For this year, teachers LyvonnTaisacan and Claire Dela Cruz took on a story that had a significant meaning in light of the calamity that hit Japan last March.
The earthquake, tsunami and the nuclear disaster that followed provoked an emotional reaction among GES students. It also evoked memories of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the war.
A book titled “Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes” inspired GES students to make a thousand origami paper cranes to express their “hope and good wishes to the people in Japan.”
The book is the true story of 12-year-old Sadako Sasaki who lived in Hiroshima at the time of the atomic bombing.
According to Wikipedia, “She developed leukemia from the radiation and spent her time in a nursing home creating origami cranes in hopes of making a thousand of them.
“She was inspired to do so by the Japanese saying that one who created a thousand origami cranes would then be granted a wish. Her wish was simply to live.
“She managed to fold only 644 cranes before she became too weak to fold any more, and died shortly after.
“Her friends and family helped finish her dream by folding the rest of the cranes, which were buried with Sadako.
“They also built a statue of Sadako holding a giant golden origami crane in Hiroshima Peace Park.”
Garapan Elementary School’s mentoring-reading program has been hailed by the community for its promotion of leadership, goodwill and motivation.
In other news, GES said the registration for kindergarten and new students starts on May 10 and ends on June 20, 2011.
