Danny and Pam Spitler represented the the Spitler School Foundation at a special ceremony at the White House on September 21, 2012.  Kiwanis International nominated the Spitlers for the White House Champions of Change award and White House officials made the final selection of award recipients.

Danny & Pam Spitler participate in a panel discussion at the White House

Danny and Pam’s two days in Washington DC included a reception at the Hart Senate Office building attended by four U.S. Senators including Senator Richard Lugar, of Indiana.

Danny and Pam Spitler meet U.S. Senator Richard Lugar in Washington DC

Spitler School held ceremonies for his 2012 graduation class.  Forty nine children received their 6th grade diplomas and a new bicycle which will enable them to continue their education at middle school.   Kyle Spitler, the son of the founders of the Spitler School Foundation, traveled to Cambodia to attend the graduation ceremony and visit with the staff and the students.   We appreciate the continued support from generous donors who made it possible to provide the graduates with their bicycles.

Students from Spitler School dance class perform at graduation

Representing the Spitler family Kyle Spitler presented certificates of appreciation to members of the Spitler School staff.

All graduates receive a bicycle, a uniform, and school supplies which enables them all to continue their education in middle school

At Spitler School we are pleased to share photographs of our recent graduation ceremonies. Forty six students were graduated from 6th grade. Many of this graduating class were kindergarten students when the school began in 2005, so we are very proud of this our second graduating class. Through our Class of 2011 scholarship fund we have raised enough funds to provide our graduates with the necessities they need to continue their education in middle school. Each graduate recieves a new bicycle, two school uniforms, and the necessary pens, pencils and notebooks that are required. As we are able to add funds to the scholarship fund we will be able to continue to support this class with additional assistance for items such as dental care, tutoring assistance, bicycle repairs, and incentives for good attendance and academic achievement.

The drop out rate in Cambodia, between grades 7 and 12 exceeds 70%, so it is important to the staff at Spitler School that we monitor and support our graduates so that we break this trend and help them stay in school to break the cycle of poverty that their families have experienced for years.

We invite you to visit the following website for some great photos of our graduation ceremonies: http://smu.gs/rgSbLr

The June 2011 issue of Kiwanis Magazine takes a look at how the Spitler School is inspiring the youth of Cambodia by providing an education in a climate conducive to growth.  Leap of Faith

January 2011 saw the kick off of the Spitler School dental program.   Working with a local clinic Sarin was able to negotiate favorable pricing for check ups, fillings, and extractions.  In the first month of the program over 100 children were treated.  More children will be treated as funds become available. 

We also send thanks to Dr. Scott Keith and his generous staff at their dental offices in Phoenix, AZ.  They have donated over 500 toothbrushes to be distributed to our students. 

We are celebrating the success of the Spitler School Volleyball team.  Our team took FIRST PLACE in the Siem Reap tournament.  The boys have worked and practiced hard to reach this level of competition.  Our coach has done a great job, and one of our neighbors, next door to the school, allowed us to use his property to build a volleyball court for our practice sessions.  Victory is great, but working together, learning together, and sportsmanship is what we are trying to teach. 

In September of 2010 Danny Spitler was able to make a long awaited return trip to Cambodia.  The trip was scheduled quickly, and timed to coincide with a visit from one of our major donors, Karsten Schroeder, and the opening ceremonies of the 2010-2011 school year.  Pam was unable to accompany Danny on this trip, but they exchanged emails and Danny updated the Spitler School Facebook page three times during his visit. 

Sarin and Ashley planned a wonderful day for Danny and Karsten starting with a visit to the school, where they were welcomed by a long line of students and teachers lining the roadway into the school.  

Danny, Karsten and Ashley arrive to a warm welcome.

 The visit included a visit with all of the graduated sixth grade students who brought their new bicycles to show Danny and Karsten. 

During their visit to the school Karsten and Danny presented snacks to the younger children and gave the graduates the notebooks, pens and pencils that they would need to attend middle school. 

Following the visit to the school Danny, Karsten, Ashley, Sarin, took seven new sixth grade students for a picnic and a day of swimming at one a beautiful waterfall.  We also took the children to visit one of the ancient temples built by their ancestors over a thousand years ago. 

The children experience their rich culture at the Bantrey Srey Temple built in the 10th Century

Upon our return we met the teachers at a local restaurant and treated them to a nice barbeque dinner.  

It was a very special day for Danny and Karsten, the staff and for many of the students.

 We are pleased to share this photo report from our very first graduation at Spitler School.  Since the school’s beginning in 2005, when it began with kindergarten, first and second grades, a grade has been added each year.  In September of last year we began our very first sixth grade class with 27 students.  

These students have worked hard this year to prepare themselves to continue their education at a government middle school.  Our volunteers have worked closely with sixth grade teacher, Dy Samnang, to help the students with their English skills.    

