Swampscott High Students Support Syrian Children with Posters and Messages

During the month of November, a group of Swampscott High School students created two posters and had students write words of support on them.  These banners are being sent with a group of Massachusetts volunteers to the Al Salam Learning Center for Syrian Refugees in Turkey.  The school has 1200 students currently in 1st through 9th Grade.  The school attempts to bring some sense of normalcy back to the lives of these Syrian refugees, and help them to become productive members of society. 

The students met after school and painted pictures of flowers and rainbows.  During the month the teachers were asked to bring their students to sign the posters and write words of encouragement.  Students wrote things like “Stay Strong Syria”, “You’re not alone”, “We are family/We are One” and my favorite “Things will be okay in the end, if it is not okay, it’s not the end.”

The country of Syria has been in turmoil for the last 3 years causing 40% of the population to be displaced.  There are currently over 1 million children that are refugees in various refugee camps inside and outside of Syria.  

Children have been particularly targeted by the criminal Assad regime and many children have been killed in barbaric ways. Many more children have lost their parents and will never experience life as a complete family. Above all, they are denied the right to live an innocent and joyful childhood, part of which is education. 

Special Thanks to the students and teachers who took the time to create these beautiful posters of Hope.  Mrs. Anita Balliro (art teacher), Cenna Khatib, Michael Coffey, Paige O’Gorman, Juliana Mora, Charlotte Westhoven, Elizabeth Rizk, Izzy Stairman, Alex Khatib, Tristan Smith, Jesse Tuttle, Caroline Munnelly, Aria Corkum, Marina Dreeban, Kiely Quinn and of course all the faculty and students at SHS that participated by signing.  Your words of support will be much appreciated by those refugees and will make them feel like they are not alone.