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 AAH student, Natseli Godfrey (in white), took the award for lead vocalist in the folk song Primary School Music Competitions take place every year in Uganda, and each year Arlington Academy of Hope eagerly participates. However, 2010 was a miraculous year for AAH because it finally reached its ultimate goal and qualified for the NATIONAL level! This was an enormous success for Arlington Academy of Hope because it had been a long journey since the choir began competing in 2004. This is a National Education program on the Uganda National Curriculum and is one way of promoting students’ talents. For Arlington Academy of Hope the success was two-fold; first of all, getting to such a height raises the bar of excellence, but secondly, and most important, the competitions helped AAH students gain important self-esteem. AAH, as a model school, is striving to encourage all children that they can be anything- no matter their background. Therefore, to all the students/children of Bududa in particular, this was a great inspiration. AAH made it through four levels of competition: zonal, district, regional, and finally competed in nationals. These competitions were held as an elimination system. The competition began in late July with the zonal competition at Bumwalye. Arlington emerged in first place out of 13 schools and then went on to the district finals in Bududa the following week. Again, AAH placed first and in early August the students and faculty traveled to Kapchorwa to represent the District at the regional competition. At the regional level, Arlington placed third, and the top three schools advanced to nationals in Kampala. This year students worked so hard to reach the top level. They trained morning and evening and this hard work paid off when Arlington represented all of Bududa District at the National Theatre in Kampala. The five-day national competition began on August 17th and concluded on the 21st. Arlington performed different pieces, including: drama, poem, speech, original song and dance, traditional song, Western folk song, instrumental and sight reading. After a week of intense competition, Arlington took thirteenth place! One AAH student, Natseli Godfrey, P5, received an award at nationals for “Best Lead Soloist” in the folk song! He did a wonderful job, as did the whole Arlington choir. The students and teachers were all so excited and proud of their hard work. Arlington Academy of Hope has a long history of surpassing expectations and proving that nothing is every out of reach for AAH students. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity and all were thrilled to reach Kampala, a first for many! However, Arlington staff and students could not have done all of this without the help and support of the sponsors who contributed the funds necessary to take the program as far as Kampala. As one can imagine, a large amount of money was required to take all the choir members and staff to Kampala for the competition- including funds for bus transportation, accommodations, food and other expenses. Therefore, this journey would not have been possible with the help of all the US sponsors and AAH Board. Thank you all for funding the music program at Arlington. It was such a proud moment to represent the whole Bududa District in Kampala. Arlington Academy of Hope has an outstanding music program, thanks to the hard work from the teachers and students, and the generous funding from the U.S.
 AAH students performing their instrumental piece  A final ending to the original dance piece!  Students impressed the judges with their dancing skills!  Music teacher and AAH students work hard to perfect their instrumental piece.  AAH's choir on stage performing the Western piece.
AAH Volunteers
By  Caitlin Green and Carolyn Edlebeck Arlington Academy of Hope works very hard to raise intelligent and driven students. In order for AAH students to be successful, it is important that the Arlington staff and community continue to inform and sensitize the students, especially the girls, with all the necessary life skills. As the young girls at AAH begin to grow and mature there are many issues that they face as they move from the rural setting to their new secondary boarding schools. Therefore, a P7 Girls retreat was organized with the aim of giving the P7 girls an added foundation of self-confidence and understanding of how to lead a healthy lifestyle before they move on to higher education. On August 6th-7th, the P7 girls joined AAH teachers on a weekend retreat to St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Mbale. Chaperones for the retreat included: P1 teacher- Grace Lusweswe, P7 teacher- Miriam Nabafu, Volunteer Coordinator- Carolyn Edlebeck, and volunteer- Caitlin Green. The retreat group left the village at 10:00am on Friday morning and returned at 6:00pm the following day. All of the girls were so excited to have an overnight retreat and showed great enthusiasm for the purpose of the retreat. The two-day retreat was full of activities and speakers for the P7 girls. The topics covered included: Behavior and Self-Confidence, Relationships, Health, and the Future. Five speakers from varying backgrounds came to speak to the girls on Friday and Saturday, giving expert advice on many issues, ranging from HIV/AIDS, personal health, future goals, career aspirations, and the importance of having good, healthy relationships. One speaker, Justine Auma, was a clinical officer who spoke to the girls about health and hygiene. Another speaker was Pastor Frank Nankunda, who created a wave of excitement for the future and the importance of continuing education. The overall goal of the retreat was to equip the girls with useful and important information so that they could have control of their futures, health, and sexuality. Overall, the retreat was a huge success! As Nakuti Carolyne in P7 commented, “I learned so much in Mbale. Now, I don’t think any girl in our class will drop out of school. I was so grateful for all the information our teachers and other speakers shared with us. I will never forget them. They have inspired me to have a successful future.” All the girls enjoyed the speakers and the activities that the coordinators had planned. Between speakers, everyone played games, had relay races, and listened to music. At the end of the retreat, each girl received a gift bag that included: two pairs of underpants, a bar of soap, jar of rubbing oil, shoe polish, a toothbrush, and toothpaste. This was a very successful and fun-filled event, for both the teachers and students. Hopefully, this will become the model for future girls’ retreats because the value and importance of sharing information with young girls is critical for their success in secondary school and beyond.
