Gotta take a moment to brag about some great kids! SW Open School has had an El Pomar Youth in Community Service chapter for two years. Last night, for the second year straight, the SWOS chapter of EPYCS won the award for Outstanding School in the Four Corners Region during an awards ceremony at Fort Lewis College!
El Pomar is one of the leading philanthropies in Colorado. Beginning in 1991, they set up EPYCS as a way to get young people involved in giving back to their communities. If a high school chapter develops a mission statement and raises $500, El Pomar will "match" that with $7500 for them to give away to nonprofit causes. The students solicit, receive and approve grant applications, with the aid of a teacher and El Pomar-sponsored training workshops. There are six schools in the Four Corners Region: Archuleta County Education Center, Bayfield High School, Dolores High School, Durango High School, Silverton High School and SWOS.
The posted pics are of the SWOS EPYCS chapter members who were at the awards ceremony, the list of who they gave grants to (as displayed on a screen; click on the pic to get an enlarged, more readable view), the way they earned the money (and the award) and one of the SWOS students making a special presentation about her special interest, Habitat for Humanity.
Our students have often had their share of personal turmoil and travail; maybe that's what makes them so able to reach out with a helping hand. In any case, they received a standing ovation and we were bursting with pride for them! tv
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