TA News

TA’s Operation Day’s Work, or “ODW Day,” raised more than $8,000 for the Miwani, Kenya nonprofit “Cluck, Clucking for Education.” The student-led service learning opportunity has long been a TA tradition, and this year, Thetford Academy was excited to assumed leadership for the U.S. arm of the international ODW program.

As the new headquarters of ODW-USA, TA is working with Broad Meadows Middle School, Silver Lake Regional Middle/High School, and North Quincy High School, all in Massachussetts. The former ODW-USA coordinator, Ron Adams, has been providing transition support as TA learns the ins and outs of the program. Even with only a few American schools taking part, it has been a successful year across the board.

Preparing for ODW Day is a months-long endeavor. TA’s ODW team, with the support of teacher/mentor Luke Teschner, hit the ground running at the start of the school year. In the winter, the team reviewed grant applications from nonprofits around the globe and presented the candidates to TA students at assembly. With the goal of children helping children, ODW-selected nonprofits must be dedicated to helping youth find a safer, healthier, and brighter future.

With a schoolwide vote, TA ODW chose Cluck, Clucking for Education as this year’s grant recipient. In the past, funds have gone towards projects that prevent children in Nepal from becoming child laborers, set up health clinics in Burundi, and provide nutrition and education for young Haitians. Cluck, Clucking’s goal is to provide education opportunities for impoverished and orphaned Miwani children, some of whom are HIV positive, and provide them with at least one nutritious meal per day. 

In the spring, the ODW team focuses on outreach, education, and finding community employers who need a hand with a “day’s work.” 48 employers hired TA students this year, most of them from the communities of Thetford, Strafford, and Fairlee. Students assisted employers with a variety of yard and farm work; raking, stacking wood, cleaning and weeding gardens, painting fences, helping out with farm chores, and more.

In a post-event survey, students expressed pride in their accomplishments. ODW team member Cecilia Luce said, “It seems like students appreciated the opportunity to do good for our local community, while also supporting an important cause overseas (and having fun outside on a beautiful spring day).”

The TA ODW team would like to thank all of the participating community employers for their support of this important service-learning event and their contributions toward the educational opportunities offered by Cluck, Clucking for Education.

TA ODW team members:

Cecilia Luce, ’24
Annie Hesser, ’24
Charlotte Reimanis, ’23
Mary Bosco, ’24
Henley Cook, ’26
Cissy Dai, ’23
Margaret Smallwood, ’24
Elizabeth Waterman, ’25
Ava Hayden, ’25
Abby Egner, ’23