raised over $14,000 to fund materials not available to the villagers. The villagers of Mensase did not have a permanent, well built building until now. With 56 students the temporary building did not have enough room. The kindergarten can be used for other village purposes, such as village meetings and lessons for farmers.

Renee Devereux, the PCV working on this project, writes, "After finishing the interior painting, we painted the two alphabets, numbers with corresponding flowers and animals, and one wall has a map of Ghana."

Our 13th project ends with the village of Mensase and Corcoran High School saying goodbye to Renee Devereux. She has completed 2 years of service in the Peace Corps. We wish her the best in her future journey.

Shawnna MacLean

IRC Members Attend International Development Conference

In January, four International Relations Club members attended the 45th annual International development Conference with the club advisor, Jim Miller. The theme of the conference, which took place in Washington, D.C., on the 13th, 14th, and 15th of January, was "The New Face of Development." This characterizes the Corcoran/Roberts Peace Corps Partnership rather well.

Four juniors Allyson Dancks, Sara McManus, Ryan Mooney , and Fran O'Rourke, staffed the IRC booth for many long hours selling T-shirts and notecards to the conference attendees. Frequent visitors to the booth were former Peace Corps Volunteers. They were eager to relate what a wonderful, life-changing experience the Peace corps had been. Many times the students were encouraged to join the Peace Corps.

After a cold tour of the nation's capital, the club members attended the gala dinner or the conference. The highlight of the evening was hearing UNICEF Director Carol Bellamy speak. She had visited Corcoran in May, 1994, as Peace Corps Director. A trip to the central offices of the Peace Corps resulted in a chance meeting with Pace Corps Director Mark Gearan. Everyone who spoke with the IRC representatives expressed their awe that a high school group could make such a difference. Many people wanted to begin a Peace Corps Partnership at their school. The club was highly praised for its participation in international development.

Although the trip to Washington was not the financial success the club had hoped for, it was a wonderful experience for all who attended. The four members are very grateful for the opportunity and will not forget it.

Sara McManus

IRC to be featured in a React Article

Recently, IRC member Tiara Jewell contacted React magazine, a nationwide publication, about the International Relations Club and its projects. As a result, IRC members participated in a two hour photo shoot to go along with a feature article to be published in the June 16 issue of React magazine.

Stephanie Nielsen

Good News, Good Kids Award

This past year, our Corcoran/Roberts International Relations Club was honored with the Good News, Good Kids award. Members and notecard artists were invited to attend a meeting of the New York State Senate in Albany, where the resolution was presented and passed. Following this session of the senate, Senator DeFrancisco spoke with the members and artists, commending our work. We then had a picture taken with the Senator on the "million dollar staircase." Lunch was then provided, and sightseeing, as well as a tour of the State Museum. We ended our day with a guided tour through the capital, and acknowledgement by a meeting of the State Assembly.

Our thanks to Senator DeFrancisco for making this trip and award possible.

New T-Shirts Available

Two recent additions were made to our popular line of peace-themed t-shirts. One features a "stained glass" design of the earth with the words "Peace on Earth." The second, slightly humorous shirt, features a peace sign and an eaten apple ("Peace Core" ) with the slogan "The toughest Job You'll Ever love."

All of our T-shirts are produced by a Syracuse company, Holy Shirt! . It is owned by two Corcoran alumni, John and Chris Groat. They have evolved into a national catalog producer of top quality printed clothing. Our thanks to the company for their invaluable assistance over the years.