I'll have to recreate this the best I can. This project has been several years in the making and just now gotten to a point where I feel like I should start writing about it. I wish I had kept a little better record of events as we were putting things together, but I had no idea what this would turn into. So, to the best of my recollections this is our story...
I met Mr Kweku Atta in my first years at Mendenhall. Somewhere around 2006 I guess. He was (and still is) the custodian on my hall, so we would strike up conversations from time to time as he worked in the afternoons. Eventually I learned that he was from Ghana and we tried, somewhat successfully to set up something where he would share with the students about his home since we studied the Africa and the Eastern Hemisphere.
When UNCG ran this story in January of 2010 it opened the door for the beginnings of our project. It started with my wife and I making a small donation to Mr. Atta to help with shipping costs and turned into Ghana Days later that year. Students in the 7th grade were assigned to create a project about a specific time period in Ghana's history. We then came together as an entire grade level for two days of presentations and sharing about the history and culture of Ghana.
The final aspect of Ghana days was an afternoon Survivor tournament among the grade level. Students created teams of their friends and donated a small entry fee to play one of their favorite Physical Education
games. Students who decided not to play were asked to make small donations to come out and watch. In the end, no student was excluded and we had an excellent afternoon of games and socializing. We were able to present Mr. Atta with a check for $550
To be continued...
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