ACCESS: Allowing Children a Chance at Education, Inc. is a non-profit organization in Ontario, geared towards providing children in the developing world with opportunities for education. Founded by a Brampton high school student, the organization's goal is to provide needy children in the developing world with school uniforms and necessary school supplies, so that they have the opportunity to obtain the education required to find decent employment and support their families, in addition to education local youth on related issues. Contact ACCESS by email info@accesscharity.ca or visit http://www.accesscharity.ca/ Students express the importance
of education through ACCESS contest
Brampton - Brampton elementary school students ranging from grades one to eight submitted a wide variety of entries to the ACCESS Charity Student Contest, which wrapped up in June. Submissions consisted of poetry, paragraphs, paintings, drawings, and collages. Students were asked to express creatively the value of school in their lives, why children in the developing world should have access to education, or why they like school.
The winners of the Spring 2008 Student Contest were notified and awarded on June 24, 2008 in their schools.
The class with the most submissions was Ms. Agnes Mazur's grade one class at St. Isaac Jogues Elementary School. The class received a pizza party to recognize their large contribution and dedication to the contest.
The entries were judged in age categories of grades 1-3 and grades 4-8.
In the junior category, grade one student Mya Hastings of St. Lucy's Elementary School placed first, earning a $50 Toys R Us Gift Card for her written submission entitled "Why I Like School". St. Isaac Jogues Elementary School first grade student Peter Leysa's entry, consisting of a drawing with a written caption, earned him a DVD of "Spiderman 3". In third place, grade three student Marina Gullusci of St. Lucy's earned a pair of Cineplex Odeon movie passes. Finally, grade one student Nick Spagnolo of St. Isaac Jogues received an ACCESS t-shirt for his fourth place entry.
In the senior category, a very creative collage-style drawing representing ACCESS, St. Lucy's School, life in the developing world, education, and more earned fifth grade student Jennifer Persaud a 4GB iPod Nano for first place. A pair of grade five students at St. Lucy's, Moyosola Ogunsuyi and Marsha Ruku, teamed up to create a strong poem and visual, for which they received Cineplex Odeon movie passes. Placing third was Isabella Jusko, a grade eight student from St. Aidan's Elementary School, who composed a well-written creative piece and was awarded with "The Making of an Activist" (a 200-page book of powerful images and inspiring words encouraging positive world change by youth). Honourable mentions in the grades 4-8 category were Pasquelina Isidori, Reuban Thomas, and Christina Germano.
All of the entries will be available for viewing online on the ACCESS Student Contests website at www.accesscharity.ca/contests.htm.
ACCESS would like to thank all of the students who participated in the contest, the teachers and staff who were key to its success, and the donors of the prizes, such as Therese Guidolin Events and SilverCity Brampton. ACCESS is currently making plans to expand the Student Contest and to encourage a greater number of local schools to participate in the coming school year. If your school would like to participate in an upcoming ACCESS project, or if your business would like to donate prizes for future Student Contests, please email info@accesscharity.ca.
Further details on the Brampton-based non-profit, ACCESS: Allowing Children a Chance at Education, can be found on their central website, www.accesscharity.ca.
Daniel Francavilla announces to the grade-one class that they won a pizza party for submitting the most entries for one class. Photo by Carolyn Esvelt
ENTRIES
Mya Hastings, Grade 1
"Why I Like School"
Books, pencils, paper, erasers.
Math, science, drama and dance.
Cool teachers, fun crafts.
Learning makes school go by fast!
Candyland and dominos,
make indoor recess… the best I've had.
Spirit days, charity events,
spreading kindness, with our friends.
So much to learn, so much to do,
without school I wouldn't be cool.
~
Isabella Jusko, Grade 8
Teary, hungry, lost in pain first and third world countries are not the same. No chance of education, with poverty and such, they cherish every little thing that their hands touch. Trying to have fun, but it's a hard life each day, the only thing that guides them though, is to kneel down and pray. Life for them is different, or can you not see? try living their life, so strongly and happily. I can't even say put yourself in their shoes, because they have none to wear, and nothing more to loose. Be grateful for what you have, because you can't have it all, compared to over there, we're the ones standing tall. Please try to donate, there is so much that they need, all they want in life is to be happy, and succeed. They're human just like you, alive and can feel, so think about the needy, when you're throwing out that meal. Pray for them at least, they want to make it through, and remember they'd do anything, just to be like you.
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Nick Spagnolo, Grade 1
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Peter Leysa, Grade 1
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Moyosola Ogunsuyi and Marsha Ruku, Grade 5
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Jennifer Persaud, Grade 5
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Maria Gullusci, Grade 3