Linden Meadows School Twinning with Melton Primary School Kampala

Linden Meadows School is living by their motto, Inspire Growth and Wonder, through their partnership with Melton Primary School Kampala in Uganda. Linden Meadows principal Teresa Rogers, grade 1 teacher Jayanna Barnes and music teacher Kara Dueck began connecting with the school back in August. What started as a few emails has since grown and developed into a beautiful relationship.

“As a child I was fascinated with Africa,” said Jayanna. Her grade 1 students have found Uganda on the map and compared the weather, time change and lifestyles of the two countries.

Students at the two schools have exchanged letters and photos. When the Linden Meadows students receive their packages, they love to compare stamps and examine the intricate details of the envelopes from their pen pals.

“The most rewarding experience for me is seeing my students’ excitement, wonder and curiosity surrounding our new friends in Uganda,” said Jayanna. “In grade 1, these children are incredible wonderers and are making incredible connections.”

The schools grade 5 students created a “Day in the Life” video for their friends at Melton Primary, who were curious about their average day at school.

“I have watched it over and over again,” said Yaledi. “The beauty is unbelievable! The environment is so clean! The children are so happy. The students from Melton Primary loved seeing the faces of our students and staff.”

Jayanna runs the grade 1 Kind Kids Club with a fellow teacher. “We are inquiring about sponsoring a child through Melton Primary,” she said. The club recently received a $500 grant from the Winnipeg Police Association’s Cool 2Be Kind initiative for the third year in a row and this year the money will go toward Melton Primary. “The school’s principal was sponsored as a child and talks fondly of the difference it made in his life.”

Linden Meadow's students will also be holding a lemonade sale in May to raise funds for chickens. Someone in the East African village heard about the partnership and gifted a chicken coop to the Melton Primary School. The coop will hold 2,500 chickens that will  feed the students and allow them to buy resources for the school with the sale of the eggs.

"This is an amazing experience that is in support of our UNESCO goals—intercultural understanding, creating a culture of peace, education for sustainable development and human rights education," shared Linden Meadows School principal, Teresa Rogers.

Learn more about Linden Meadows School.