March 18, 2013 7:52 pm : News

200 members and more than $40,000 raised so far, makes Students for Senegal the largest student-run club at MHS.  Over February break, seventeen of the club’s members went on an eight day, eye opening, excursion into the heart of Senegal.  They returned with new found motivation for their cause and the knowledge and experience to make extending the gift of education to the people of Senegal a reality.

Students for Senegal was started four years ago by Amary Seck and his chemistry students and has evolved into something so much more then Mr. Seck could ever have dreamed of.  The club has recently begun collaborating with the acclaimed architecture firm BKSK Architects (the designers of the Mamaroneck Library) who will be assisting in Students for Senegal’s goal of constructing a learning center in the village of Lambaye, Senegal–Mr. Seck’s home village.

The trip was an amazing experience for the seventeen students, two chaperones, and one architect that accompanied Mr. Seck.  “Returning home for me is always exciting, I have so many memories, but when the kids stepped off the bus…you could just see the looks on their faces…it was like wow, we’re really here,” Seck said.  Kayla Robinson, one of the students who accompanied Mr. Seck, said, “The trip was life changing, the best moment for me was when, on our first day, I entered a house in the village and this little four year old girl leaped into my arms, it was the most welcoming and heart warming hug I’ve ever had.”  Jennifer Preston, the BKSK Architects representative on the trip, and the rest of the travelers were able to accomplish one of the trip’s main objectives: securing a site on which to construct the Lambaye Learning Center.  Construction is expected to start early next year.

Students for Senegal’s annual gala is approaching fast. Josh Kriss, co-president of Students for Senegal, said, “This is our biggest event of the year, we’ve done this for the last two years, and each time, I’ve loved watching how the community comes together to support both the students in Lambaye and the students in Mamaroneck to further this great cause.”  The gala will take place Wednesday, April 10th from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Molly Spillane’s, 211 Mamaroneck Avenue.  Throughout the night, there will be raffle items and auction prizes including Beyoncé tickets, Giants Tickets, and Houses in Montana and Jackson Hole, Wyoming as well as smaller prizes such as iTunes gift cards and other local store credits.  The Architects from BKSK will also be unveiling the first renderings of the Lambaye Learning Center.  Tickets will be sold at the door and are $50.

With so much excitement from the progress being made on both the fundraising and building planning fronts, the club is anticipating a very large turnout at their gala. Students for Senegal hopes that you will come to support, learn, and get involved with this great cause.