Twenty years ago, the idea of “We” started out as one 12-year-old’s dream to help liberate children and families from poverty and exploitation. Today, it is a worldwide movement that unifies people with a mission to change the world.
In September, students and staff at RMS were honoured with a visit from Maasai warriors and WE Ambassadors, Wilson and Jackson. Only a handful of schools were offered the chance to meet these charismatic men; because of all the fundraising RMS does every year, we were on this very short list of special schools.
They spoke about growing up in the Maasai Mara region of Kenya, the last of a generation of fully trained Maasai warriors – and the first to embrace modern teachings and ways of life. Their childhood stories were truly inspiring for our students, especially because our sponsored WE community is in Kenya:
“It was inspirational to hear about their families and all the trials they had to go through to become a warrior.”
“We should be thankful for what we have because people in other countries aren’t as fortunate as we are.”
“It was heartwarming, and it reminded me to respect everyone and what we have here in Canada.”
Part of what made this visit so exciting for our students was knowing that they would see Wilson and Jackson again – at WE Day! In October, 20,000 young leaders and change-makers descended upon the Air Canada Centre for WE Day. RMS has had the honour of attending this event for the last three years, and this year was no different. It was a day of inspiration, empowerment, and togetherness.
A group of 13 young leaders from RMS were invited to attend this life-changing event. For many, this was their first time at such an event. The energy was infectious – especially from our seats right beside the stage. The audience was enthralled by speakers such as Margaret Trudeau telling about her battle with mental illness and Mike Downie sharing his brother Gord’s pursuit for reconciliation. Macklemore’s powerful performance of “Drug Dealer”, about his battle with prescription drugs, and Pearl Wenjack’s Ojibway prayer for her lost brother moved the crowd deeply.
All the positive energy and voices for change fueled our first WE Act fundraiser of the year – the Halloween Dance-a-thon. Our WE Act group, which includes dedicated students from grades 5-8, planned not one but three Dance-a-thon events. The senior students had their evening dance on Oct 27, while the junior students danced their hearts out on Halloween, all in the name of health care for our sponsored community, Kipsongol. Our donations will go towards funding vaccination clinics, wellness centres and healthy living outreach programs.
For such a small community here at RMS, we have very big hearts. We have raised a total of $3,565 toward our overall goal for the year of $10,000! Keep up the great work, Rowntree!
We look forward to seeing you and sharing with you the private school community of which we are so proud!
To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm.
More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here.
