Students at Aspengove School have been doing their part to help others around the globe.
Fundraising efforts helped students in Grades 9, 10 and 11 spend their spring break in China, assisting with the construction of a new school in a village in Sichuan province through the Free the Children – Me to We initiative.
The old school was destroyed in the 2008 earthquake that devestated the area.
The new school allows students in Grades 4 to 6 to be educated in their community again. They are currently commuting by bike for two hours to school and back each day.
The experience enabled Aspengrove students to make connections with community members in the village and to develop a deeper understanding of the lives of people in rural China.
Students and teachers came home with both a sincere appreciation for the privileged lives they lead as Canadians and a desire to share this understanding with others, said Elizabeth Reay of Aspengrove.
Meanwhile, Aspengrove staff and students from the early learning centre to secondary grades have been fundraising with bake sales and making paper cranes in order to raise funds for the Canadian Red Cross Relief efforts in Japan following the recent earthquake and tsunami.
More than $1,600 will be forwarded to the Canadian Red Cross to help with relief efforts.
