Most students bend the rules to get the answers; Simon had to bend the rules just to get the questions.

Sitting in an overcrowded government school classroom, Simon could not get close enough to read the board and his teachers did not notice he had a vision problem.

The determined young scholar came up with ‘sneaky ways’ to make sure he didn’t fall behind.

“I did not ask for an answer but I had to ask ‘what’s the question?’. In class exercises I could not see on the board, but with the exams I could have the questions near,” he explained.

“When I was in public school, I was first in exams but I was last when it came to class exercises.”

Simon said the difference between his results would make teachers suspicious, and he did not want to think about what life would be like if he had not been enrolled at St Jude’s.

“If I failed (at school), I wouldn’t be here in Form 5. If I wasn’t here in Form 5, I wouldn’t be Rotaract Vice-President and I wouldn’t be the Discipline Prefect,” he said.

“Glasses have made a very big difference – it’s a very small thing that can make a very big difference. They have allowed me to participate in a lot of stuff, and work towards achieving my goals.”

Simon said the attitude at St Jude’s also improved his confidence.

“When I came to St Jude’s I felt freedom,” he said.

“It was a different system – it was more accommodating. If I couldn’t see a question, I go for it, I would go to the front (of class) to check on the board.

“My teachers realised, and here they were friendly and concerned and did something about it. They questioned why it was happening.”

Once the teachers noticed a problem with Simon’s sight he was referred to the Medical Check Team, a group of international doctors who volunteer at St Jude’s each year.

The Medical Check Team has had a long history at St Jude’s, following up concerns raised by teachers and providing the expertise needed to diagnose conditions.

In March, the 2016 team of 15 medical professionals spent two weeks at St Jude’s to ensure our students were healthy.

Simon was among a group of 12 students with vision problems who the team members took to an optometrist in town. Additional requirements for follow-up equipment or treatment for the students is usually arranged through their parents.

This year marked the first time members of the Medical Check Team provided mentorship to St Jude’s graduates who are interested in becoming doctors.

See the important work the Medical Check Team are doing at St Jude’s in this video. Find out how you can contribute here.

The national sport enjoyed a run across St Jude’s grounds this month, with the Northern Tanzania Athletic Association Competition (NTAA) held at our Usa River secondary campus.

Under 14 boys and girls teams from Braeburn, Orkeeswa, Kennedy House, St Constantine’s and ISM Moshi and ISM Arusha converged on a sunny Saturday for some healthy competition.

In other sport news, our newly-formed rugby team played against Orkeeswa Secondary School last month during their sports day. While they didn’t win, their performance was promising enough to get the wheels in motion for us to enter into the Rugby NTAA competition by next month.

Schools from around the region are invited to compete with Arusha’s most passionate young scientists at The School of St Jude’s 6th Annual Science Fair on April 23.

The 2016 Science Fair promises to be one of the most exciting days on the school calendar, with top science students from Arusha competing at St Jude’s Usa River campus for a range of prizes.

“We’re building a community of young scientists here in Arusha and the results each year have been very impressive,” said Nzinyangwa G. Mcharo, St Jude’s Head of Department for Physics and Assistant Academic Master.

“The projects that are on display at our Science Fair will one day help solve the problems facing many people in Tanzania.”

This year’s Science Fair is sponsored by Tanzania-based Benson Security Systems, which is supporting the awards and prizes that go to the winners.

Individual projects can win up to TSH 250,000 and a total of TSH 1.6 million will be awarded to budding scientists on the day.

Schools interested in attending must supply at least two students, a project and a teacher.

St Jude’s Acting Secondary Headmaster Nestory Msoffe said it was important to build a network of scientists in Arusha.

“The School of St Jude is committed to producing future scientists who can lead the way to a better Tanzania,” Mr Msoffe said.

“We know that building a better Tanzania means we need to make an impact outside the school gates, which is why we invite other schools to participate in our Science Fair.

“This relationship is helping us build a network of young scientist who will become the future engineers, physicists and innovators who will drive Tanzania forward in the future.”

Schools interested in attending the 6th Annual Science Fair can email nzinyangwa.m@schoolofstjude.co.tz to book a spot.

World Rotaract Week may have finished on Sunday, but our Rotaract and Interact clubs are just getting started!

After being voted in by their peers last month, Rotaract President Julieth and Interact President Lisa are whole-heartedly seizing the chance to lead our clubs to do the best for their community.

“A good leader must put the people’s interest before his or her personal interests, and must never feel that by being a leader they are above other people,” Julieth explained.

“Being a leader means that people trust you, give you a chance and believe you had the potential to lead them towards achieving a certain goal. We will achieve a lot for our community through Rotaract, and I am looking forward to seeing people in the community smile because of what we have done.”

Julieth has thrived at St Jude’s for the past 13 years, but she has not forgotten the difficulties her family has faced as part of living in a developing country.

Her family’s home is like many in Tanzania – with no plumbing and intermittent electricity; water is collected from a nearby tap for a small monthly fee and meals are prepared over a basic charcoal-fuelled stove or outdoors over a wood fire.

