During the 2019 Rashi Purim Tamchui Project, students at The Rashi School have been studying the environmental and social issues that endanger leatherback sea turtles. These studies are connected to one of the program’s honored organizations: The Leatherback Trust. Conversations in the classroom go a long way to bring alive the issues we study during Tamchui, but the best way to ignite the passions and imaginations of students is to connect them directly to those who are doing the work they’re studying.
On Wednesday, March 6, Aliki Panagopoulou from The Leatherback Trust came to Rashi to ignite that spark in our students. A scientist who spends much of her time on the beaches where sea turtles make their nests, Aliki shared the story of how poachers, beachgoers, and sea trash threaten the future of leatherback sea turtles as a species.
Fifth grader Naomi M. nominated the Leatherback Trust to be honored in this year’s Tamchui Project. “I want my children and grandchildren to be able to see these amazing animals,” she said in her introduction of the Middle School Meet the Reps session.
The Leatherback Trust is a nonprofit whose work strives to save the population of leatherback sea turtles. Learn more about this and our other honored organizations.