Pine Forge Academy Installs Virus-reducing Technology in Dorms — and More News Shorts
In this week’s news round-up, Pine Forge Academy installs virus-reducing technology, a Kenyan Adventist DJ raises $30,000 to build a church in her hometown, and an Indiana church serves farm workers during the pandemic.
Pine Forge Academy Installs Virus-reducing Technology in Dorms. Pine Forge Academy in Pennsylvania will be installing UV Angel Air units in 85 dorm rooms on the academy's campus in order to create safer and healthier environments and transition back to in-person learning. The units use patented UV-C light treatment technology to automatically and continuously treat the air, reducing harmful viruses, bacteria, and fungi.
"We know how important it is to foster safe, in-person learning environments, especially during the critical high school academic years," said Pine Forge Academy Headmaster and Principal, H. Clifford Reynolds. "The decision to partner with UV Angel to install units across campus empowers us to continue providing a curriculum in a safe, caring environment and preparing students spiritually, intellectually, physically, and socially."
Pine Forge Academy anticipates welcoming students back to campus on August 24. In addition to UV Angel Air, the school has added other precautionary measures, including requiring masks and social distancing, scrubbing and painting the entire campus, and designating isolation rooms. During the 2019-2020 academic school year, Pine Forge Academy had 130 students living on campus. From WFMZ-TV 69 News, “UV Angel Announces Partnership with Pine Forge Academy to get students back to in-person learning.”
Kenyan Adventist DJ Streams SDA Music and Raises Funds to Build Her Local Church. Keziah Rachel Cherono, a disc jockey from Eldoret, Kenya, and popularly known as DJ Kezz, gained nationwide popularity when she started live streaming Seventh-day Adventist music on her social media handles to help raise funds to build a church in her home area, Kapsowar. She managed to raise 4.5 million shillings, over $30,000.
Cherono has reportedly challenged the status quo as the first Marakwet woman to venture into deejaying. She says: “In the Marakwet community, women are not allowed to do a lot. They are not allowed to speak in front of men or do big projects.” She ventured into deejaying in 2018 after failing to secure a white-collar job. From Standard Media, “#WCW: Eldoret’s DJ Kezz beating the odds during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
South Bend Hispanic SDA Church Serves Local Farm Workers and Community. Olga Jimenez has expanded her missionary work at her church, South Bend Hispanic Seventh-day Adventist Church. Jimenez, 33, has been attending the church since she was eight and has been among the members spreading goodness throughout the community. Recently, Jimenez got a chance to take her good works beyond her community after watching videos and pictures posted on Facebook by Jesusa Rivera. Rivera works in South Bend for Proteus, a federally funded agency that supports and advocates for migrant farm workers.
Jimenez led fellow members of her church to a farm in Hamlet, Indiana, bringing socks and long-sleeved shirts for workers to protect them from pesticides and the sun. They also cooked a Mexican meal. “Some of the people that went there have done this kind of job, and they know how hard it is, and we wanted to do something nice for (the farm workers) because we know they don’t get the recognition they deserve,” Jimenez said. “We feel that this is our mission. As long as we are on Earth, we have to spread love.” Jimenez got her daughters Aline, 9, and Alani, 6, involved in the effort. The girls helped deliver napkins and drinks. Other children made thank-you cards. From South Bend Tribune, “South Bend woman mobilizes her church to help farm workers.”
Please note: Spectrum news round-ups are an aggregation of regional, national, and international publications around the world that have reported on stories about Adventists. As such, the accuracy of the information is the responsibility of the original publishers, which are noted and hyperlinked at the end of each excerpt.
Pam Dietrich taught English at Loma Linda Academy for 26 years and served there eight more years as the 7-12 librarian. She lives in Yucaipa, California.
Image Credit: Pine Forge Academy courtesy of Wikipedia.org.
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