MHS Students Raise Money For Senegal Village

Mr. Amary Seck—10th grade chemistry teacher at Mamaroneck High School—did something many educators strive to do; he became a real life inspiration for his students.

After hearing the popular teacher tell stories about his native Lambaye, how there was one school for 800 students that always seemed to be short on books and other supplies, five of the students decided to start what is now “Students for Senegal.”

“We didn’t know what it would be,” said Co-president Amanda Giddon, now a MHS senior.  The group now boasts 200 members.

The group started fundraising by holding bake sales, a BBQ with African drummers and dancing, a book drive and an iced coffee sale sponsored by Chicken Joe’s in New Rochelle that raised $1,500. 

Once the group raised enough funds, they were able to purchase t-shirts and water bottles with the "Students for Senegal" logo emblazoned on the front.  Proceeds from sales of the water bottles and t-shirts—which by all accounts have been wildly successful—will benefit the group.

“It was easy to get people involved,” said Giddon in reference to getting the club off the ground, “Parents have helped out too.”

Recently, the students packed up 67 boxes of uniforms from families whose children participated in the Larchmont-Mamaroneck Soccer League; this included cleats, skin guards, jerseys and socks for the students in Lambaye. 

The group also shipped 2,000 English, Spanish, and French books—donated from many sources including students, Chatsworth Library and the French American School—to Senegal, but not before painstakingly scanning each one into an online catalog, which will be accessible to the students in Lambaye. 

“There were students that went in every day for two months,” explained Giddon.

On Feb. 18, all the student’s efforts will culminate in a weeklong trip to Senegal to meet the Lambaye students they’ve been helping.  13 MHS students and co-founders of the club—including Giddon, Mady Despins, Alie Frankel, Grace Trueman, and Jared Lowenthal—and four chaperones will land in Morocco first, and then travel south to Senegal, a country in West Africa.  The MHS students will tutor their African counterparts in English, and have an opportunity to converse in French, the official language of Senegal.

How are the students preparing for their intercontinental adventures?  With a mixture of nervous anticipation, each person going on the trip has received a trio of shots including malaria, yellow fever, and typhoid and had their measurements taken for traditional Senegalese outfits to wear when they arrive in Lambaye.  They are also brushing up on their greetings in Wolof, one of the most widely spoken languages in Senegal. 

“It’s very exciting that we can bring what we’ve done here over there,” said Giddon.