May Newsletter

SCHOERKE FOUNDATION: CHANGING LIVES THROUGH EDUCATION IN GHANA AND THE U.S.

Schoerke News A Quarterly Newsletter for Donors and Friends Volume 2 THANK YOU ALL! Dear Friends: Thanks for making a big difference in our lives and the lives of our students and their families. Our third batch of students from Essiam and our first batch from Ochiso finished writing the national exams on Friday, April 24th. We are keeping our fingers crossed!

Third Annual Senior Project by Michael Minnig

Spring News Melissa & Kwesi have been busy talking to various groups about the Heritage schools, including: • A thousand students at Conestoga High School with special thanks to Mr. John Koenig, Mr. Tim Decker, Ms. Pat Berry and Dr. Meisinger, school Principal. http://stoganews.com/?p=770 • Explore Charter School in Brooklyn, NY. Special thanks to Mr. Morty Ballen founder & director. • with John Koenig speaking to a Sunday school class at St. Isaac's Catholic Church. Special thanks to Ms. Sharon Sullivan for inviting us. The 6th grade class at Plymouth Meeting Friends School began a penpal exchange with students at Heritage Academy, Essiam. Melissa & Kwesi received The Chester County Literacy Heroes Award Special thanks to Carol Metzker, West Chester Public Library, and Citadel,the company which sponsored the award. http://www.literacyheroes.com/ winners.html

Kwesi, Headmaster DeGraft, teacher Michael and Westtown students Caitlin Hunter, Francis Miller, Jonathan DeWolf, Zach DiLuzio, Alex Wilson, Clara Burgess and Karen Gilbert On February 21, 2009, Kwesi and I traveled with eight Westtown seniors to teach at Essiam Heritage Academy.  We spent a great deal of time in small reading groups helping students with their essential reading skills. As always, the students at Heritage were diligent and engaged, and together with their teachers, were gracious and delightful hosts. The teachers were eager to share stories and hear about our experiences.  With the kind and thoughtful support of Headmaster DeGraft Tawiah, our work at Essiam was a great success.  We also had the opportunity to pay a lovely visit to Ochiso Heritage Academy.  While there were many highlights from the trip, I don't think I will ever forget the excellent theatrical performances by students of JHS 2 near the end of our visit.  I know that the Westtown seniors came away from Ghana feeling impressed with the lively and hard-working students and teachers of the Heritage Academies.  They also demonstrated extraordinary care for their Heritage pupils.  Another great trip, and a wonderful opportunity for all! 1

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT Dear Mr. Koomson, I am very glad to write this letter to you. I hope by the grace of God you are well as I am. The reason why I am writing this letter is that I want to tell you about my first day at Heritage Academy. September 28th, 2008 was my first day at school. It was a Tuesday and it is still not forgotten in my mind. Unlike the previous days, I woke up early at the first cock-crow which was about five o'clock. I did my housework and had my bath. I happily wore my school uniform for the first time and had my breakfast. I went to Heritage to see the headmaster, Mr. DeGraft Tawiah with my father. The sight of that head teacher almost frightened me. My name was written down on a clean sheet of paper after a series of questions which I answered with some difficulty. My father left me in the school after the registration. I was happy that day. This is the reason why I write it to you. Yours faithfully,











TEACHER PERSPECTIVE: "Arriving at Heritage Academy the next morning will be a day I will not soon forget. Smiling, happy children ran up to greet us. We felt like celebrities! An air of excitement and enchanted feelings swirled all around us. Mallory and I quickly engaged with a group BOARD OF DIRECTORS Melissa Koomson Executive Director Kwesi Koomson Interim Chair Andrew Schoerke Director of Finance Victoria Jones Secretary Kim Brosnan-Meyers Laura Craig Sue Gold John Koenig Michael Minnig Roy Ortman Schoerke Foundation





Naomi Ampomah Tetteh

V I C T O R I A S T R O N G S H E LT E R of readers eager to read with us and share their understanding of what they had just read. It was magical to hear African children laughing at the antics of Curious George, role playing the parts of The Tortoise and the Hare and loving the silliness of Big Anthony in the story Strega Nona. It quickly became clear that children are children no matter where in the world they are and all kids love reading and learning. As a teacher, I felt as at home in the outdoor classrooms at Heritage Academy as I do in my own third grade classroom at Westtown." WANT TO KNOW MORE? To learn more about Schoerke Foundation, The Heritage Schools, or supporting a child’s education in a meaningful way, you can: -Visit us on the web, at www.schoerkefoundation.org -Watch for updates and important information by e-mail -Contact us at: Schoerke Foundation c/o 400 W. School Lane Westtown, PA 19395 484-883-9590

Schoerke Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. All donations are tax deductible 2