Steve Adkins, an avid cyclist from Phoenix, Arizona, recently toured Cambodia with a cycling group. During the tour, Steve briefly broke away from his group in order to visit Spitler School. In full, bright, cycling gear, he brought smiles to our students. Steve is familiar with the Spitler School Foundation through his membership with the Kiwanis Club of Phoenix, which has also been supportive of the Spitler School for many years.

We send out our sincere thanks to the dozens of friends who continue to make Spitler School a recipient of their year-end generosity. Your support is evident in the continuing improvements to the campus and the resources available to our students and staff. Your support also allows us to continue our English and computer programs at Kurata School and the middle school as well. 

In a separate fundraising project Sarin has acquired funding for the construction of buildings for the high school classrooms, which we were able to inspect during our tour. Your impact is wide range and beneficial to the students and the local communities.  

In our last newsletter we shared our excitement about our recent graduating class. Now we would love to introduce two of these young graduates to you. Solita and Kimly share their family story and their dreams for using their education in the future. These two bright students represent all of our rural students and their community.

Leng Solita is a 12-year-old student who has been with Spitler School since Kindergarten and is now graduating from 6th grade. She is the oldest of four siblings, with two younger brothers, aged 7 and 10, and a younger sister. Her brothers are also attending Spitler School in grades 1 and 4, while her youngest sibling is still too young for school. 

Solita’s parents work hard to support their family. Her mother, Tot Srotom, sells fruit juice by the roadside, and her father, Chhun Leng, is a construction worker. At school, Solita enjoys studying Math, English, and computer lessons. In her free time, she helps her mother with work, does chores, and completes her homework. In the future, Solita dreams of becoming a doctor to help others.

Sao Kimly is a 13-year-old graduate from Spitler School. He has been studying at the school since Kindergarten and is the oldest of three siblings. He has two younger sisters, aged 9 and 10, both of whom are also attending Spitler School in grades 3 and 4. 

Kimly’s parents, Chea Theary and Soa Thany, run a small business selling Kuy Teav (a traditional rice noodle soup with pork). At school, Kimly enjoys studying Khmer language, social studies, and English. In his free time, he loves reading and helping out with chores at home. Kimly’s future goal is to become a teacher and give back to his community.