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Almost 2,000 students from about 18 schools in Laramie County learned to say “hello” in Pashto and several other languages on Wednesday.
The students were taking part in an interactive lesson on education and young people from other parts of the world, like Pakistan and Afghanistan, from author and humanitarian Greg Mortenson.
He also asked them to take off their shoes as students in those countries do.
According to omniglot.com, Pashto is spoken in Afghanistan and Pakistan by some 45 million to 55 million people.
Mortenson, co-founder of the non-profit Central Asia Institute and three-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee, has built 178 schools in rural Afghanistan and Pakistan since 1996.
“It wasn’t adults who helped me along the way; it was kids,” Mortenson said. “I’m convinced that kids can change the world.”
While fundraising for the first school, Mortenson got a donation from the students in his mother’s school. Their fundraising — they collected pennies and spare change — has grown into Pennies for Peace and has spread to 5,400 schools, including some in Laramie County.
Said Anderson Elementary teacher Sabrina Gorman, “It was good for the students to hear about how to help others. It was a good lesson for them.”
Students from Laramie County School District 1 and Laramie County Library patrons raised $2,798.79 through Pennies for Peace for Mortenson’s institute.
The money is enough to support a school in Afghanistan or Pakistan for about half a year, according to information from the institute.
“The talk was really good. It made me want to get involved,” fifth-grader Jaylen James said. “It makes me want to work harder in school so I’ll get a good education and can help people.”
Students at the program responded well to Mortenson’s message about the positive change they can achieve.
“I thought the talk was awesome because it showed what we can do,” fourth-grader Randy Dunlap said.
Afterward, several students said Mortenson had motivated them to become more involved in their own communities.
“I think it was cool,” fourth-grader Ivy Firkins said. “He inspired me to help other people and do more donating.”
Though the talk had been set for Tuesday, it was rescheduled when Mortenson’s arrival was delayed. There were some empty chairs on Wednesday as not all the students set to attend Tuesday could make it.
“There are kids here who don’t think school’s worth it, but there are kids there begging for an education,” substitute teacher Nancy Kuestner said. “It might make kids have a better appreciation for what they have.”
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Students learning how to say ‘Hello’ in Pashto | Pashtun | News | Articles |Editorials| Videos | Forums
The students were taking part in an interactive lesson on education and young people from other parts of the world, like Pakistan and Afghanistan, from author and humanitarian Greg Mortenson.
He also asked them to take off their shoes as students in those countries do.
According to omniglot.com, Pashto is spoken in Afghanistan and Pakistan by some 45 million to 55 million people.
Mortenson, co-founder of the non-profit Central Asia Institute and three-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee, has built 178 schools in rural Afghanistan and Pakistan since 1996.
“It wasn’t adults who helped me along the way; it was kids,” Mortenson said. “I’m convinced that kids can change the world.”
While fundraising for the first school, Mortenson got a donation from the students in his mother’s school. Their fundraising — they collected pennies and spare change — has grown into Pennies for Peace and has spread to 5,400 schools, including some in Laramie County.
Said Anderson Elementary teacher Sabrina Gorman, “It was good for the students to hear about how to help others. It was a good lesson for them.”
Students from Laramie County School District 1 and Laramie County Library patrons raised $2,798.79 through Pennies for Peace for Mortenson’s institute.
The money is enough to support a school in Afghanistan or Pakistan for about half a year, according to information from the institute.
“The talk was really good. It made me want to get involved,” fifth-grader Jaylen James said. “It makes me want to work harder in school so I’ll get a good education and can help people.”
Students at the program responded well to Mortenson’s message about the positive change they can achieve.
“I thought the talk was awesome because it showed what we can do,” fourth-grader Randy Dunlap said.
Afterward, several students said Mortenson had motivated them to become more involved in their own communities.
“I think it was cool,” fourth-grader Ivy Firkins said. “He inspired me to help other people and do more donating.”
Though the talk had been set for Tuesday, it was rescheduled when Mortenson’s arrival was delayed. There were some empty chairs on Wednesday as not all the students set to attend Tuesday could make it.
“There are kids here who don’t think school’s worth it, but there are kids there begging for an education,” substitute teacher Nancy Kuestner said. “It might make kids have a better appreciation for what they have.”
Source:
Students learning how to say ‘Hello’ in Pashto | Pashtun | News | Articles |Editorials| Videos | Forums