Milton Students Visit Cambodian School

Students from Milton mingle withstudents from the school theyhelped to build in Cambodia.

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Dec 16, 2008
NewsOn6.com

By Jim Hamill

High school students from central Pennsylvania are back from Cambodia. The teens saw first hand the school they helped build by raising thousands of dollars for the cause in Northumberland County.

In a little more than four months Milton's Team Cambodia raised more than $30,000. Every penny went to a struggling village in the poor Asian country, creating a place for hundreds of children to learn.

"We did it. It took us four and a half months and we made a huge impact on a small village," senior J.C. Reich said.

Reich and fellow senior Larissa Luu talked about their recent trip to Cambodia and their part in Team Cambodia's major accomplishment; the brand-new school.

"When we saw all the kids there it just made everything so much more worthwhile because they were so happy to just have this little school building," Luu said.

Reich, Luu and about 30 other students devoted practically everything to making the Cambodian school a reality. It was their teacher's idea but the students made it their mission.

Finally last week, a group from Milton went to Cambodia for the school's dedication.

It was, no doubt, a life-changing event for both students from Milton and that tiny village in Cambodia.

"For generations to come, hopefully that school will make a difference in lives of this very, very poor community," teacher Mike Conn said.Name: clip 51

Team Cambodia raised thousands of dollars by selling hundreds of t-shirts and students said now that the school in Cambodia has been built, it could not have been done without a lot of support from the local community.

"Thirty-thousand dollars, it was a huge community project. It was a group effort had a large impact for the effort that went into it," Reich added.

Both Reich and Luu hope Team Cambodia's work goes far beyond the three-room school, teaching children in the war-torn country how to help others and, in turn, themselves.

"Walking through the children, they were clapping and applauding. It was basically a heroes' welcome and it was something that will be engrained in my mind forever," Luu added.

With all that money from Team Cambodia the school now has a well for fresh water. It also has solar panels to power computers and internet access so Mr. Conn said his students will be sure to email back and forth.