Immanuel-Batavia students host bake sale to benefit Water for South Sudan

Sixth-graders at Immanuel Lutheran School in Batavia are walking in the shoes of Nya, an 11-year-old girl from southern Sudan who is featured in the 2010 book, "A Long Walk to Water," by Linda Sue Parks.

Nya walks four hours each morning and four hours each afternoon to collect and bring water for her family.

The sixth-graders tried to see if they could carry a jerrycan full of water just like Nya. After trying it, they agreed that it is a really difficult task and that United States is very blessed.

In 2015, when the sixth-grade class at Immanuel read this book, they asked if there wasn't something they could do to help children like Nya.

Since then Immanuel Lutheran sixth-graders have been holding monthly bake sales, selling homemade treats to students and staff for $1 each.

Proceeds are sent to Water for South Sudan, an organization that builds sustainable wells in South Sudan.

In their first "Sweets for Sudan" bake sale of the current school year, held last Thursday, the students made an incredible $250.

Each $500 donation provides clean water for 50 people every day in a South Sudan village.

So far, Sweets for Sudan bake sales have earned more than $2,000, which is now helping more than 200 people in the South Sudan have fresh clean water on a daily basis. Immanuel Lutheran Church and School's tagline, "Developing Today's Disciples," is being demonstrated through the efforts of these students to help children and families on the other side of the world.

Immanuel Lutheran seventh-graders are reading "The Giver" by Lois Lowry, which is based on a utopian society that controls every detail of a person's life, even their lifelong career.

Students were randomly assigned a career and had to reflect if the career that was chosen for them was a good choice or not.

Afterward they eagerly took an interest quiz, which provides guidance as to what could be a good career for them.

They then created projects based on these career suggestions, including a financial adviser, a nurse, and a technology specialist.

The eighth-grade class is reading "Messenger," also by Lois Lowry.

The book is set in an isolated community known simply as Village and focuses on a boy named Matty, who serves as message-bearer through the ominous Forest that surrounds the community.

The students studied how to identify a theme and practiced this skill by listening to Tim McGraw's song, "Live Like You Were Dying.

The students found this an interesting way to practice. They also were quite moved by the song and feel that it has a great message to share.

To learn about the school, visit www.ilsbatavia.org or www.facebook.com/Immanuelchurchandschool.