Reading a book as an entire community encourages literacy, highlights reading and serves to unite the community through a common experience. Many of you may remember our first One Book day in which the entire school read Henry Hikes to Fitchburg, a picture book about Henry David Thoreau and then participated in multi-age discussion groups and other activities inspired by the book. It was a very successful celebration of books and reading as well as community. We are looking forward to another One Book experience next year, even though it will be very different from our Henry Hikes to Fitchburg day.
We have chosen Greg Mortenson’s book Three Cups of Tea as our all-community read for 2010-11. This book directly addresses both ideals and concepts that are intrinsic to our school community. It is now published in three versions: an illustrated picture book, a junior version, and the original book, making it the ideal book for an all school experience. The English Department is asking students entering grades 5 -12 to read Three Cups of Tea in addition to their summer reading book. Lower School teachers will be sharing the picture book Listen to the Wind with their classes in the fall. You can order books for yourselves and/or your children at a discounted cost by filling out this form and returning it to school by May 12.
For those of you who don’t know the book, Three Cups of Tea is the true story of mountain climber Greg Mortenson, and how he has changed the lives of 58,000 school children (many of which are girls, otherwise denied schooling) in his quest to bring education to Pakistan's and Afghanistan's rural villages. In the wake of our country’s military involvement in the region, it seems especially pertinent to present our students, and all of the MFS community with a book that puts a face on a very far-away place, and presents opportunity for genuine change through education and peace. In addition, it offers the possibility to serve as a focal point for service as it may be possible to raise money to help Mortenson’s Central Asia Institute continue to build schools in the Pakistan/Afghanistan region.
So instead of devoting one special day to the book, we are to hoping to infuse the school year with Mortenson’s ideas and ideals by planning a variety of activities around the book throughout the year.
We are in the beginning stages of this process and would like to invite you to participate in whatever way you would like, - from reading the book with your child - to helping us create meaningful experiences around it, - to participating in those experiences.
A MS/US committee of parents, students, faculty & staff is now being formed. If you are interested in serving on the committee please email Maggie Beck (mbeck@mfriends.org) or Martha Reilly (mreilly@mfriends.org.) A committee of LS parents and teachers is also in the works. Please contact Deb Alterman (dalterman@mfriends.org) if you are interested in participating.
More About Three Cups of Tea
Mortenson's book begins in 1993, when he was descending K2, the world's second highest mountain, and by happenstance found a small village of Korphe in the remote Karakoram region of the Himalayas. When recovering from his near fatal climbing attempt, he noticed village children scratching their lessons in the dirt. As a parting promise, made in response to the villagers' generosity and care, he promised to return and build a school. It took over 580 letters for support and approval, and required the building of a bridge across the rugged terrain, but eventually his first school was built. In his role as co-founder of the Central Asia Initiative, many other facilities have been built, and he has since established more than 130 schools and vocational centers in areas rife with political discord.
--Martha Reilly, Head Librarian
