Wishing on cranes for tsunami victims at DCS Montessori
DCSM students showing off their handiwork.
Information and photos provided by DCS Montessori
After the massive tsunami destroyed many coastal towns of northern Japan on March 11, many nations and organizations came together. Locally, at DCS Montessori (DCSM), students showed their cougar school spirit and started to help rebuild Japan. By learning the legend of the 1,000 Origami crane birds, which make wishes come true, the students respectfully made paper cranes one by one and all by hand.
An ancient Japanese legend promises that anyone who folds a thousand origami cranes will be granted a wish by a crane, such as long life or recovery from illness or injury. The crane in Japan is one of the mystical or holy creatures and is said to live for a thousand years. In Japan, it is commonly said that folding 1,000 paper origami cranes makes a person’s wish come true.
Even though it was a difficult task, their compassion for many Japanese people who lost everything overcame their frustration. Their strong ownership for mastering skills achieved their goals. By April 8, all grades at the school were unified by sharing their talent and generosity.
Origami cranes were shipped to two American organizations, Studentsrebuild and OskKoshByGosh, and were exchanged for funds and children’s clothing. DCSM staff member, Maria Miller, stated “The students created more than 3,000 cranes for this effort. The cranes will be sent to a national foundation that will donate $200,000 for every 100,000 cranes made by school children. We are very proud of their efforts!”
If you wish to support the recovery effort in Japan, consider donating to the Japanese Red Cross at www.jrc.or.jp/english/index.html.
Above, origami cranes were everywhere to be found at DCSM.
Below Origami cranes hang from the ceilings in honor of tsunami victims at DCSM.
