This fall, the Shady Side Academy Senior School Chiapas Club, led by club president, junior Eli Naughton, and vice president, junior Ava Kronman, raised $1,000 for children in southern Mexico through a Halloween raffle and other generous donations. The club was unable to hold its traditional bake sale due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The funds raised will help cover expenses such as clothing, shoes, lunches and transportation for Maya students. Over the past 25 years, SSA students have continued to mount creative campaigns to aid this international outreach effort. In turn, the Senior School community is enriched by gaining an understanding of how highly these children, who live according to Maya traditions and speak Tzotzil, value attending school, where they acquire the tools, including the Spanish language, to help them move on to rewarding lives.

Since the Chiapas Club's inception in 1996, it has raised thousands of dollars to aid educational endeavors in Tzotzil-speaking indigenous communities in Chiapas. Five groups of SSA students have traveled there, experiencing warm welcomes from the Tzotzil-Maya families and gaining first-hand knowledge of living conditions that are similar for millions throughout the world. World languages teacher Dr. Carol-Jean McGreevy-Morales is the club's advisor.

Thank you to everyone who supported and congratulations to the Chiapas club on its successful fundraiser! The club will hold its second fundraiser this May.