The school administrator, Sarin, along with our lead volunteer, Ashley, put together a meaningful graduation ceremony that was attended by parents and village leaders.  The ceremony was also attended by two local political dignitaries.   All of the graduates were awarded a beautiful graduation certificate to document their achievement.  

The sixth grade class was sponsored by the Hess family in California.  Rick and Carol Hess visited the Spitler School in early 2009 with their teenage daughters, Anna and Becca.  The Hess family donated funds that covered the teacher salary, uniforms and school supplies for the class.  The Hess family also offered to purchase a new bicycle for each of the graduates, which will give them each the opportunity to attend the government middle school located approximately three miles from the village.  

In true Cambodian fashion, after the ceremony, there was food and music and dancing.  

We welcome the opportunity to share these photos of the children who have worked hard for the past several years, and who now hold the hope of a better future for themselves and their families.  We also want to say a sincere THANK YOU to so many donors who have helped us to make this day possible. 

Local dignitaries attend the graduation ceremonies

Gifts are exchanged between students and village leaders

All graduates were awarded a new bicycle

Our top fifth grade student receivies a new bike for his academic performance

The first graduating class of Spitler School

Let the party begin

With the application of over 80 truckloads of a special red clay on to the newly prepared road surface the final stages of the village road construction began in earnest. 

Villagers participated in spreading the piles of red clay over the road surface and then heavy equipment was brought in to level and roll the material into a smooth surface. 

The village celebrated the completion of the road with a dinner party.   We are hopeful that this new road will result in greater safety and security for Spitler School teachers, visitors, and students  and the village as a whole.   We are also hopeful that it will provide an economic assistance as it will be much easier for villagers to move to and from their jobs and to get to and from the food markets. 

We are grateful to our donors who provided the funds to make this project possible. 

As we approach the end of 2009-2010 school year, we can reflect back with the realization that a great number of young lives have been touched and improved by the work of Sarin and the whole Spitler School staff, along with the generosity of our many friends, supporters, and Spitler family members.  

The past year has been our most ambitious when it comes to reaching beyond the school itself and into the community.  We have been very blessed with some generous donations in the past year, and this has given us the ability to provide much needed food to village families when the October floods wiped out the roads surrounding the village.  We were also able to provide mosquito netting, and we have continued to find new ways of providing clean water to our students and their families.  We are teaching and encouraging better hygiene throughout the village with our trash gathering programs and a new dentistry project   The most ambitious project was the building of a new road that would hold up to the heavy rainy season, which normally renders the road almost impassable, causing difficulties for everyone in the village as well as for our students and teachers.  

We are so pleased to share that the road project was completed in June after many dozens of truckloads of red clay were applied.  This followed several weeks of building up the road’s height and installing drainage ditches and culverts beneath the roadway.  The villagers participated in the spreading of the red clay before heavy equipment was brought in to roll the clay into a hard, water resistant surface. 

Our sixth grade students made good use of the brand new road, when Sarin, Ashley, and our sixth grade teacher, Dy Samnang, organized a field trip for the class.  This will be our first graduating class, and the drop out rate for students after finishing 6^th grade is extremely high.  It is our goal to encourage every one of our graduating sixth graders to continue their education at the closest government middle school.  This field trip was a visit to the middle school where the students will be attending next year to allow them to see their new school and meet with the school’s principle and teachers.   

  Sixth Grade Teacher, Dy Samnang loads up his students

Five Tuk Tuks carry the 26 students across our new red clay road

Sarin and Ashley meet with the middle school principle.

The students pose for a photo at their new school.

Through the generosity of the Hess family in California we will be able to give each of these students a new bicycle for transportation to the school, and the new road should allow them to get to their class regardless of the weather.  We will also be raising funds to make sure that they will have the required uniforms, footwear, and school supplies that the students must provide.  Many students drop out of school simply due to their family’s inability to provide these required items.  If any of our donors would be interested in sponsoring one of our graduating students we would be happy to facilitate making this happen.    

In the past several months we have been very pleased to welcome several volunteers to the Spitler School, who are sharing their knowledge with the children and the teachers, with a principle emphasis on the teaching of English.  Our “super volunteer,” Ashley McDonald, is well into her fourth month and has committed to several more months at the school.  We will be forever grateful to Ashley for all that she is contributing to the students of Spitler School.  We have also enjoyed shorter volunteer stints from Igna, from South Africa, Sally from Australia, and Molly from California.  We are currently enjoying the volunteer services of Richard from Australia, Helen from Great Britain, and Tina from the Netherlands.  We can’t even begin to provide enough thanks to these amazing people, who are willing to give of their time and talent in order to make a difference in the lives of so many needy children.  

