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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
Dear Friends,
I hope this newsletter finds you all well. I’m thrilled to report that Imagine Scholar’s last three months have been filled with successes even beyond our expectations. The students’ progress has been nothing short of exceptional. It is difficult to adequately express how wonderful it is to work with kids who truly want to learn. I remember teachers practically pulling teeth in my high school to get us to do anything. The Imagine Scholars not only do all the work given, but actually demand more. For example, each month the kids read one novel for class. When they finish it, we encourage them to read additional books at their leisure. The response has been unbelievable. Clara alone has read 16 books in less than 3 months. Our library struggles to keep up. English competence is the largest impediment to university success in the Nkomazi region; the lasting value of so much reading is immeasurable.
The Imagine Academy has progressed significantly in recent months. We’ve spent many hours discussing, critiquing, and improving the curriculum. The team has examined our processes with laser-like focus and established structures that will guide our operations inside and outside the classroom for years to come. We have consciously raised standards in class, asking the students to do more work and maintain the highest level of commitment. The challenges these teenagers face are daunting, but they have continued to raise their personal expectations right along with us.
Perhaps the most exciting new development is the construction of the Imagine Scholar Education Center in Kamhlushwa. This center represents not only an amazing facility for the kids, but also Imagine Scholar’s long-term commitment to the development of youth in this area. It’s amazing to think that in 10 years this building and this program are still going to be serving these communities in the Nkomazi.
I want to deeply thank everyone who has donated and helped to make Imagine Scholar a reality. We run on a very limited budget and every contribution has a direct effect on the lives of individual students. These students are truly top-notch; if they lived in the West, their future success would not be in doubt. Here, their futures hang in the balance every day and will be shaped by many circumstances outside of their control. Imagine Scholar has the potential to truly alter the trajectory of these children’s lives, a prospect we hope you find as incredible as we do. For most of these kids, Imagine Scholar is their link to a better life, and I can’t tell you how much your support means to them and to me.
Thank you all so much,
Corey Johnson
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EDUCATION CENTER
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Imagine Scholar is very excited to announce that its permanent home is currently under construction in Kamhlushwa, South Africa. After a lengthy process to find a suitable site, and thanks to an extraordinary contribution, the organization decided to purchase a lot right in the middle of the Nkomazi. The location is perfect and an existing, fully-functioning house occupies a corner of the property. The education center is being constructed beside the house, and will include apartments for local staff. The lot has a sizable backyard, large enough to accommodate a vegetable garden, chicken coop, and barbecue area, with room to spare.
This center will change Imagine Scholar in countless ways. Since all staff will live on-site, there will be much greater flexibility for students to stop by at their convenience for whatever reason. The library will move from the car’s trunk to bookshelves, and computers will line an entire wall. The classroom will be customized to fit our needs, community social functions will be held, and staff transportation costs will decrease substantially. Perhaps most importantly, Imagine Scholar’s students will now have a place to call home: an education center dedicated to their needs alone, where the doors are always open. The building’s completion will be a defining moment for the organization, ushering in a new era.
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SEFRIOUI-BADISSY FOUNDATION DONATES
8 COMPUTERS
In May, Imagine Scholar received one of its largest donations to date: 8 laptop computers from the Sefrioui-Badissy Foundation. This incredibly generous gift nearly completes the computer lab of the learning center before it is even built. It is hard to overestimate the importance of this amazing gift to Imagine Scholar. Many students have never used computers before and only left the rural Nkomazi region a handful of times, if ever. They can now not only learn the most basic computer skills essential to succeed in university and attain high-level jobs, but also become fully literate in the 21st century digital universe. Digital photography, online assignments, word processing, computer literacy, and international exchanges with other students are now possible for Imagine Scholars. These laptops instantly unlock a wealth of information to the students and links them to the outside world in a way only dreamed about before. As soon as the tables are built and the chairs in place (probably September), Imagine Scholars will be hard at work on these computers.
This gift is not only a vote of confidence in Imagine Scholar’s mission and philosophy, but more importantly, very much changes the learning opportunities we can offer the students. These computers are a game-changer, and we are so grateful to the Sefrioui-Badissy Foundation for making it possible. For more information please check out their website: www.sefriouibadissyfoundation.netThis gift was also enabled by Parker Montgomery, who provided the crucial link to get us in touch with the Sefrioui-Badissy Foundation. And a special, enormous thank you goes to Faouzi Sefrioui for his inspiring generosity.
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INTERN SPENDS SUMMER
WITH IMAGINE SCHOLAR
The Imagine Scholar family keeps growing. Nina Scheepers, fresh off her first year at Bowdoin College in Maine, is interning for Imagine Scholar during her summer break. Nina grew up in Cape Town and moved to California with her family in 2004. She is equal parts South African and American, speaks fluent Afrikaans, and positively brims with new ideas for the organization.
Nina secured a Global Citizen Grant from Bowdoin to enable her work this summer and quickly made her impact felt. She thinks up original activities for class, helps the students out with everything from schoolwork to photography, will soon dip her toes in the fundraising waters, and keeps the rest of the team in line. The students warmed to Nina in no time, establishing an easy rapport with their fellow countrywoman. Nina offers much to Imagine Scholar and everyone is thrilled (and lucky) to enjoy her help this June and July.
