As the girls beaver away at their midterm exams, the on-campus clubs remain active to help them stay balanced in their studies. The girls will be writing exams from today until Wednesday afternoon, sometimes with four midterms in a day. Having their regular extra-curricular clubs helps them to de-stress and enjoy some time together, away from the books.
This term, the girls could choose to participate in football, volleyball, table tennis, drama and media clubs.
The football, volleyball and table tennis clubs are in training for upcoming competitions against area schools. The newly formed drama club is working on a play that will be presented at Daraja. And the media club has been learning about interview techniques and photography.
Daraja’s clubs meet twice a week throughout the term and help the girls to balance their heavy academic schedule.
The clubs change around each term – science, environment, athletics, cross-country and touchstone club, which looks at stories from around the world that present moral questions, have been offered in other terms.
Media club students Carol, Caroline and Alice learning about interviewing
Write six words to describe yourself and what you stand for—that was the challenge given to Daraja’s students by volunteer Sue August.
Sue reminded the girls of the power that a few little words can have using the example of WISH. The Daraja girls know this acronym well—Women of Integrity, Strength and Hope—and regularly relate those powerful words to themselves now, and who they will become in the future. Sue encouraged them to create statements they can use when they need a little reminder of who they are and what they’re capable of.
To create their descriptions, the girls started by calling out words that fit them. The student volunteers at the blackboard scribbled as their classmates shouted out: courageous, confident, loving, gorgeous, enthusiastic…
Here’s what some of the girls shared after a chance to put their statements together:
I have great dreams in life – Molly, Form 1
An optimistic, sensitive and mindful leader – Teddy, Form 2
Daraja is my greatest treasure ever – Ann N., Form 1
Sharpen your thinking then your life – Ann W., Form 1
Sue is a performance coach for healthcare leaders who shared her knowledge on public speaking, time management, computer applications and writing thank-you notes with the Daraja girls. In her two-and-a-half weeks here she also led WISH classes with the girls on confidence building, self reflection and moral courage.
This is Sue’s second journey to Daraja as a volunteer. Her last visit was in October, 2009, back when Daraja had only 26 students in one form. Though there have been changes to the buildings and resources on campus, Sue says the greatest transformation on campus is in the culture of the school, “There was love here before, but there’s a lot more love here now. Daraja is a community that is very loving and joyful. Both the girls and faculty are quick to give a hug at any opportunity, day or night.”
The Daraja girls did it again! Over the weekend, ten students participated in the regional Poetry and Music Festival. Of those competitors, four girls will be traveling to compete in the provincial competition in Eldoret. Three of those girls came first in their competitions: Mary N. from Form 1 in Swahili public speaking, Rosalia from Form 2 in Swahili poetry recital, and Teddy from Form 2 in English public speaking. Emily from Form 3 came second in Swahili public speaking and will also be going on to represent Daraja at the provincial competition.
The girls spent all day Friday and Saturday at the competition where they had plenty of opportunity to meet and reconnect with students from all over the region. Between their competitions, the girls were able to get more feedback from the competition adjudicators, enjoy their peers’ dance and music performances and get a few photos taken with their friends; Rosalia also got to spend some time with her mother, who lives near the venue and stopped in to cheer on her daughter.
Betty from Form 3 came third in the region in English poetry recital; Irene N. in Form 1 and Teddy in Form 2 placed fourth. In English public speaking, Alice N. from Form 2 placed fourth in the Form 4 competition. In Swahili poetry recital, Form 1′s Jesica placed third; and Form 3 students Cate and Monicah placed fourth in the Form 3 and Form 4 competition respectively.
In the week leading up to the festival, the competitors used some of their free time to work with volunteer Sue August, a performance coach for healthcare leaders. Sue led workshops on confidence building and public speaking to help the Daraja girls prepare–and feel sure of themselves—before the competition.
The first- and second-placed girls will be heading to the next level of competition at the end of the month.
The facts and figures are in, and they prove that the Daraja family has got the power and drive to do anything!
Financial Support
$54,266 raised as of today- enough to sponsor more than 20 girls for one year!
More than $2,000 raised through the Daraja Lap-a-Thon thanks to lap supporters from around the world!
Awareness
700+ individual donations
142% increase in traffic hits to the Daraja Academy Website
Media: CBS TV, KGO, Oakland Tribune, San Francisco Sentinal, Marin IJ, and more. See full list
Fun!
Lineth Chepkurui, our Race for 77 teammate, won Bay to Breakers for the third-straight year!
Top student fundraiser Paige Whistler was featured with Lineth live on CBS TV (Search “Lineth”)
Steve Disenhof, a Daraja advocate who has a passion for sports photography, was given an exclusive press pass to take pictures of the honor elite athletes at the finish line!
All Race for 77 runners made it to the finish line and all of the Daraja students finished the 28 laps- both events were 7.46 miles!
The newly re-launched Daraja Academy Youtube channel includes recent footage of the race in Kenya. Check out this fun video of the girls as they start the Lap-a-Thon!
“This is something that may change your attitude about history,” says Teacher Victoria to the Form 2 class.
Before the girls’ most recent break in April, they were given an assignment to interview some of the elders in their communities. Their goal was to learn about that what had happened in that person’s life—their challenges and their joys—in order to produce an oral history of their community.
They were prepared with lessons on effective interview techniques, and practice interviews with their peers before going out into their communities.
Last week, the girls came together to talk about this assignment, which was designed by the University of San Diego Learning and Teaching Faculty. They gathered in the lounge, wedged five or six to a sofa, with teachers Victoria and Carol and volunteer Maria, who is helping implement the project. As it was outside of class time, some girls had changed out of their uniforms into warmer clothes for the evening; others stayed in their uniforms but loosened their ties.
Several of the girls said that they were unsure about the assignment when they first heard about it. But once they got out there and started talking to the people in their communities, the girls confessed that this had become one of their favourite assignments.
In an hour and a half, only six girls were able to share what they had learned over their breaks—the stories they shared were at times hilarious, haunting or heart-breaking. Their classmates listened intently, with a few much-needed breaks for fits of giggles. Some of the girls sat with an arm draped across a neighbour’s shoulder or played with a friend’s hair while listening to the presenter.
There were stories of escape, persecution, rape, marriage, children, and education; and opinions on the role of women in society, circumcision, and tribal differences.
The girls will continue working together to share these stories before collaborating them into a historical document that can be shared with their communities, future Daraja students and visitors, as well as people all over the world.
The Daraja girls did it again! Over the weekend, ten students participated in the regional Poetry and Music Festival. Of those competitors, four girls will be traveling to compete in the provincial competition in Eldoret. Three of those girls came first in their competitions: Mary N. from Form 1 in Swahili public speaking, Rosalia from Form 2 in Swahili poetry recital, and Teddy from Form 2 in English public speaking. Emily from Form 3 came second in Swahili public speaking and will also be going on to represent Daraja at the provincial competition.