  Ashley introduces students to her laptop computer                

 Richard, Ashley and Molly discuss lesson plans

 Sarin and the staff thank Tina and Molly  for volunteering at Spitler School

Here is a quote from Molly:  The Spitler School is a wonderful school and project.  All the children are so sweet and thankful for the opportunity to learn.  The time that I have spent here is one of the most rewarding times of my life.  I taught the kindergarten class in the morning and I have never had as much fun as I did with these children.  I wish everyone had the opportunity to come here and spend time with these wonderful children.  It has been an experience that I will never forget.”

These volunteers have given a terrific boost to our English programs.  Since the village is near the city of Siem Reap, which is very dependent on tourism, the ability to speak some English will greatly enhance the students’ opportunities for employment in any of the tourism related industries (hotels, restaurants, shops, transportation, etc.)

AND THIS LEADS TO OUR NEXT EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT

We will begin construction this month on a new building which will be dedicated to English teaching.  Prior to the beginning of the next school year starting in September we will be dedicating the new Cantoni Family English Building on the Spitler School campus.  Mr. Reto Cantoni visited the school with Sarin and learned of Sarin’s dream to have a building dedicated to the teaching of English using various teaching formats.  Reto contacted us and offered to provide funding for the new building, which will be available for students to enhance their English skills before and after their regular classes.  We will even use the building to provide tutoring and English instructions to our graduates.  Plans are still being explored for all of the great uses we will derive from this new building.  Everyone associated with the Spitler School sends their sincere thanks to Mr. Reto Cantoni and his wife and family for their caring spirit and their great generosity. 

Reto and his wife Esther live in Switzerland with their three 9-year old boys, who are triplets.  Reto explained that they are very grateful that their triplet boys are healthy and happy children, and they would like to help other children who are not as fortunate. 

We anticipate beginning construction soon on the new building in hopes of having it completed in time for the start of the new school year in September.  

Reto Cantoni visits Spitler School

The Cantoni family agrees to help make a new dream come true. 

While there is much good news to celebrated we would also like to share another story that is very typical of what happens far too often, when families are living in abject poverty.   It came to the staff’s attention that a 9-year-old girl student had been missing from school for several days.  Sarin was alerted and told that the student had been seriously ill for the previous two weeks.  Sarin and Ashley found the meager shelter where the family was living and found our student, Thon Kim, emaciated and unable to move.  She desperately needed medical attention, but the family had no money to transport her to the children’s hospital where treatment is free.   While trying to attend to Kim her mother had been unable to work at her road side food stand where she earns about a dollar a day.  Kim’s father earns $2.50 per day from construction when he is able to find work.  There are four children, two of which are orphans that the family has taken in and tries to care for.  They all try and survive in a small makeshift shelter. 

Sarin and Ashley immediately called for a Tuk Tuk to take Kim to the hospital where she has undergone three operations and is trying hard to survive.  Sarin has provided enough funds for the family to purchase some food which allows Kim’s mother to stay with her at the hospital.    

Sarin and Ashley arranged to get Kim to the hospital where she clings to life after several operations 

One of our fourth grade students is also in the hospital after he was bitten by a poisonous snake while trying to collect frogs and land crabs for his family to eat.  One of his fingers had to be amputated, and he remains in the hospital suffering from the effects of the poison in his body. 

We ask for your prayers for these two very young and very vulnerable children. 

 While our principle mission is to provide the best education possible for 450 students, the generosity of many friends has made it possible for us to reach out to the community and to help in other ways as well.  With Sarin’s abilities, and now with help from our volunteers, there are a number of new initiatives that we would like to explore if we can continue to generate a sufficient level of funding.  These would include such efforts as healthcare and hygiene programs, nutritional supplements to students, providing new uniforms, tutoring programs, computer classes, etc. 

 Our fiscal year ended on June 30 so we are preparing for our year end audit.  As always a complete financial recap is available to any of our contributors upon request.  The administrative cost to operate the foundation is always paid by the Spitler family so that all donations are directed strictly to the school and our other charitable efforts in the community.   

 All of our students, teachers, and volunteers wish to join Pam and I in sending out a very special thanks to those who have provided financial support during the past three months since our last newsletter.

The Cantoni Family – Reto, Esther, Nicolas, Sergio, Elias

The Hess Family – Rick, Carol Ann, Becca & Anna

Jerry and Barbara Shapiro

Audrey Tsuruda

Sharlynn Marr

Rae Spitler

Kay Spitler

Dennis DeFrain

We invite all of our readers to view our new Spitler School Website at www.SpitlerSchool.org.

Daniel & Pam Spitler, Directors
Spitler School Foundation
P.O. Box 730
Peoria, AZ 85380
“Resource Providers for Cambodian School Children”

www.spitlerschool.org

Facebook – Spitler School Foundation
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