A Students Reflection
It was on 6th of August, 2010 that the Primary Seven girls from Arlington Academy of Hope left for a two day retreat to Mbale. The retreat was held at St. Andrew’s Cathedral Guest House. When we arrived on Friday morning, we had our breakfast and then began the business of the retreat. The first speaker was named Madam Jesica, who first told us about her life up to now. She talked about how girls should not be taken up or persuaded by men or boys. She also told us that girls should not be like sheep, which don’t know where they are going. Girls should have a path and not be lost in life. The presenter after Madam Jesica was Madam Mary. Madam Mary told us about how to make our future bright and successful. She also told us about the importance of taking care of ourselves and protecting ourselves as girl children. Next was a speaker named Madam Christine who held an HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases information session. She talked about what HIV/AIDS stands for, and how it is spread, prevented, and controlled. She told us the signs and symptoms of the diseases, and concluded her lecture by sensitizing us on how to be safe from HIV/AIDS as girls of Arlington Academy of Hope. Then she advised us not to have sex at an early stage because it is one way to get HIV/AIDS. After the morning speakers, we went to a restaurant in Mbale to have lunch. We had a very nice and heavy lunch that everybody enjoyed and we gave much thanks to the school for organizing the retreat. It was really fun for all us girls. After lunch, we came back and continued with the program. Madam Justine came and took us through a session about behavior and body changes. She told us how to manage our periods and how to keep ourselves clean during menstruation. After she finished at 7:00 pm, we went to bathe and then had supper. After supper at the guest house, we went to play games. All of the games were enjoyable and we even watched a movie called “Ice Age.” It was very interesting and no one wanted to go to bed and sleep. The following morning, we went to bathe and then played some games before breakfast. As soon as we had finished all sorts of games, we went to the dining hall to have breakfast. Our final teacher for the retreat was Mr. Nakunda Frank who talked about life skills. He said that we are as valuable as money, so we shouldn’t misuse our bodies. He was the most interesting person of all of the speakers that we had at the retreat. He promised to come visit our school. He made us very happy. In the afternoon, we had our final lunch. At around 3:00 pm, Teacher Carolyn and Caitlin took us to a super market and we bought all sorts of things we wanted. When the taxi came at around 4:30pm, we set off back to our homes. It was really nice and wonderful. All of the P7 girls wish to thank so much the US board and the school for having done all this, especially Teacher Carolyn and Caitlin who were the organizers of the retreat. How wonderful you are! God bless you!
   
AAH Volunteers
 On Monday, June 14, the Bowman Family visited Bumwalukani and Arlington Academy of Hope. Rob Bowman, Dina Esposito, and their 3 children, Christina, 15, Mariah, 13, and Robert, 9, have been living in Africa for the last 4 years. They spent the first 2 years of their time in Africa living in Addis Abba, Ethiopia, and the most recent 2 years have been spent in Nairobi, Kenya. Rob works as an attorney for the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi and Dina works for a development NGO. The family is returning to life in the USA this summer! Christina, who graduated from ATS, will start her sophomore year of high school in the fall and Mariah will be starting 8th grade. The youngest child, Robert will rejoin the community at ATS in September.
The family certainly made and impression on AAH! They came with gifts of school supplies and sports equipment, and each class, P1 through P7, now enjoys its own basketball or soccer ball. Rob and the Bowman children held a basketball clinic for the P5 students one morning and the whole family helped to teach some of the students how to use the new computers. One of the more popular programs to use was Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing! The Bowman Family also graciously began sponsoring two students from P5. The family met and interacted with the two boys throughout both days they were here.