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SEATTLE FUNDRAISER
A BIG SUCCESS
On May 2, Imagine Scholar held its inaugural fundraising event in Seattle. The evening included Bingo, a stand-up comedian, silent auction, food, and beverages. The main goals were to formally introduce Imagine Scholar to the wider world and hopefully find some people interested in taking an active role in the organization. The event was a huge success on all fronts, a great deal of fun for everyone, and to top it off, raised $2,857! In a program as small Imagine Scholar, that money goes a very long way and will provide resources and opportunities to the students otherwise unaffordable. Online assignments, digital photography workshops, science experiments, a broader library, and so much else are now directly possible. Thank you so much to everyone for your support! An extra special thank you to Parker, Andy, and Dan for putting this event on!
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NEW STUDENTS
Imagine Scholar accepted its first full class of 10 students this past March. These students have already made impressive strides in the last four months. They discuss the material passionately, read like maniacs, and ask questions galore. Here’s a brief introduction to 5 of them; the other 5 will follow in the next newsletter.
Clara is Imagine Scholar’s resident reading champion. She finishes at least a book a week, zipping through the library’s offerings with lightning speed. She also transports over an hour each way to attend class (routinely arriving first) and is a budding pop culture wizard.
Norman wowed us during his interview describing the poetry he writes in his free time, and has not disappointed. A sharp thinker, he always has his hand raised to contribute a fresh idea in class. He is also one of the Nkomazi’s largest Celine Dion fans.
Portia’s dedication to Imagine Scholar inspires the team each week. Utterly devoted to class, she leans out of her chair with enthusiasm, completes Sudokus like clockwork, and gives everything her all. Portia personifies grabbing an opportunity with both hands and not letting go.
Themba has overcome more in his fifteen years than most do in their entire lives. Despite losing both his parents at a young age, he excels in school, applies himself like a madman to the task at hand, and is equally at home on the rugby pitch and in the school choir.
Thenjiwe is always eager with a comment in class and won’t leave before giving each teacher a high five. Her natural strengths lie in creativity and writing, but her willingness to push herself in the math realm is a model example for everyone. Thenjiwe also just happens to be a star netball player in her school!
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HOT TOPICS IN CLASS
Creativity collage! Each group is assigned a theme (joy, success, growth) and takes representative pictures, writes related poems, and creates a poster collage of everything.
Following Big Fish: Are lies always malicious, or are some acceptable? Is absolute truth required for loving relationships?
What would you like to see built as part of the new learning center? How can we use the space the best?
African National Congress vs Democratic Alliance political debate. Research your side’s policies and convince the judges that your party is most fit to lead South Africa.
Should all South Africans be required to study Afrikaans in school?
Rewrite the lyrics to a popular song… keep the beat and structure, but use your creative flair to change the meaning.
Following The Alchemist: How does love fit into following your dreams? What is the book’s message about trusting other people?
Following The Charge of the Light Brigade: What does Tennyson reveal about war in this poem? Does he glorify war, abhor it, both, or neither?
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QUARTERLY PUZZLES
The Farmer
You are a farmer taking a fox, a chicken, and a sack of grain to market and you come across a river. The only way across the river is by a small boat, which can only hold at most you and one of the three items. Left unsupervised, the chicken will eat the grain or the fox will eat the chicken (however, the fox won’t try to eat the grain, nor will the fox or the chicken wander off). How do you get everything across safely?
Light Bulbs in the Attic
There are three light switches downstairs. Each corresponds to one of three light bulbs in an attic. You can turn the switches on and off and leave them in any position, but you are allowed only one trip up to the attic. How do you identify which switch corresponds to which light bulb?
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HOW YOU CAN HELP
Imagine Scholar would not be possible without the incredible generosity of others. We are fortunate to have an outside organization cover our administrative costs. All donations directly enrich the lives of students here and enable opportunities they wouldn’t have otherwise. Books, school uniforms, and field trips are just a few of the things your support brings to deeply appreciative kids. You can donate to Imagine Scholar (we are a 501(c) tax-exempt organization) by visiting ImagineScholar.org. We also welcome your ideas, advice, experience, or collaboration and are very grateful for all manner of contributions.
Here are just a few ways to get involved!
Send your ideas to info@imaginescholar.org. Any suggestions for class? Thought-provoking discussion topics? Books the students just have to read? Potential fundraising opportunities?
Spread the word.Are there people you believe can help further our mission by donating materials, sponsoring students, or providing a valuable connection? Please forward this newsletter and introduce us!
Donate by visiting ImagineScholar.org. Contributions of all sizes are helpful. Check the website to see exactly what your gift does in action. Imagine Scholar is a lean organization, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Gifts directly impact a student chasing his or her dreams. A little goes a long way in South Africa!
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In this Issue
- Education Center Groundbreaking
- Major Computer Donation
- Summer Intern Joins Imagine Scholar
- Seattle FundraiserExceeds Expectations
- Meet the New Students
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