Eighth Graders Wanting to Make a Difference

We, Poppy Denyer and Siena Landay, are two 8th graders who attend Santa Monica Alternative School House (SMASH), and we want to try to make a difference in our world. Members of our class all do projects to help the communities, be they near or far. The two of us have decided that we want to provide school supplies — and a few fun things — for children in Mexico who do not have them.

Since the Ha-Ha is a large group of boats headed down to Mexico, we wonder if members of your fleet might be willing to help out. Specifically, we need boats to carry the school supplies and other stuff down to Mexico, then pass them out to kids who need them. The kids need such supplies in order to have lifelong opportunities of success.

We’re also hoping that Edison Language Academy, the elementary school we attended, and our current school, can become sister schools with ones in Mexico. The Edison kids study Spanish, and becoming pen pals with students in Mexico can help them with their skills as well as developing friendships. SMASH also celebrates Spanish language skills and our neighbors in Mexico. Such ‘exchange’ programs would also help us kids in Santa Monica realize how different our lives are from kids in Mexico.

We will be bringing the school and other supplies to the Ha-Ha Kick-Off Party at the West Marine Super Store in San Diego on Sunday, October 26. Are there any members of the Ha-Ha fleet who would be willing to transport and distribute some of the materials we collect? We thank you in advance.