Christina and Mariah attended a P7 math class, read to the P7 class during their library hour and were thrilled to find an old ATS Page and Pen book in the library which included stories they had written while at ATS. Robert was pleased to create an art supplies shelf in the library with some of the materials his family brought for the school. He labeled the cabinet “Robert’s box” so the AAH children will (hopefully!) remember him when they use it.
The Bowman Family made a lasting impression on the students at AAH. We are truly grateful for the time they spent here. Since this was the first ATS family to visit AAH in Uganda, all the staff and students felt very privileged to spend time learning from the family. Each class had questions for the family about their life in America, Africa, and what it was like to go to school at ATS. It was a wonderful cultural and educational exchange. AAH thanks the family tremendously for th   eir visit. We hope they keep in touch!
Primary School
 Q: Tell us about your background:
A: “I was born in Nairobi, Kenya and attended Kibera Primary School. My mother was a housewife and my father a mechanic. I have two brothers and six sisters (all currently living in Mbale). In 2000 my family moved to Mbale, Uganda. There I attended Mbale Secondary School from S1-S6 (six years). Then I went to Uganda Christian University for three years. This is the same university where the Head Master Thomas Kitandwe studied! After that I received a bachelor’s degree in Library and Information Science. Before working at Arlington I volunteered in the Mbale Public Library.”
Q: How did you find out about the librarian position at Arlington?
A: “I found out about the job from two friends. One friend is currently a worker in the Bupoto Clinic that Arlington runs and the other is a volunteer at the Christian University. They recommended that I apply.”
Q: How do you feel about leaving town and moving to the village?
A: “I like it here in Bumwalukani. Many things, such as food, are not as expensive as they are in town. However, there is rarely power and that is something I am not used to. However, I will endure the darkness. Also, in the village people are friendlier and take time to greet each other. This makes me feel welcome and happy. In Mbale Town people are usually very busy- going to work/shopping, and do not take the time to get to know one another.”
Q: What is your favorite food?
A: “I enjoy mushroom soup and of course matoke (Uganda staple food- boiled plantain).”
Q: What do you think is your biggest challenge as the new librarian?
A: “My biggest challenge is working with the very young children (P1 and P2 classes). I have never dealt with children so young but I am quickly learning how to handle the classes of 50 students and help them appreciate and enjoy the act of reading.”
Q: What is your favorite part of your new job?
A: “Although the young children are my greatest challenge, they are also my favorite part of my job. I enjoy reading stories for them and teaching them new things
Outreach
  Compiled by Tr. Shibale Richard Kakala
A teacher’s workshop was conducted at the AAH school premises starting
on Wednesday 26th- Friday 28th of May 2010. The purpose of the
workshop was to help all the teachers acquire knowledge and skills of
handling the transitions class, P4. This workshop was mainly for the
teachers of Grade 4, but also affected all teaches because they may at
one time teach the class. The workshop was important because the
Ministry of Education and Sports together with the National Curriculum
Centre have changed the Grade 4 curriculum. AAH needed a workshop to
stay on top of these changes. All AAH teachers participated. The
facilitators were P4 Tr. Shibale Richard, whom was trained to train
the others, and and Mr. Wanzala Abass, a previous trainer. The
workshop was organized in such a way that daily lessons were not much
affected.
Below are the topics that were covered:
1.) Background to Grade 4 curriculum
2.) Understanding Documents for P4
3.) The role of language for P4
4.) Methodology in P4
5.) Scheming, lesson planning, and assessment
6.) Challenges in implementing the P4 curriculum
7.) Demonstrations
Bududa Emergency - 2010 Landslide
  Although the major landslide occurred several months ago, there is still a pressing need for aid and assistance for the displaced residents of the affected areas. Arlington has continued to support the IDP camp in Bulucheke by donating items, building structures, and distributing goods.
This past term, before students departed for term break, the upper classes (P6 and P7) organized dozens of large sacks of clothing and shoes into smaller bundles for individual families at the camp. Then all 100 students and over 15 staff members spent all afternoon until evening personally walking from tent to tent distributing the items. These items had been donated by Bukumbale Primary School, Kampala City School, and Buyobo Women Microfinance Initiative. Donations included: maize flour, soap, salt, clothing, shoes, and other food items. Each of these institutions asked AAH to do the job of distributing their donated items because they trusted that AAH would get the task completed efficiently. That same day, AAH also supplied two truckloads of firewood, since this was an urgent need at the camp for cooking.
