Somersfield Raises Over $30,000 For Charity
In March, Somersfield Academy community banded together to raise over $30,000 for various charities through participating in community and student-led fundraisers.
A spokesperson said, “The St. Baldrick’s Foundation Annual Event held on Friday, March 17 saw six Somersfield students, joined by the new head of school, Riki Teteina, shave their heads at Docksiders Pub on Front Street. The Somersfield Team raised over $20,000 for child cancer research.
“The next day, Saturday, March 18 Riki Teteina and Rio Morton volunteered to ‘Sink or Swim’ as pirates on training vessel, The Spirit of Bermuda. The Somersfield Team walked the plank at Pier 1 and raised over $5,000 for character-building education programmes.
Riki Teteina walks the plank to raise money for the Sloop Foundation
“The PALS 35th Annual Walk saw 430 Somersfield pupils sign up to walk in solidarity for a fellow student who recently lost his battle with cancer. Individual amounts raised were not available at the time of publishing, but Somersfield was excited to contribute along with the community to the final $80,000 figure.
“Finally, a student led initiative saw a speech from Senior Debate Champion Zarah Saddiqi [debate news] about the state of quake-torn Turkey and Syria [link to Turkey/Syria speech] followed by a school-wide grub day and bake sale led by P2-P4 students. They raised $4,000 for rice, milk, medical supplies, and essential items to provide comfort to families during the month of Ramadan, a celebration of one of the holiest months for Muslims. Money raised also went to children with special needs and cancer patients.
“The school’s efforts came during the school’s International Days, which sees the whole school engage in deep anthropological learning about a particular country, including animal studies, gastronomy, musicology and more.”
“Community based schools such as Somersfield were hit hard in the last three years,” comments new Head of School, Riki Teteina, “but it’s evident that our core mission remains strong in building socially conscious critical thinkers that are well-rounded, culturally aware with an internationally oriented education.”
Dennis Fagundo, Board Chair comments: “This month, we were thrilled to see the strength of our community borne out, with our student-led enthusiasm spilling over to the rest of Bermuda and the world.”
