- M
- J
- K
Greetings,
Most of you know that I am the Assistant Principal at KIPP Atlanta Collegiate high school. At KIPP, students participate in field lessons where they travel both domestically and internationally to gain educational and life experiences that they might not gain in their communities. In the past we have traveled to Washington DC, New York, Puerto Rico, Canada, and Ghana, West Africa. This year the students in our school's marching band, The Sounds of Royalty, have taken on the ambitious goal of traveling to South Africa!
This idea started when The Sounds of Royalty performed for the CEO of the internationally renown South African dance and theater company: Soweto Street Beat. The CEO, Mr. Ngcobo instantly fell in love with our kids and their musical ability and showmanship. After the performance he contacted the band director Mr. Arthur Washington and told him that he and The Sounds of Royalty must come to South Africa and perform there. It was an offer that Mr. Washington couldn't refuse. So, they agreed that they would do everything in their power to try and get the students to South Africa to perform in April of 2015!
This is a fantastic opportunity for my students to travel to the continent of Africa, reconnect with their history and culture, share their love of music with students who look like them who live half a world away, volunteer to help orphaned children in South African communities, and gain a global experience that can't be duplicated in the classroom.
Obviously this is an enormous endeavour and will cost a lot of money; more than my students can handle on their own. We are embarking on a massive fundraising campaign and I am asking for your help. Roundtrip airfare per child is around $2,000, and there are 60 students in the band! I am asking for your helping in sponsoring 5 children to be able to make the trip to South Africa, by making a minimum contribution of $250.00.
This will be a trip of a life time for my kids that will dispel many of the preconceived notions about Africa and African people that have been engrained in their minds, while at the same time allowing them to share their own culture and lifestyle with their African cousins, creating a bridge that is more necessary now than it ever has been in the past.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for all of your help.
- Joseph
Most of you know that I am the Assistant Principal at KIPP Atlanta Collegiate high school. At KIPP, students participate in field lessons where they travel both domestically and internationally to gain educational and life experiences that they might not gain in their communities. In the past we have traveled to Washington DC, New York, Puerto Rico, Canada, and Ghana, West Africa. This year the students in our school's marching band, The Sounds of Royalty, have taken on the ambitious goal of traveling to South Africa!
This idea started when The Sounds of Royalty performed for the CEO of the internationally renown South African dance and theater company: Soweto Street Beat. The CEO, Mr. Ngcobo instantly fell in love with our kids and their musical ability and showmanship. After the performance he contacted the band director Mr. Arthur Washington and told him that he and The Sounds of Royalty must come to South Africa and perform there. It was an offer that Mr. Washington couldn't refuse. So, they agreed that they would do everything in their power to try and get the students to South Africa to perform in April of 2015!
This is a fantastic opportunity for my students to travel to the continent of Africa, reconnect with their history and culture, share their love of music with students who look like them who live half a world away, volunteer to help orphaned children in South African communities, and gain a global experience that can't be duplicated in the classroom.
Obviously this is an enormous endeavour and will cost a lot of money; more than my students can handle on their own. We are embarking on a massive fundraising campaign and I am asking for your help. Roundtrip airfare per child is around $2,000, and there are 60 students in the band! I am asking for your helping in sponsoring 5 children to be able to make the trip to South Africa, by making a minimum contribution of $250.00.
This will be a trip of a life time for my kids that will dispel many of the preconceived notions about Africa and African people that have been engrained in their minds, while at the same time allowing them to share their own culture and lifestyle with their African cousins, creating a bridge that is more necessary now than it ever has been in the past.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for all of your help.
- Joseph