Abigail Cipparone stands with her brother, Hugh, in front of a store in Israel-Palestine during their visit there last year.

The schools selected need school supplies and backpacks and so the students are collecting gently used or new backpacks to give to the school children.  They seek school supplies that are geared towards ages 5 to 16.

During their spring break from April 11 to 21, the students will pack the school supplies and backpacks into their suitcases and travel to Israel and Palestine with the 2013 Tree of Life Journey, a program of the Tree of Life Educational Foundation.  The students will join 18 other travelers to visit these schools.   They will also meet with those in Israel and Palestine who have distinguished themselves as Jewish, Muslim and Christian voices of conscience and peace.

Abigail Cipparone attends Lyme-Old Lyme High School while Anyssa Dhaouadi is a student at New London Science and Tech High School and Lia Scala is at the Fisher’s Island School.  Isabella and Leland Hine go to Lyme Consolidated School.

In addition to school supplies and backpacks, Tamer Alshouri, a Palestinian musician and teacher at the Shepherd’s Field School, indicated that his school needs musical instruments.   Alshouri, who performed at the 2012 Tree of Life Conference in Old Lyme with musicians from the Berklee College of Music, suggested a Syrian Qanun for the school.  The student travelers are seeking monetary donations to purchase the Syrian Qanun, which costs around $1,200.

Palestinian children enjoy making music.

“During my travels to Palestine last year, I saw how much the children I met appreciate things we find ordinary in the United States, like school supplies, backpacks and musical instruments,” said Abigail Cipparone.   “I hope through these gifts from our local community, we can show how much we care about students living in difficult conditions.”

Those who wish to contribute funds to this project are requested to send a check payable to TOLEF to:

Tree of Life Educational Fund
c/o The First Congregational Church of Old Lyme
2 Ferry Road
Old Lyme, CT 06371

Contributors should put in the memo portion of the check: “PACKS FOR PEACE”

All contributions are tax deductible.  Backpacks and school supplies can be donated at either the Second Congregational Church of New London or the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme.

The Lyme-Old Lyme High School Model United Nations Conference team gathers for a group photo with their advisor, LOLHS physics and chemistry teacher Glenn Elliott (back row, second from right.)

For the first time in more than 20 years, Lyme-Old Lyme High School (LOLHS) was represented at a Model United Nations (MUN)  Conference.  This conference was held at UMASS Amherst.

Dealing with a variety of current and historical topics, delegates struggled to find solutions to some of the world’s most intractable problems.  Using parliamentary procedure as practiced at the UN, delegates in these Crisis Action Committees tried to pass directives or release communiques to resolve the issues.

Lyme-Old Lyme High School MUN Secretary General Tom Crisp represented the President of Armenia and rode a tight line between its oil source Iran and democratic ally, the United States.  In the same Crisis Action Committee of the Central Asian Summit was Phil Hallwood, who portrayed the CEO of Chevron and represented all US oil companies.

Lyme-Old Lyme High School Director General Liam Corrigan took on the role of Pol Pot in the anti-French resistance and worked with other Vietminh including junior Graham Richartz to coordinate attacks.

Hannah Paynter  was the European commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Hannah Wilczewski was a representative of Doctors without Borders.  Together they were constantly rebuffed trying to get humanitarian aid to refugees in Bangladesh from the Rahkine state in Myanamar until they turned world opinion on the government of Myanamar.

Senior Crow Sheehan, pictured left, and sophomore Eric Pan played various members of the North Korean cabinet dealing with the emotional antics of Kim Jong Un.

Josh Swanski, Sam Winter and Harry Godfrey-Fogg had various positions in the Apple Board of Directors struggling with the reform of odious factory working conditions in China.

Although all of the LOLHS delegates were rookies and there were more than 300 delegates from 30 different high schools from throughout New England and New York, Sheehan captured the award for the Most Outstanding delegate in his 30-member Crisis Action Committee of the North Korean Cabinet.

Significantly, all delegates gained valuable negotiating experience and learned a great deal of both history and current affairs.

The Model UN Club is planning to attend two conferences next year, one in the autumn and another in the spring.

The LOLHS Model UN club is still seeking members.

Old Lyme Selectwoman Mary Jo Nosal is still smiling despite finding her front yard “flocked!”

The committee for the Lyme-Old Lyme High School Class of 2013 Safe Grad Party has come up with an ingenious fund-raising idea.  The members are offering to “flock” anyone who lives in Lyme or Old Lyme with pink flamingoes – either 12 or 24 dependent on the size of donation.

The flock of flamingoes arrive under cover of darkness and then quietly disappear the next day, after the property owner has had a good chuckle at the sight of the surprise visitors in his yard.

Flamingoes cannot be delivered to an apartment address or on public property.  Your arranged migration of flamingoes can be anonymous or credited.

Minimum suggested donation for a dozen flamingoes is $10 and for two dozen $20.  Contact Desiree Cika at descika@comcast.net to arrange your “flocking” of a friend.