St. Andrew’s School & Southridge High School Sister Schools
Matale, Uganda & Beaverton, OR
St Andrew’s Secondary School Students video chat with Southridge High School students.
Southridge High School Uganda Club
2020-2021 SCHOOL YEAR ACTIVITIES
Zooming About Politics
Southridge students established Zoom calls with the St. Andrews school. During the first call, the St. Andrew’s students expressed a keen interest in the presidential election being held in the United States. In response, the Southridge students gave a presentation discussing our form of government and included information about the election during our second call. The Ugandan students also gave a presentation about their country and form of government. Numerous school shutdowns in Uganda curtailed more regular meetings, however we hope to continue these calls during the 2021-2022 school year.
Microloans
With the help of the Harambee Centre, the club was able to contribute to numerous KIVA microloans in Uganda. The club specifically targets women for the microloans, and the plan is to raise more money for the loans next year to increase our presence in this arena.
Uganda Club Meetings & Movie Night
During the 2020-2021 “pandemic” school year, the Uganda club at Southridge met weekly. All of the participants were first time Uganda club members. While few in number, students made up for it with dedication.
The Southridge Uganda club held a movie night during the last week of school airing the movie Black Panther. Fifteen students attended and were served Mandazi (hand prepared by Grace Kuto). The Mandazi was a big hit (none left in a huge plate). After the movie, students held a constructive discussion about themes addressed in the movie including colonization, cultural appropriation, and ways of moving forward. The events was quite a success and club members hope that numerous students who attended will be interested in joining the club in the fall. The Uganda club plans to continue the event with movies such as The Boy Who Built a Windmill, the Queen of Katwe, and The 1st Grader.
History
St. Andrew’s Secondary School in Matale, Uganda and Southridge High School in Beaverton, Oregon have been sister schools since 2003. Student activities have included pen pal programs, shared Facebook pages, video calls, and student cultural exchanges. Additionally, Southridge students and staff have led and participated in a number of projects that have supported the ongoing development of their sister school. Southridge students contributed roughly $20,000.00 to the construction of a science lab at St. Andrew’s. They’ve also donated books, school supplies, computers and even money to pay for internet service.
2008 St. Andrew’s Science Lab Dedication
2014 St. Andrew’s students visit Southridge High School in Oregon.
2017 Southridge students visit St. Andrew’s School in Uganda.
You Can Make a Difference
Are you interested in helping youth create friendships across the world and deepen their cultural understanding and education? Help open young minds and foster international leaders by donating to the sister school program or contact us about creating a new sister school program for your students.