On Friday, April 26, the Parents’ Independent School Network, Inc (PIN) held its annual service award ceremony at St. Sebastian’s School. Attendance at the event included winners of the PIN service awards, community service directors, teachers and parents from 21 PIN schools.
Nobles teaches students to show leadership for the public good and lead lives characterized by service to others. The PIN ceremony recognized Nobles students living out that mission. Shawn Wu and Alex Bao, both ’20, won the PIN Service Grant Award for their work creating Rising Stars Learning. Harrison Theriault ’20 earned PIN Service Special Recognition for his work on The Moldova Orphan Project. Thirteen more Nobles students received PIN Special Recognition for their work on the Dandelion Concert & Service Project.
At the PIN award ceremony, Wu and Bao introduced Rising Stars Learning, a sub-program under their non-profit organization Kindness Matters Inc. The organization offers services to under-served families in the Boston area. Rising Stars Learning strives to “let technology serve for the public good via building a family-based learners’ community.” Wu and Bao have created a fun and sustainable learning environment for a Dorchester family using technologies that enabled the children and parents to learn important skills in their home. Boa described teaching math to the family’s middle schooler using Khan Academy, while Wu used Khan Academy to teach the parents about mortgages and car leasing, helping the family secure a better future. Both Wu and Bao appreciated the delicious Haitian food the family cooked for them on Sundays as part of the cultural and learning exchange. As Wu said, “The essence of life is relationships.” Wu ended their presentation by thanking the PIN Service Foundation and asking all attendees to spread the word regarding their organization’s recruitment efforts in the hopes that more schools and students would join them.
Meanwhile, Theriault has made it his personal mission to give back to orphanages in Moldova, where he once lived. Last year, he raised money through his church to cover travel expenses for a 7-year old Moldovan boy to receive a prosthetic leg in Italy. Theriault hopes the boy’s newfound ability to walk and play with other children will increase his chances of being adopted. This year, Theriault is raising funds to purchase hearing aid devices for an orphanage with hearing impaired students.
Thirteen more Nobles students were awarded PIN Special Recognition for their Dandelion Concert & Service Project. Shirley Hu ’19, Shawn Wu and many other volunteers organized the Dandelion Concert—Let Music Speak for the Public Good concert on June 6, 2018 at the Rivers School Conservatory. Their online fundraising raised $2,385 for the Rivers School Conservatory Financial Aid fund and $2,338 for the Dandelion School, a non-profit that supports students who otherwise would be unable to attend school in Beijing. Students raised an additional $1,500 for the Dandelion School through a lunch sale at Nobles. During the March break, 12 Nobles students travelled to Beijing with the EXCEL program and continued their service by teaching English to 300 Dandelion students.
All students who won PIN awards and special recognition demonstrated their ability to make a difference by caring and showing kindness to others. In the award ceremony, PIN recognized these Nobles students for their contribution to the greater good and the world beyond. Congratulations to all!