She’s committed to solving the problems facing families in Tanzania and sees Rotary as the perfect way to use her education to make people’s lives better.

Julieth and her fellow future Rotarians are already making a difference in their local communities. Under Julieth and Lisa’s flourishing leadership, our 110 eager students have been busy getting plenty of community service projects into gear with the Rotary motto of ‘service above self’ in mind.

The first group of St Jude’s Rotaract and Interact students have already been out to King’ori, where a new water harvesting system is providing clean rain water to students for the first time. Eventually, seven government schools will each receive a system through the project, which is run by NGO Save the Rain. Our responsible Rotaract and Interact students helped out by conducting basic health checks (measuring height, weight, etc) with students.

Our Roteract and Interact clubs’ commitment to community improvement also saw them busy cleaning up the school and surrounding grounds over the last weekend.

“I believe there are people out there who need a helping hand,” Julieth said, explaining why she’s looking forward to seeing more of what Rotaract and Interact can do.

“What Rotary is trying to do is to bring happiness into the world and, through their actions, change lives. I can’t wait to see people’s smiles and how their lives might be changed by a simple act of kindness."

St Jude’s sponsor and Australian Rotaractor Seb Cox has been busy finalising the official co-sponsor paperwork to have approved by Rotary International, as well as helping arrange projects.

We’re look forward to seeing what else they have in store!

You don't consistently rank in the top 10% nationally without a serious focus on classroom education, but here at St Jude's we know that future leaders need more than just impressive exam results.

Our approach extends beyond the classroom and into every facet of St Jude's life, producing community-focused leaders with strong skills and values.

These photos from our boarding campuses at Moivaro and Usa River give you a sneak peak into every day life and show our holistic approach in action.

Those bright uniforms you see when you visit don't stay bright without regular cleaning - especially with all the running around our students do.

Both boarding campuses are equipped with washing stations so our students can wash their clothes, a valuable step in becoming mature, self-sufficient young adults.

Our students understand the importance of the finer details. That's why they spend time on the little things like shining their shoes.

Cleaning doesn't have to be a chore, especially when you're surrounded by friends who are happy to help.

At St Jude's, we believe you reap what you sow - and the garden is a perfect place to learn this lesson.

Gardening is an important Extra-Curricular Activity at St Jude's, especially with agriculture playing such a vital role in Tanzania's future.

Our budding green thumbs help look after the gardens, which help provide the food for their meals. And they have fun while they're doing it!

Cleaning up after 1400 boarding students could be a lot of work!

Thankfully, our students take an active role in cleaning up after themselves, learning responsibility and how to appreciate their surroundings.

Our boarding campuses have rooms where our students can revise and study under the supervision of helpful and experienced boarding parents.

All work and no play is never a good idea.

That's why our campuses are fitted with football fields, basketball courts, volleyball courts - and even a badminton court.

Not only is sport a great way to socialise and cultivate a spirit of teamwork, it keeps our students fit and healthy.

Football is a favourite for boys and girls (and they don't always stick to the field!).

We're fighting poverty through education - so it helps to be strong. That's why some of our secondary school students enjoy working out with cleverly-conceived gym equipment!

The result: not only are our students excelling in the classroom, our holistic approach is creating happy and healthy community-focused leaders with strong skills and values.

If you want to support these students, make a donation to an area you're passionate about.

Talented breakdancer and soon-to-be senior student Dorcas may yearn to hit the dance floor during school holidays, but instead she has decided to give up the last three months to help others.

“I like working, keeping myself busy and doing stuff that helps people,” she said, explaining why she signed up for St Jude’s annual Form 4 volunteering program.

“I was happy with any position because I really just wanted to do it.”

More than 15 volunteer roles in various departments were available from December to February, with Dorcas landing a spot in the Sponsor Relations team at our primary campus.

“I’ve learnt lots of skills like working with lots of different people,” she said, explaining that her role included helping students with their sponsor communications and organising photos.”

When she’s not volunteering at school or helping her mum, a single parent of four, Dorcas is getting her groove on at Via Via Café, a dance venue in Arusha.

“I like doing hip hop and I’m good at girls’ hip hop, which we call ‘chicky pop’, but I like breakdancing the most,” she said, explaining that most of the moves require power and balance.

“But I’m really busy now so I don’t have much time to train… Practice starts at 5pm, but when I get home I have to wash my clothes, do cleaning, fetch some water, help mum cook, and then time is up – no time for practice.

“I’ve got some mates from school who dance and we would practice every free time we would get – after school and on weekends and public holidays.”

Dorcas’ past few months have proven her appreciation for both the past 11 years of a free, high-quality education at St Jude’s, and the encouragement her supportive mother has given her.

“It’s been great having Docas with us the past few months,” Sponsor Relations’ long-serving employee and Dorcas’ mentor, Lucy Cole, said.

“She’s always ready to help, no matter what the task is, always gets it done, and is simply a nice person to have around.”

Dorcas will start her final two years of school later this year and after she graduates she plans on doing community service through Beyond St Jude’s before going to university, possibly to study medicine.

If you’d like to support a breakdancing, volunteering future doctor like Dorcas, find out about our sponsorship programs.