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Ryan Intermediate School is located in Queens, New York. It is a school of 1260 students serving an ethnically and culturally diverse community. Positive Planet began its Sister School Program at Ryan in the spring of 2004, partnering it with the Kirumba Primary School in the Rakai District of Uganda. Kirumba Primary School serves approximately 900 students and like all U.P.E. schools in Uganda it suffers from a severe lack of resources.
In 2004 Ryan hosted Earth Day activities and raised $1,200 for their sister school. In 2005, this amount was more than doubled and the shool has exceeded its goals in both 2006 and 2007. The commitment and creativity of the students at Ryan has also attracted media coverage, see the June 1 2005 article in the New York Daily News. And, the helping hands mural that was originated during the 2005 event, has become a symbol of the partnership and has been done each year since. The murals are proudly displayed at the Kirumba school and have been adopted by other schools in the program as well.
The funds raised have been used to repair and complete a multi-purpose building that had been only half completed due to lack of funds. This building will provide space for classrooms, a library, performance space as well as administrative office space. In addition to the above uses that this new building will be put to, the new roof will allow rainwater harvesting addressing a major need of students and staff, safe, clean drinking water.
Plans for the future include construction of a five-classroom building, improved staff quarters as well as a fence to improve security for the school community. As with each our sister schools, the students at Ryan Intermediate School have had the opportunity to learn about the land and lives of their friends at Kirumba Primary School and have exchanged pen pal letters for the past three years.
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