January 5, 2007

See you at the Wellness Center during Recess

I heard recently that Oprah (...Winfrey, not the Oprah you know down at the deli) has opened a brand new school in South Africa for disadvantaged girls. What a wonderful thing, and certainly a great way to reach out and give to others when her life has been so blessed.

Yet, the 'Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy' sits on 22 acres of land, cost 40 million dollars to build and right not only has 152 students (which Oprah selected herself). The academy where I teach is essentially three small classrooms and we teach over 100 students. Plus, I'll go out on a limb and say that it didn't cost even a million dollars to construct.

The 'Leadership Academy' has a yoga studio, indoor and outdoor theatres, a beauty salon, and fireplaces in all of its 28 buildings. I would think that if she cut back on these unnecessary luxuries Oprah might have been able to build more than one school and wouldn't have to be so selective about which poor African girls could attend. For 40 million, I would think several schools could be built, but maybe I'm not thinking like a humanitarian who eats up publicity.

In any case, I'm sure Oprah's next projects include building more schools in impoverished countries that include cosmetic surgery wings and manicure studios.

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