Students at Lakeside High School recently prepared letters of support and stuffed bears for the children of an orphanage and school operated by the Syrian Emergency Task Force in the same province as the recent deadly chemical weapon attack.
Peggy Schaeffer, library media center aide at the high school, asked students during lunch one day if they would like to participate in a project making bears for the children in Syria.
"I was asked to pull a group of students for Independent Learning Time and, since I like doing crafts, why not have students make something for the children of Syria to give them hope and let them know they are not forgotten," Schaeffer said.
Lakeside alumni Natalie Larrison and Mouaz Moustafa visited the school in March and delivered presentations throughout the day about the Syrian Civil War and their personal work with the SETF. Moustafa helped found the organization in 2012 and serves as executive director. Larrison joined the SETF in early 2016 as director of outreach.
A working group of volunteers helped the SETF support and operate the Wisdom House Project, an orphanage and school in the Idlib Governorate province in northwest Syria, for the past eight months. The school recently moved underground for safety purposes.
"It made me feel really good to make bears for the children in Syria, because I know they don't have anything and they don't have a way to cope with what is going on in their country right now," said Rayne Reyes, a junior. "Knowing that I'm helping them in some way to keep hope alive, it means everything to me."
The Wisdom House is less than 30 miles from the site of a chemical weapon attack in Khan Sheikhoun on April 4. Dozens of children were among more than 70 civilians killed.
Larrison maintains communication with the school's English teacher, who informed her the school and its students are in good condition, but victims from the attack were treated at their village's hospital. The main hospital for the Maarat al-Numaan District was bombed several days earlier and hospitals in neighboring villages were needed to treat the victims.
"The teachers and students continue their daily routines and all of the school is running smoothly," Larrison said. "They know that communities in the United states are the ones allowing their education to continue and are thankful for all of the support we give."
Schaeffer pre-sewed the bears in order for students to cut them out, stuff them and add eyes and facial decorations. She said students worked through their lunch periods to finish.
"It was humbling to be able to give to those in need," said Katelyn Hartsell, an eighth-grade student at the school.
"As the students worked, they were chatting about the refugees and how horrifying each day must be for them," Schaeffer said. "It's funny how a simple craft project turned into a wonderful learning opportunity."
Supportive messages are part of the Letters of Hope campaign introduced by Larrison. The letters are transported directly to the children inside Syria.
"They love to know that there are people here who genuinely care for their well-being," Larrison said. "My favorite part of the job is being able to share this support with the teacher at The Wisdom House, who is more than grateful for our efforts."
Lisa Academy, an open enrollment public charter school in Pulaski County, incorporated the Wisdom House as material students could use for their digital learning day projects. Students created digital presentations to teach simple English lessons with words and visuals.
"We let the students know that we have many photos and videos out of Syria from our school for orphans, The Wisdom House," Larrison said. "If they are in journalism or English or EAST, they can write a report or compile footage to make a video that would let other people know about what is going on."
The SETF has provided computers and projectors to the school. Teachers at the Wisdom House can use the supplies to show the presentations to her students between the ages of 3-6.
Lakeside sophomore Jasmin Gonzales provided the SETF with a short documentary last week to be used in the group's newsletter and social media pages. She used material provided by the SETF, as well as Larrison and Moustafa's presentations at Lakeside.
"I was incredibly moved by Jasmin's video," Larrison said. "It is so powerful and well-made, but the most impressive part was Jasmin's initiative to actually do something. Our presentations can be emotional because the students are learning some horrible truths about the world and it is important that we give them something to do with that sadness or feelings of helplessness."
Idlib is not under government control, making it vulnerable to attacks by the regime of President Bashar al-Assad and the Russian Air Force. Assad has repeatedly denied responsibility for chemical weapons attacks.
The U.S. responded two days after the attack in Idlib with a targeted airstrike on the Shayrat airfield. Defense Secretary James Mattis and Gen. Joseph Votel, commander of U.S. Central Command, provided updates Tuesday about the American military's strategy in Syria.
"We targeted 59 locations on the airfield and struck 57 of those," Votel said. "We assess that we achieved our stated objective. And the regime's ability to generate offensive military capability from Shayrat airfield, which we assess was the launching point for this chemical attack, has been severely degraded."
Mattis alleged the attack destroyed 20 aircraft, an estimated 20 percent of Assad's functioning, fixed-wing combat aircraft. Votel said no personnel were targeted in the airstrike. Mattis said the U.S. knew of Russians at the airfield and took steps to make sure none of them were harmed in the attack.
"This military action demonstrates the United States will not passively stand by while Assad blithely ignores international law and employs chemical weapons he had declared destroyed," Mattis said.
The White House released a declassified report on Tuesday accusing the Russian and Syrian governments of attempting to confuse the international community about the chemical weapon attack through disinformation and "false narratives." Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is scheduled for meetings in Moscow today.
"The Syrian regime attacked its own people, using chemical weapon," Mattis said. "I have personally reviewed the intelligence and there is no doubt the Syrian regime is responsible for the decision to attack and for the attack itself."
Mattis said the airstrike was a singular response to the attack in Idlib.
"Our military policy in Syria has not changed," Mattis said. "Our priority remains the defeat of ISIS. ISIS represents a clear and present danger and immediate threat to Europe and, ultimately, a threat to the United States homeland."
ISIS entered Syria after the civil war began on the side of the rebels, but civilians later rebelled against the group's extreme practices. Assad's forces and ISIS do not combat each other and instead focus their attacks on civilians and rebels.
Mattis said no authority has been given to the U.S. military for pre-emptive strikes to Assad's regime if another chemical weapons attack appears imminent.
Local on 04/12/2017