All 7th graders will be reading Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park this month. This is an eye-opening, powerful book that highlights the issues faced in Sudan, especially the lack of access to clean water. To make sure the 7th graders have a deeper connection to the book and real-world hardships, Anna Schiebelhuth (English 7th grade), Christina Bewick (English 7th grade) and Amelie Weber (Librarian) entered all 7th graders into the Iron Giraffe Challenge.

The Iron Giraffe Challenge is an international initiative to raise money to support access to clean water for the people of South Sudan. Schools that raise $1,000 or more for their charity (Water for South Sudan) are entered for a chance to win a visit from the author or the main character, who is a real man. 

The first fundraiser was a Penny Wars Challenge this February 2025. Students and faculty also participated in a Shadow a Teacher day where students donated to purchase raffles to be a teacher for the day.  In addition, all 7th grade students participated in a letter writing initiative in an effort to raise funds for the cause.  In total students passed the $1,000 goal and raised a total of $2613 for Water for South Sudan.