Onondaga Road pupils help Cambodian orphans

by Catie O'Toole

The Post-Standard

Wednesday April 15, 2009

Photo courtesy of Kathleen Hart-Zavoli Schoolchildren at an orphanage in Cambodia review school projects and books sent by pupils at Onondaga Road Elementary School.

Pupils in Jessica Goodnough and Virginia Madden's classes at Onondaga Road Elementary School in the West Genesee school district took part in a project to help children in a Cambodian orphanage with their English lessons.

Photo courtesy of Kathleen Hart-Zavoli Students at an orphanage in Cambodia review school projects and books sent by pupils at Onondaga Road Elementary School.

Goodnough's fourth-graders wrote original stories, with themes ranging from a pencil boy who wanted to be an eraser, to moving from the earth to the moon. Meanwhile, Madden's second-graders wrote letters telling the children in Cambodia about life in Central New York and at Onondaga Road school.

Kathleen Hart-Zavoli, whose son is in Goodnough's class and whose daughter is in Madden's class, hand-delivered the stories and letters to the Cambodia Tomorrow English School at the Kompong Speu Orphan Center in Cambodia during the last week of February.

Photo courtesy of Kathleen Hart-Zavoli A student at an orphanage in Cambodia looks at a letter sent by pupils at Onondaga Road Elementary School.

Hart-Zavoli, of Camillus, is a volunteer board member for Cambodia Tomorrow, a non-profit group started by parents who adopted children from the orphanage.

Both Hart-Zavoli's children were adopted from different orphanages in Cambodia.

"I thought it was a good idea to give the students a connection outside of Camillus, and also give the students in Cambodia a connection to other children," Hart-Zavoli said. "The kids here have been so excited, and the kids in Cambodia were equally as excited to receive the letters and stories."

Photo courtesy of Kathleen Hart-Zavoli Students at an orphanage in Cambodia review school projects and books sent by pupils at Onondaga Road Elementary School.

Last week, Hart-Zavoli brought Onondaga Road Elementary students letters from the students in Cambodia.

In their letters, the children in Cambodia drew pictures and wrote about their Khmer New Year, which is April 14 to 16.

Hart-Zavoli said the children at Onondaga Road were excited to learn about a different culture.

"They think this is a very cool thing they're doing and the fact that they got responses to their letters seemed to really make their week," she said.