Delphi Academy High School Students Travel to Sri Lanka to Aid Tsunami Victims

April 4, 2005 (Press Release) -- Several weeks ago, Delphi alumnus Scott Curry of Pasadena, who had recently come back from volunteering in Sri Lanka, gave a presentation to Delphi’s high school on the help needed there. One senior, Teddy Zou of Montrose, says, “As his talk progressed, my interest increased exponentially. A week later, I made the decision that I was to go in May.”
Teddy Zou emigrated from China seven years ago, eager to learn English and pursue his education here in the US. He started in Delphi’s ESL (English-as-a-Second Language) summer program in 1998 and has progressed to be part of this year’s graduating class at Delphi, majoring in science and technology.
A few weeks later, after hearing of Teddy’s plans, fellow classmates Nikki Dale of Lake View Terrace and Sarah Malm of Glendale were inspired to join Teddy on his mission. Nikki, currently in his senior year, has been attending Delphi since the age of five. He is a business major, an Eagle Scout in Delphi’s Boy Scout Troop 555, an all-around athlete, and a key leader in Delphi’s student government. Sarah, currently in her sophomore year, has also been attending Delphi since the age of five. She is a key player on the girls’ basketball team, which took home the International League championship last season, and she also plans to major in business.
In preparation, Teddy’s team must think of health and financial issues. They have estimated that they will each need two thousand dollars for their trip. To raise this money, they have written many personal letters asking for donations and are planning a concert fundraiser. They explain, “There are many children in Sri Lanka who can’t go to school because they can’t afford the school uniforms (5 USD) or the yearly tuition (5-25 USD); there are many fishermen whose boats were destroyed during the tsunami, so they can’t support their families; there are many orphans whose meals consist of one piece of bread and a cup of tea in the morning, a small serving of rice and a cup of tea for lunch, and one piece of bread and a cup of tea for dinner. While we are in Sri Lanka, we will meet many tsunami victims, and we would like to be able to give them the money they need to send their children to school or feed their families.”
Teddy and his team have also gotten vaccination shots and taken other disease prevention actions to protect their health while in Sri Lanka.
They will depart on April 24 and return on May 19. During this month, they will be launched from the capital, Colombo, into different cities across Sri Lanka, providing mental and physical relief in whatever way they can.
As an added bonus, if their mission is successful, Teddy Zou and Nikki Dale will qualify for graduating from Delphi with honors, a prestigious accomplishment that has not been achieved by any Delphi Los Angeles graduate to date. Qualifying for the honors program requires that, among other things, a senior complete a 375-hour project of considerable magnitude after completing all of the steps and credit requirements of the Delphi Program.

Delphi Academy, located in Lake View Terrace, CA, is a private school offering year-round programs for kindergarten through high school students. Delphi Academy is licensed to use Applied Scholastics™ educational services.