It was a job very well done by all staff and students of AAH. The residents of the camp were very grateful to all oh AAH’s hard work and commented on the direct efforts AAH has made. It was also a powerful learning experience for the Arlington students. They learned how important it is to give and to take time to help others in need.
Photos taken by AAH Director: James Nabitawo
Secondary School Program
 Report by: Kitsamba Davis and Wamboko Ronald from S3
It was a rainy, cold morning when we heard about the occurrence of the lands in Bududa. It seemed shocking to us who had parents, relatives, and friends there. Having heard the shocking news, we were worried about our lovely school, Arlington Academy of Hope, because it is neighbored by some hills. Fortunately, in the late evening we received a newspaper and we read about the incident. We read about people who survived and others who died. It seemed unimaginable! Those who survived are now being cared for in a camp, set-up by the government and other world organizations. We really appreciate the support from Arlington Academy of Hope for the displaced people.
(In the group photo taken at the landslide- Kitsamba is on the far left and Wamboko is on the far right.)
Events
by Elisa Joseph Anders
 
On April 30th, AAH Headmaster Thomas and I visited ThinkFun (makers of Math Dice, Rush Hour, and other mind-challenging games). We spoke with Founders Bill Ritichie and Andrea Barthello and curriculum specialist Charlotte Fixler about ways to work together to help AAH students develop critical thinking and math skills. They made excellent suggestions about games and logic puzzles that AAH can work into the curriculum. Thomas will return to Uganda with lots of ideas that he can discuss with the teachers and implement in and outside of the classroom. We appreciate ThinkFun’s enthusiastic support of our program and are pleased to further our partnership. Our relationship started last year, when ThinkFun donated 100 sets of Math Dice to AAH. (Read our post about Math Dice in Uganda on ThinkFun’s blog.)
The following week, Thomas and I visited Swanson Middle School for a day of sharing and learning. Principal Chrystal Forrester and Assistant Principal Bridget Loft were wonderful hosts. Bridget had arranged for Thomas to visit classrooms, meet with teachers, students, and counselors, and even listen to a few bands. The 8th grade World Geography classes had watched From One Village in December. Some of these students met with Thomas during lunch and asked him many questions about life and education in Uganda. Families of several of the students in this group sponsor students at AAH; one student’s family sponsors four AAH students!
Thomas was very impressed and grateful for the opportunity to see various types of learning and student engagement at the middle school level. Thomas will take a Swanson mug and backpack back to Uganda with him – and many ideas and memories from his special day at an outstanding US middle school. Many thanks to Chrys, Bridget, and the Swanson teachers and students who made time to share with Thomas.
Primary School
Arlington Junior School held an Open House at the end of April. This gave all of the student’s parents an opportunity to come and observe how a typical school-day runs at Arlington. It was a time for parent’s to ask teachers questions about their child’s performance and behavior, and to understand how hard their children work to succeed in their classes.
This was a great day for Caroline in P4 (age 11) and her father. Her father came to Arlington and sat in on her class, ate porridge break with her, and talked with the P4 teacher about her academic progress. This is what Caroline had to say about Open House at Arlington, “I was so happy to see my father and that he was able to come. Some of my friend’s parents could not come. That morning my father had to get up early and feed the animals so he could leave home early enough to get to my school. My father told me that he was proud because my teacher gave him a good report. He said he was happy because I was always early for school, while others were sometimes late. Also, I always revise my books and study hard. It was a nice day for me.”
Events
Thomas Kisolo Kitandwe, the headmaster of the AAH model primary school in Bumwalukani, Uganda, arrived on his first visit to the USA on Monday, April 26th. Thomas will be in the U.S. for nearly four weeks. Thomas was greeted by many familiar faces upon arrival and we look forward to introducing him to many new AAH friends over the coming weeks. Welcome Thomas!!
 John and Joyce Wanda and family host Thomas the first night of his nearly month-long trip to the U.S.  AAH Board Member and Arlington Traditional Principal Holly Hawthorne greets Thomas at Dulles Airport  AAH Board Member Cynthia Margeson welcomes Thomas to the U.S.  Thomas vists AAH sister school Arlington Traditional School for the first time.
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