For Immediate Release

Thursday, Nov. 29, 2018

Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net

Oyster River Students Implement Power of One Project to Help with Completion of Water Project in Africa

DURHAM – Principal Suzanne Filippone is pleased to announce that Oyster River High School students Sophie Sullivan and Mia Hricz raised $900 to assist with the completion of an essential water project in Africa.

The two sophomores implemented a Power of One project last year as part of a grade-wide unit where students worked to resolve pressing local, national and global issues.

Hricz and Sullivan chose to raise money for The Water Project — a nonprofit organization that works to bring reliable water programs to communities in sub-Saharan Africa that are in need of clean water and proper sanitation.

Last spring, students spent 17 weeks working on their Power of One projects. During that time, Hricz and Sullivan created Sophie and Mia’s Campaign for Water, leading their cause with the message: “Today, too many children suffer needlessly – walking miles for dirty water that makes them sick. We can change that.”

“It’s amazing to see Sophie and Mia’s project come to fruition,” said social studies teacher Matthew Pappas. “The Power of One project is all about making a positive change in the community, region or world, and that’s exactly what these two students achieved.”

In September, the $900 raised through Hricz and Sullivan’s campaign helped contribute to allowing The Water Project to build a water catchment system, a hand washing station and provided hygiene and sanitation training at the Kyamatula Primary School in southeastern Kenya.

The catchment system works by collecting rainwater from strategic areas of the school’s roof, which then enters a custom guttering system that filters out debris and leads to a storage tank. Water can be stored for months, is easily treated in the tank and is accessible through taps.

“I thought it was pretty cool to see the impact of what our project had on people’s lives,” Sullivan said. “I would highly suggest this for future freshman students’ projects.”

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