ALLISON RUPP Star-Tribune staff writer | Posted: Sunday, December 2, 2007 12:00 am
Red, homemade slime dripped down the sixth-grade teacher's face, but Addey Lloyd didn't care. She felt her students deserved to slime her because they learned to give to a bigger cause, helped those who are less fortunate and became more aware of the world's problems with HIV and AIDS.
Even though World AIDS Day was Saturday, students and faculty at Casper Classical Academy took time Friday to recognize those affected by HIV/AIDS and learn more about the disease.
Principal Marie Puryear said the middle-school students spent the month of November raising money to send to Africa to help children orphaned by AIDS. Students brought in money to put in teachers' jars and the teacher who had the most money by Friday got to be slimed by students.
The 155 students raised more the $1,500, which far exceeded teachers' expectations.
Also, during the month of November teachers made announcements over the intercom about HIV/AIDS and students could read facts about the disease written on red ribbons that hung in the hall.
Puryear said it just wasn't talked about Friday. It was discussed as much as possible throughout the month.
"Last year on World AIDS Day we only passed out red ribbons and dressed in red," Puryear said. "Really, the whole month of November has been about this."
Many students dressed in red Friday and each student wore at least one red ribbon. One girl had a red ribbon pinned at the bottom of each one of her blond pigtail braids.
Even though the students in grades six through nine didn't fully understand everything about the disease - one student yelled out during Friday's assembly that you could get HIV through hickies - Puryear said they learned a lot about the disease.
They learned more than 30 million people are living with HIV worldwide and more than 2 million people die of AIDS each year.
The student council came up with the ideas for all the events and fundraising.
Puryear said the four or five students who went on a mission trip to Africa to help AIDS orphans spurred the whole awareness campaign. They talked to other students about their experiences and the school wanted to do something to help.
The past two summers, eighth graders Maddie Orcutt and Micah Scaling spent time in South Africa working with these orphans. Some of the children they hung out with and played with had HIV.
They went on the mission trip with their church, Highland Park Community Church. Micah said they built an orphan drop-in zone, a place where orphaned children can hangout after to school.
Maddie said the children she met had so much joy despite all that they had lost. Both of the students said they became very connected with the village they worked in.
"Once you go to Africa, you have to do something," Maddie said.
But it doesn't just stop in Africa, Micah said. "You get a feeling that compels you to raise awareness."
Contact health reporter Allison Rupp at (307) 266-0534 or allison.rupp@trib.com.