Juan Diego Catholic High School Students honor benefactors by building a school in Kenya

DRAPER — Juan Diego Catholic High School, which opened in 1999, will celebrate its first decade by giving education to others in Africa. The school community will do this in gratitude for the gift of its facility made possible by L. Sam Skaggs and his wife, and in appreciation of Patrick Byrne, CEO of Overstock.com, and others whose donations have made tuition assistance available.

A team of Juan Diego students, parent groups and administrators has selected Solace International as a partner for this year-long service project. Solace International’s mission is to integrate education, health care, agriculture and economic opportunity at the community level in developing countries with the goal that projects become self-sustainable, and a source for future local business and community leaders. They develop education, vocational training, mentoring and micro-business development programs in developing countries.

This semester, the Juan Diego team is raising awareness about the gift of education, and is hoping to inspire the rest of the school to bring this same gift to children in Kenya who have so little.

Solace International was at Juan Diego Oct. 5, to unveil a girls vocational school they wish to build in Mbita, Kenya. They propose a girls vocational school will provide training in nursing assistance and hospital administration as well as hospitality and micro-business management.

Juan Diego plans to raise funds to build the school during the second semester, and send students with Solace International to Kenya to participate in its mission delivery next summer. Juan Diego will launch its campaign during Catholic Schools Week in February. Juan Diego students will develop a cyber-dialog between the school and the campus in Kenya where the new girls vocational school will be built.

Galey Colosimo, principal of Juan Diego, was project manager for the Skaggs Catholic Center when it was built. He said, “Without Mr. Skaggs, Juan Diego would probably have been housed in an old run-down building we would have had to fix up. Skaggs wanted education to be transformational, especially for low-income students.”