Spanish Honor Society Gives Desks to Honduran Students

In the US, the standard of living is such that we often don’t realize that there are those who live without even the most basic necessities. Señora Natalie Murillo, head of the Foreign Language department at Archbishop Shaw, has taken this project very personally. Over the past few years, with help from her family and the community, Señora has spearheaded an effort to help improve the lives of school children in a small Honduran town. Roger Danilo Murillo Palma - a school located in La Sierra Del Destino, Yorito Yoro, Honduras - is nestled deep in the Central American Cordillera, a vast and densely-forrested mountain range that makes getting the goods necessary for education very difficult. While the Spanish Honor Society has collected and donated school necessities in the past, the school was in desperate need of classroom appointments. Since the school’s construction (by Señora Murillo’s brother-in-law), students have had to sit on old, uncomfortable benches that hurt their backs. With the help of Señora Murillo, her in-laws, and the Shaw community, the Spanish Honor Society came together and set up a bake sale and car wash to raise $1200 for these desperately-awaited desks. The fundraiser was a great success with the club raising over the set goal.

Last month, the excited students received their desks, eager to use them. While the students were clearly appreciative of the great gift their school had received, it is the friendship between their school and our community they are thankful for the most. The effort was also an important learning and bonding experience for Shaw students. Their combined effort were just a small part of the Shaw family taking action. The Spanish Honor Society has no plans of stopping their on- going relationship with their Honduran friends. The club intends to continue their fundraising to provide desperately needed school suppliesfor future students.