On the morning of Wednesday, February 14, Mrs. Hoffman and Mrs. Mackey’s Integrated 9 class had a special visitor: Arok Garang from South Sudan.

Garang came in to share his incredible story and to inform the class about events that changed his life. He also spoke about an organization he founded called Seeds of South Sudan in hopes of being able to help Sudanese kids to get an education. He believes education is very important and that “dedication is very powerful.”

“I think it’s cool that he could come and talk to our class because it kind of shows us first hand at what he was going through. And it also gives us a better view at what it was really like for him rather than just reading books and watching videos about it,” says Freshman Bailee Bebernes. “We’ve been learning about this since before winter break. I think that it just sheds light on how big and how current this event really is.”

Joey Macaluso reflected on Garang. “I thought that it was very well presented. He did a very good job on presenting his whole story of his life, and it’s shocking to actually see and realize that people have actually gone through this and that they still have to deal with their past.”

Britta Stearns also believes that the guest speaker was not only “cool”, but the presentation was done very well. As she thought about it, she responded, “I would like to learn more about his foundation.”

“When I came here, it was an opportunity to go to school,” said Garang.

He was given the chance to come to America in 2001. During the beginning of his time in America, he was amazed at what was here in the States. Students questioned him on his opinion of American music, movie theaters, and much more. He thinks that “Americans are a little too risky” with the activities that they take part in.

“It’s not that I’m smart, it’s that I got an opportunity to come to this country.”

He attended Denver Community College and later finished with a degree in Chemistry.

While discussing his reasons for choosing this particular degree he explained his thought process: “What if my kid needs help with Chemistry?”

After that, in 2009, he went to University of Colorado at Denver and majored in Economics. When a student asked why he wanted that major, he responded that he wanted to be able to go back to his home country and help with their government.

Integrated 9 is currently studying Africa, and they are currently delving into the topic of Imperialism and its effects.

“Mrs. Mackey and I hope that our students gain an appreciation for the world beyond themselves.  We have so many opportunities and privileges, including a public education.  People like our guest speaker, Arok, have not had it as easy but are still doing amazing things… We also hope they can learn about resilience and the power of the human spirit.  The Lost Boys of Sudan embody these qualities and we are so glad Arok is willing to share his story with our 9th graders who are so excited to meet him” says Mrs. Hoffman.

While it was eye-opening to see Garang in a classroom here at MHS, this isn’t his first time here. He was here at the school giving a presentation four years ago.

“We [Mrs. Mackey and Mrs. Hoffman] first met Arok four years ago through a contact that Mr. Parsons had.  He visited our classroom in 2015 and shared his story along with his friend, James.  We have not been able to coordinate another visit since then.  We feel very fortunate that Arok was able to make it work this year.  After a shot-in-the-dark email that Mrs. Mackey sent last Friday, we found out that Arok was generously able to squeeze us in to his busy schedule as he prepares to leave for Africa at the end of the month.”

Both teachers believe this topic is important because “We don’t hear a whole lot about Africa in the news and what we do hear about Africa seems to be full of disease, conflict, corruption and poverty.  There is so much more to Africa than these stories and we think it is incredibly important for our students, a world away from Africa, to not have a single story about this giant, beautiful, diverse continent.”

There is an opportunity to support Seeds of South Sudan here at MHS on Friday, February 23rd during the Boys Basketball Playoff game. The fundraiser will include a penny pinch and a bake sale!