HARTFORD, CT.— The Learning Corridor's Greater Hartford Academy of Math and Science students will be doing a Spaghetti Fundraising Dinner to raise awareness about the horror of landmines in conflict-ravaged countries. The dinner will take place on Friday, November 30 th from 7-9PM at The Learning Corridor's Commons Building Dining Room. The cost is $7 for adults and $5 for students.
           Students from the Math and Science Academy , Rachel Winch and Leslie Roach have put this great event together with generous donations. Highland Park Market, Stop & Shop, and Harvest Bakery in Manchester have donated all the items for the dinner. The dinner is part of an international effort known as “The Night of a 1000 Dinners”. Thousands of people around the world are hosting dinners on that night to raise money to clear minefields. “I believe in this cause and I want to help in anyway possible”, says Rachel, “it costs $3 to plant a landmine and $1,000 to remove it and your donation can make a difference, so please invite anyone that likes spaghetti”.
          This campaign began after a group of students from Newington , led by Liz Karas, visited the United Nations and they were asked to help clear a field in association with the Hartford Area Model United Nations. Liz, Rachel and other students have been fundraising to help clear landmines ever since! They have sent all money raised to adopt one minefield in Bosnia . The cost of clearing the field is $12,000 and the Hartford Area Model United Nations has raised about $7,000. Rachel expects to reach the goal of $12,000 by the time she graduates this coming June.
          The Learning Corridor is a 16-acre campus consisting of a unique cluster of schools; the Montessori Magnet Elementary School , Hartford Magnet Middle School , the Greater Hartford Academy of Math & Science, and the Greater Hartford Arts Academy. Also included on the campus are support programs for the youth-- a Boys and Girls Club and the Aetna Center for Families. The Learning Corridor will be blending public health concepts into the educational instruction for students, faculty, parents and the entire community. There is no other public school campus in the country that combines these elements. The Learning Corridor was developed by a collaborative effort called the Southside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance (SINA), composed of Hartford Hospital , the Institute of Living , Connecticut Children's Medical Center , Trinity College , and Connecticut Public Radio, along with the State of Connecticut and the City of Hartford .