Bright School students decorated and sold wooden bells to raise money to assist in earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. The $3,250 raised was donated to the Children's Nutrition Program of Haiti during a schoolwide assembly on Friday. From left are
Emily Paik, Charlie Winchester, Bright School fourth graders; Deborah
Hoback with the Children's Nutrition Program of Haiti; and Andrew Butt and Hollis Gaffney, Bright School fourth graders. Click to enlarge.
- photo by Kim Brown
Last month, as news spread of the heartbreaking devastation gripping Haiti in the wake of the earthquake, Bright School students and faculty wanted to help. The Bright School community felt a moral obligation to answer the call to action. It was also a prime opportunity to teach students what it truly means to be “wise and compassionate citizens of the world” (the school’s mission).
For many years, a wooden bell rested in a place of prominence in the school office. Carved on the bell is the word “Haiti” and a Haitian proverb: “No one listens to the cry of the poor or the sound of a wooden bell.” The bell was a gift from a former teacher who picked it up in Haiti while doing mission work.
Inspired by the artifact, the Bright Bells for Haiti aid relief effort was launched. Each student, teacher and staff member decorated a wooden bell. These bells were sold for $5 each, with all proceeds designated for the Children’s Nutrition Program in Haiti (www.cnphaiti.org). The organization was founded in 1998 by a group of Chattanoogans, and the agency is actively working in Haiti right now.
The school presented a check for $3,250 to Deborah Hoback, CNPH board member, at a school-wide assembly on Friday.
“We hope that everyone will join in our efforts to provide an immediate, meaningful response to families in Haiti,” said O.J. Morgan, Head of School. “We seek to fulfill our mission to be wise and compassionate citizens of the world.”
Bright School is a co-educational, independent school for children in grades preschool through fifth grade. For more information, visit the school’s website at www.brightschool.com.