By Delaney Schoenfeldt –

The View –  

Sandra Bea, founder of the Muanjadi Organization, stood before several hundred Castle View High School students and wiped away a tear.
“Thank you so much, Castle View High School, for your hard work and dedication,” she said. “Because of you, five girls will go to college this year. Because of you, 130 girls will go to school for one more year.”
Bea paused, trying to contain her emotions.
“Because of you,” she said, “these girls can be strong, independent, successful women.”

The almost 2,000 students at Castle View High School joined forces for MAD (Make a Difference) week April 3 to April 10 to raise money for the Muanjadi Organization, a nonprofit that supports girls’ efforts to obtain education in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Through a variety of activities, students raised $24,218 — far surpassing the school’s original goal of $13,100 to send 130 girls to high school for a year, five girls to college for a year and pay for a year’s electricity at the school.
With the extra money, the organization will be able to pay for two years of education for each girl instead of one — one year of high school costs $75 and one year of college $300. Basic necessities such as electricity and water also can be covered.
Without schooling, Bea said, many girls are married off at ages as young as 13.
“These girls are not taking education for granted,” assured Bea, a teacher originally from Democratic Republic of Congo and now living in Aurora.
Student Body President Madison Malsch sees value in events in which high schoolers can learn about the realities of life outside of Castle Rock. “It’s important for our generation to be realistic about what our world is like and do what we can do to help people that aren’t born into the opportunities that we have,” she said.
Dean of Students Ryan Hollingshead announced the total to a cheering crowd.

“This is the greatest MAD week we’ve ever had,” he said. “We’ve doubled any of our past records. When we come together, we can make a huge difference.”
Activities included events such as the donation stall, with which students could stall the start of classes one minute for every dollar donated; the MAD minute, in which students dashed to hallways to donate spare change one minute a day; a faculty-student basketball game; and a Mr. Sabercat pageant.
Not only did high school students dig into their pockets for change, but the community got involved as well. Local elementary schools such as Clear Sky and Larkspur elementaries sold T-shirts. Each weekday, a food night was held at local restaurants such as Chick-fil-A and Boulevard Pizza, which contributed some of their overall sales to the foundation.
This was the school’s sixth annual MAD Week. In the past, charity recipients — chosen by students — have included Urban Peak, a Denver-based organization that works with homeless youth, and CURE International, which operates charitable hospitals treating conditions such as cleft lips and clubfoot. The most raised previously was $13,221 for Rocky Mountain Childhood Cancer Foundation.
Student government adviser Bob Sutterer theorized the large amount raised this year could be due to the validity of the cause.
“I think it’s easy to look around and think that, ‘Wow, we have a lot that we just show up and enjoy,’” he said. “I also think it was really concrete, being able to express that $75 dollars puts one girl through a year of school. It helped people think that ‘If I give this certain amount of money, I can support this many girls.’ ”
The school’s French Honor Society has supported Muanjadi since 2011, sponsoring 11 girls on its own.
“I realized how lucky I am, and how everyone deserves to have all the chances that I have had,” said Gaby Rodriguez, co-president of the French Honor Society. “And reaching the goal of $24,000 gave an opportunity to a community that we didn’t even know about before MAD week started. It brings my heart joy to know that these girls have a chance at being successful.”