PEPY News & Updates

Graduating 9th Grade Class

By Sarakk Rith

In 2010, all students who studied in Grade 9 of Chanleas Dai Junior High School felt very nervous because they needed to take a national examination to start grade 10. Many Grade 9 students approached both government teachers and PEPY teachers about what they were worried about. We asked them what subjects they were not sure about, and they told us Math, Physics, Chemistry and Khmer. They told us that they needed our help to review the material in these subjects, so we thought about what we could do for the students.

To help them prepare, PEPY provided a pilot training and review day. The first training that we did was led by PEPY staff. The students’ feedback was all positive. They told us that they really loved the training. After that we decided to provide them with review classes every Sunday leading up to the big test. These training days were organized by PEPY but led by Chanleas Dai’s government teachers. We did this every week, and the students had enough confidence to take the big test.

CLC art workshop and graduation ceremony- making art, developing ideas

PEPY Journal

By Maria Hach

When I was in high school, my school holidays were a time for sleeping in, watching television, and playing computer games. Needless to say, my time away from school was neither exciting nor productive! For the 49 students at Chanleas Dai Junior High School who chose to participate in PEPY’s art workshop, however, their month off consisted of all sorts of creative, fun, and interesting endeavors.

PSDP Team Gets a New Name and Selects a Third Partner School

PEPY Journal PSDP

By Adam Kronk

One thing I noticed when I first started sitting in on meetings with our Primary School Development Program team several months ago was that in the midst of conducting conversations in Khmer, they would have to throw in the English letters "PSDP" on a regular basis. Since this is a program wherein our Cambodian staff engages local communities in taking ownership of and improving their own schools, it hardly made sense to continue using a foreign acronym to identify it. The team kicked around several ideas and in the end decided on Sahakoom Apeewaht Sala—literally, "Communities Developing Schools"—as its new name. In speaking, we have taken to abbreviating it "Saw Aw Saw," the Khmer letters that begin each of the three words. Since not everyone is equipped with software to type and read the beautiful Khmer language, in writing we use SAS. We challenge you to think "Saw Aw Saw" when you read these letters in this and future correspondence from PEPY.

Bike-to-School Program Adapts to Changing Needs

Bike to School Community PEPY Journal Schools

Several years ago, we launched the Bike-to-School (BTS) Program as a way to provide incentive for students finishing sixth grade, and also as a way to transport students to junior high school for continuing their studies. Since that time, two things have changed. First, we helped to fund the construction of a new junior high school that is directly next to the primary school in Chanleas Dai. Its proximity means that some no longer need to travel great distances to start seventh grade. Second, we have augmented classes, trained teachers, and worked to improve the overall quality of the education primary students receive, all of which will hopefully provide a more sustainable (and substantive) incentive to stay in school. In a few significant ways, the need for bicycles has been decreased.

In speaking with teachers, students, parents, and principals, however, we realized that a lack of transportation would still be what stopped some students from going to junior high school. To remove this barrier, we have shifted to a scholarship program, wherein students who plan to enter seventh grade can apply for a bike – those who demonstrate need and live outside of a certain radius will be offered one and junior high school teachers will monitor their attendance throughout the year. Hotel de la Paix in Siem Reap generously donated 20 bikes, which have been painted “PEPY green” and await young student riders, who have just heard presentations in their sixth grades before school ends for the summer. In the coming months, we will go through the applications we receive and purchase additional bikes as needed so that all who need one get one. Biking to school is still the goal – we’re just making sure that the program meets needs as appropriately as possible!

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INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S RIGHTS DAY

PEPY Journal Schools Staff

International Children's Day is celebrated worldwide on June 1st. In Chanleas Dai, teachers, students, administrators, and the PEPY team worked together to celebrate students through a creative market – a space where students practiced life skills and financial management by making and selling small products in their classes. Every grade and several area child clubs had their own stalls where they sold handmade paintings and drawings, clay pottery, paper picture frames, homemade treats, and other handicrafts. Using fake money they traded for Cambodian riel, community members from nearby villages joined the market to purchase students’ work. After the market closed, hundreds of parents and community members stayed to watch skits, game shows, and songs that PEPY child club members created together about child rights, child protection, and children's needs.

The spirit and motivation of the day are hard to translate via words, so be sure to check out our pictures here (http://bit.ly/aTPWRZ). Special thanks to all the teachers and PEPY staff who worked so hard to make this day possible!

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