Moorestown+Friends+School


 * This is from the Moorestown Friends School in Moorestown, NJ:

2010-2011 Proposal for an All School Read  ** For a number of years, adults in the MFS community have read a common book over the summer and come together in September to discuss the book. These books have directly addressed or touched on ideals or concepts that are intrinsic to our school community’s mission. This year, we would like to propose that the entire community, faculty, staff, parents, and students, read a common book. //Three Cups of Tea//, by Greg Mortenson, is now published in three versions: an illustrated picture book, a junior version, and the original book, and thus is an ideal book to be read by all members of our community. Reading a book as an entire community not only encourages literacy and reading across all ages, it also serves to unite the community through a common experience. The major goal of this all-school read would be community cohesiveness, as well as education about a very important part of our current world. In addition, it could serve as a focal point for service as we could incorporate opportunities to raise money to help Mortenson’s Central Asia Institute continue to build schools in the Pakistan/Afghanistan region. This book has been successfully used for community reads throughout the US: in public libraries, public and private schools, and universities. The availability of three reading level versions of the book makes it a perfect book to be read by all facets of the MFS community. // Three Cups of Tea // is the true story of mountain climber Greg Mortenson, and how he has changed the lives of 58,000 school children (many of which are girls, otherwise denied schooling) in his quest to bring education to Pakistan's and Afghanistan's rural villages. Mortenson's book begins in1993, when he was descending K2, the world's second highest mountain, and by happenstance found a small village of Korphe in the remote Karakoram region of the Himalayas. When recovering from his near fatal climbing attempt, he noticed village children scratching their lessons in the dirt. As a parting promise, made in response to the villagers' generosity and care, he promised to return and build a school. It took over 580 letters for support and approval, and required the building of a bridge across the rugged terrain, but eventually his first school was built. In his role as co-founder of the Central Asia Initiative, many other facilities have been built, and he has since established more than 130 schools and vocational centers in areas rife with political discord. When the book was first published, Mortenson fought against the publisher’s subtitle, "One Man's Mission to Fight Terrorism One School at a Time", and the edition sold only 20,000 copies. He prevailed upon the publishers to change the subtitle for the 2007 paperback edition to his first choice, "One Man's Mission to Promote Peace One School at a Time." Mortenson explained his reasoning for the subtitle in a talk given in [|Fairfield, Connecticut] : "If you just fight terrorism, it's based in fear. If you promote peace, it's based in hope." In the wake of the announcement of our country’s increased military involvement in the region, it seems especially pertinent to present our students, and all of the MFS community with a book that puts a face on a very far-away place and presents opportunity for genuine change through education and peace.  Starred Review from **School Library Journal:**  “Holding true to the original title for adults, //Three Cups of Tea// (Viking, 2006), this moving story will amaze and inspire young readers. After getting lost while climbing the world's second tallest mountain, the K2 in the Baltistan region of Pakistan, Mortenson, a nurse, stumbled into a small village and learned of the dire circumstances in which local people lived. While recovering, Dr. Greg met the children of Korphe, who were eager to learn but were forced to write their lessons with sticks on the ground. Wanting to do something special for the village, he was encouraged by wise man Haji Ali to "listen to the wind." Dr. Greg listened, heard the eager voices of students at their lessons, and promised to return to build a school. The remarkable account of this quest, which involved constructing a bridge and manually carrying supplies to the building site, is magnificently enhanced by Roth's colorful collages. As explained in an artist's note, she incorporated fabric, bits of paper, and other fibers into the scenery in appreciation of the Balti people's aesthetic use of scraps. "A Korphe Scrapbook" follows the story, displaying photographs of the events, the village's inhabitants, and the librarian who helped to fill this school and the 57 more schools that have since been built in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Readers are informed that it is easy to make a difference by donating pennies to support education in impoverished countries. This truly exceptional and moving title should not be missed.” Michele Shaw, Quail Run Elementary School, San Ramon, CA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.  || Review from **School Library Journal**: “Hiking in the mountains of Pakistan in 1993, Mortenson got lost. He found his way to a small village where the locals helped him recover from his ordeal. While there, he noticed that the students had no building and did all of their schooling out of doors. Motivated to repay the kindness he had received, he vowed to return to the village and help build a school. Thus began his real life's journey. Mortenson's story recounts the troubles he faced in the U.S. trying to raise the money and then in Pakistan, trying to get the actual supplies to a remote mountain location. His eventual success led to another, and yet another, until he established a foundation and built a string of schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Mortenson manages to give the story an insider's feel despite being an outsider himself. His love of the region and the people is evident throughout and his dedication to them stalwart. The writing is lively, if simplistic, and for the most part the story moves along at a fairly quick clip. In this specially adapted edition for young people, new photographs and an interview with Mortenson's young daughter, who often travels with him, have been added.” Jody Kopple, Shady Hill School, Cambridge, MA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. || Starred Review from **Publisher’s Weekly** “Some failures lead to phenomenal successes, and this American nurse's unsuccessful attempt to climb K2, the world's second tallest mountain, is one of them. Dangerously ill when he finished his climb in 1993, Mortenson was sheltered for seven weeks by the small Pakistani village of Korphe; in return, he promised to build the impoverished town's first school, a project that grew into the Central Asia Institute, which has since constructed more than 50 schools across rural Pakistan and Afghanistan. Coauthor Relin recounts Mortenson's efforts in fascinating detail, presenting compelling portraits of the village elders, con artists, philanthropists, mujahideen, Taliban officials, ambitious school girls and upright Muslims Mortenson met along the way. As the book moves into the post-9/11 world, Mortenson and Relin argue that the United States must fight Islamic extremism in the region through collaborative efforts to alleviate poverty and improve access to education, especially for girls. Captivating and suspenseful, with engrossing accounts of both hostilities and unlikely friendships, this book will win many readers' hearts. “(Mar.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. ||  Mortenson’s newest book, **//Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books, Not Bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan//** is due out Dec. 1, 2009 and continues the story begun in **//Three Cups of Tea//**.
 * Maggie Beck **
 * Martha Reilly **
 * Overview of the Book **
 * The picture book version is accessible to all, but will probably be most meaningful for LS students K-4. It is currently available in hardback for $16.99 ($11.95 from Amazon) ** ||
 * The picture book version is accessible to all, but will probably be most meaningful for LS students K-4. It is currently available in hardback for $16.99 ($11.95 from Amazon) ** ||
 * The Middle School Version is suggested for grades 5-8. We think it will work well for grade 4 and perhaps any another younger precocious readers as well. It will be available in paperback January 2010 for $8.99. The library also owns an audio copy of the book as a Playaway. ** ||
 * The Middle School Version is suggested for grades 5-8. We think it will work well for grade 4 and perhaps any another younger precocious readers as well. It will be available in paperback January 2010 for $8.99. The library also owns an audio copy of the book as a Playaway. ** ||
 * For Upper School students and any interested community adults including parents, this is available in paperback $9.36 (Amazon) and hardcover for $16.35. ** ||
 * For Upper School students and any interested community adults including parents, this is available in paperback $9.36 (Amazon) and hardcover for $16.35. ** ||

On a service note: Mortenson’s Central Asia Institute is the sponsor of “The Pennies for Peace” website [].

The original “Pennies for Peace” was conceived by students in a Wisconsin elementary school in 1996. Since then, over 16 million pennies have been raised by over 700 schools in all 50 states, including over 10 million pennies in the past year. The program is designed to educate children about the world beyond their experience and show them that they can make a positive impact on a global scale, one penny at a time. To date, the Central Asia Institute has established 130 schools, educating over 51,000 students, with an emphasis on girls’ education. The organization can help us by providing ideas as well as other promotional materials to get us started on our own “Pennies for Peace” campaign.