WEDNESDAY. DECEMBER 1. 2010 // PAGE 10
THE PENDULUM
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Caitlin O’Donnell
News Editor
After almost three years of studying
and working with the nation of Sri
Lanka, with a focus on environmental
stewardship and education, 12 members
of the 2011 class of Periclean Scholars
will travel to the country this January.
While there the scholars will tour
significant historical and cultural sites,
visit partners of the Scholars, including
the Panangala Mahabodhi School which
serves 1200 students with disadvantaged
backgrounds, and finalize preparations
for the Leaders in Environmental
Advocacy Forum.
LEAF is a two-day environmental
summit held from Jan. 22-23 at the
University of Colombo in Sri Lanka.
“The summit will bring together
political leaders and environmental
experts to discuss matters of sustainable
development in Sri Lanka, in the hope
that guests and audience members will
come away with a renewed passion for
environmental stewardship,” said senior
Katie Dirks. “And new ideas about how
they as individuals can contribute to
sustainable development."
According to senior Katherine Vogt,
Sri Lanka recently came out of a decades-
long civil war and is now beginning to
focus on progressive development and
building its future.
“It is known for being a beautiful
country and tourism is a large industry,”
Vogt said. “But this industry will not grow
if the country does not work to protect its
ecosystem and develop stronger waste
management practices. This summit
comes at a very opportune time.”
Since the class of Scholars was selected
during their sophomore year at Elon, they
have worked to raise awareness about
environmental sustainability not only
abroad, but also in the local community.
They have set up tables in Moseley
Center as well as a week hosted in 2008
dedicated to Sri Lanka, while also working
with the local school system.
“Through a partnership with Graham
Middle School, 2011 (Scholars) are
helping to build an outdoor garden and
coordinating pen-pal correspondence
between the students at Graham and
students in a partner school in Sri Lanka,”
Dirks said.
In the past, classes of scholars had the
opportunity to choose a nation of focus,
which often took an extensive amount
of time to reach a consensus, but the
past two classes have had predetermined
countries when they entered the
program.
“Faculty membership definitely plays
a role in which country is chosen for a
certain class of Periclean scholars,” Dirks
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Periclean Scholars take
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12 members of 2011
Periclean Scholars will
travel to Sri Lanka
said. “For instance. Crista Arangala,
associate professor of mathematics and
faculty mentor for the class of 2011,
has background, expertise and a vested
interest in the country of Sri Lanka.”
The original idea for the upcoming
LEAF came from Scholars Natalie
Lampert and Amy McLeod, who wanted
to see class initiatives at work.
While in Sri Lanka, Vogt said Scholars
will also work toward promoting the
preservation of the communities through
partnerships with local schools and
organizations.
“Currently we are coordinating with
Rainforest Rescue International, which is
running a Rainforest Rangers program at
the Panangala Mahabohdi (school),” she
said. “This program provides an after
school activity and educates the children
on environmental sustainability.”
At the summit. Scholars plan to
disseminate information and ideas about
sustainability both in Sri Lanka and
around the world.
“The LEAF summit should be a
catalyst for positive change in terms of
environmental sustainability, not only in
Sri Lanka, but wherever LEAF’S message
is carried,” Dirks said.
They plan to produce various
publications about the summit,
particularly a documentary about
environmental issues in Sri Lanka.
Vogt said in many cases, those outside
of the realm of academics criticize it as
being talk with no action.
“Periclean Scholars give Elon students
the opportunity to do something, not
just talk and plan, but actually see some
results,” she said. “As university students
with food every day, a bed every night
and no threat of war in our immediate
surroundings, we are very fortunate. It's
time for us to utilize those fortunes and
be productive."
For Dirks, that means continuously
upholding the values of global citizenship
and civic engagement, even after her
time as a student and Periclean Scholar
has ended.
“Being a Periclean Scholar extends
far beyond graduation,” Dirks said. “My
passion for and critical thinking about
global issues and social justice will
remain with me for a lifetime.”
While Vogt considers the program to
be very rewarding, she also described it
as very grounding.
“1 think a lot of us came in as
sophomores with high, lofty goals that
in reality were not feasible given the fact
that all of us are full-time students, not
full-time Pericleans,” she said. “However,
1 think all of us are better prepared
to develop successful projects in our
post-graduation lives because of this
program.”
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