Club raises $44,000 for school in Uganda

Most students at Newport Harbor High School have probably never spent a day at a campus without clean water, books or adequate classroom supplies.

Someday, thanks to the efforts of a dedicated Newport Harbor club, children at Sacred Heart Secondary School in northern Uganda may never go without them either.

This year, a San Diego-based nonprofit called Invisible Children called on schools nationwide to raise money for campuses in one of Africa’s most troubled regions.

The nonprofit announced this week that Newport Harbor High School, which was assigned to benefit the all-girl boarding school Sacred Heart, netted $44,042 — the most raised for Invisible Children by any school in the United States.

“They did so well,” social science teacher and club advisor Keira Kirby said. “They went far and above in everything there. I’m really proud of them and really blown away by how far it’s come in such a short period of time.”

Newport Harbor students, who formed their club in February, held dances, dinners and other fundraisers to gather funds for the Ugandan school. As a reward for finishing first, Kirby and two students will get to visit Sacred Heart over the summer to watch it being renovated.

Sarah Shreves, the office manager for Invisible Children, said the school teams would be accompanied by guards and would stay in houses owned by the nonprofit.

“It’s a war-torn country,” she said. “There is a risk. But we take the necessary precautions.”