Overlake in Pailin, Cambodia
When Head of School Dr. Francisco Grijalva learned of American Assistance for Cambodia (AAfC), a non-profit organization led by journalist Bernie Krisher that builds schools in rural Cambodia, he knew that Overlake's students and faculty would be excited by the plan. He was right. They were so enthusiastic that they held student bake sales, talent shows and even sold gourmet dog biscuits to raise the $15,500 needed to build the school. The funds were matched by the World Bank, and The Overlake School in Pailin opened in 2003.
The school in Pailin serves over 300 students in kindergarten through sixth grade, although the age range of students is well into the teens. There are five classrooms and five teachers, each with about 55 students.
The first group of Overlakers traveled to Pailin for the school's dedication in 2003. Upon return, they immediately recruited additional students, faculty and parents and launched a campus-wide effort to make The Overlake School in Cambodia school even better by funding the salary of an English teacher, providing internet access via a satellite dish and creating a small computer lab.
In the spring of 2006, Overlake piloted a Global Service Program and sent a second group of students and faculty to Pailin where they taught English, arts and crafts, music and dance, distributed backpacks and school supplies to all students and learned about the culture of Cambodia. One student was so moved by her experience that she privately raised over $5,000 to buy playground equipment for the Pailin school upon her return to Overlake.
In February 2008, 22 Overlake students again traveled to Cambodia to install the playground equiptment, teach in the classroom, and experience Cambodian village life. Overlake students will travel to Cambodia every other year.
