Kenyan school named 'Soaring Eagle'
Sauk Prairie Middle School students earned the right to name a school in Kenya after winning a national penny war aimed at raising funds for the construction of a school abroad.
Sauk Prairie students raised the most money for the national Penny School Project and chose the name "Soaring Eagle" for the new school, which will be translated into Swahili.
The national project raised $7,542.
— Todd Krysiak
Scott Ruplinger, who came up with the Penny School Project, recently sent this e-mail to his sister, Kim Ruplinger, who also is a Sauk Prairie Middle School teacher, updating her class on the status of the project:
"Friday May 22-Roads are dry enough as long as it doesn't rain this afternoon to pick up the first 4,000 of 10,000 bricks purchased. The "constructor"(think general contractor meets architect meets builder) will be here this morning to mark out what needs to be dug for the foundation. We have two guys ready to start digging and should finish in two days.
Monday May 25-pick up a truck full of sand. We have already picked up rocks so we only need cement from town. The constructor and three men will start the foundation and walls.
Mid June-all walls should be complete and we will be waiting on timbers and iron sheeting for the roof.
July-building should be complete. This phase will be a 5 room building with four being classrooms. The middle room will be subdivided into storage, headmasters office, and teachers office.
August-I will return to meet with the candidates Emmanuel has narrowed down for headmaster. Start construction on desks as well as find 4 or 5 teachers. (There is already a short list started for both positions)
November-final enrollment/recruitment of students. File paperwork with ministry of education, request an inspection.
January-school opens with first class of free education in the area.
Location-The school is located approximately 40km(25 miles) outside of Eldoret in the Rift Valley. To reach it you go about 15km(10 miles) on paved road then 15 miles on dirt. You pass a community center(essentially 10-15 small huts that people sell produce and random stuff as well as congregate) and 1k (half mile) further is the school. It sits on a hill overlooking a large valley with a stream.
As it is on Emmanuel's donated land there is currently Maize planted (which we will move the plants as needed for construction).
After harvest in September the entire field from the road to the building will be planted with grass for the children to play as well as a track marked out.
Random Tidbits:
Met with the village(about 20,000 people) chief several times and he is very excited and helpful
Met with a member of parliament(essentially like a US Senator) in Eldoret for lunch and he has backed us as well as will come out to the school when it is completed(huge honor).
Meet with the world bank and athletics Kenya on Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss a grant or loan to build several more in the area.
A single brick costs 8 Ksh(about 10 cents) and is made from clay/mud and then dried for months. (We will use about 10,000)
Sand costs about 3000 Ksh($40) per truck(we will use 1 or 2)
Cement is 860 Ksh($11) per 50 lb bag(we will use about 120)
Rocks are 9000 Ksh($120) per truck(we have enough already)
Timber is expensive and will cost about 70000 Ksh($900) to hold up the roof
Iron sheeting will make up the roof and costs 3000($40) per sheet.
The diggers and workers will be paid 250($3.25) Ksh per day and we expect about 20 days of work.
The constructor will be paid 100000($1,350) for his work
Transportation is very expensive and 7000($100) per load of materials needed.
(Other random fast fact-I am the first white person most of these people have seen in 2-3 years."