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Santa Barbara Middle School Graduate Jacob Seigel-Boettner Leads Effort to Supply Rwandan Coffee Farmers With Bicycles
By MARKET WIRE
Apr 10, 2008 - 10:36:02 PM

SANTA BARBARA, CA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 04/10/08 -- UC Berkeley student Jacob Siegel-Boettner(20) says he learned a great deal both inside and outside of the classroomduring his time at Santa Barbara Middle School (www.sbms.org). Knownnationally for its unique curriculum which combines a strong emphasis onacademics and the creative arts with community involvement and outdooreducation, Mr. Siegel Boettner credits the school's mandatory mountainbiking, kayaking and backpacking trips for building character and showinghim the impressive distances one can travel with just two wheels anddetermination.

He adds that touring the back roads and bike trails of Central Arizona andthe wilderness of Santa Barbara County also taught him the importance ofkeeping a bicycle in top mechanical condition through regular maintenance.Now he's applying these lessons to the greatest challenge of his life:establishing bicycle repair shops in the poorest rural areas of Rwanda.It's all part of a global effort by several non-profits such as ProjectRwanda to replace unreliable, hand-built wooden bikes commonly used bycoffee farmers with new bicycles to more efficiently transport theirharvest to market.

"As a student at the Santa Barbara Middle School where one-week cyclingtrips are part of the curriculum, I learned about self-sufficiency anddeveloped a desire to confront challenges with realistic solutions," saidSeigel-Boettner. "Bicycles are essential in the daily life of the Rwandancoffee farmers. By making new bicycles available to them through a microfinancing program, they continue to play a key role in rebuilding theircountry's economy. Perhaps more importantly however, the bicycle gives asense of hope to a people who have lost everything."

Located near the foothills of Santa Barbara's majestic Santa Ynezmountains, Santa Barbara Middle School is the only co-ed independent schoolconcentrating on the needs of the middle school years (grades 6 - 9) with astrong emphasis on hands-on, applied learning that builds confidence.Recently, SBMS students participated in the second annual Ride 4 Rwandabike-a-thon organized by Mr. Seigel-Boettner to raise public awareness andfunds for the plight of the Rwandan farmers.

Led by mountain bike industry pioneer Tom Ritchey, Santa Barbara MiddleSchool faculty, students and their family members brought in over $5,500for the central African nation, still reeling from nearly 60 years ofintermittent war and an episode of devastating genocide in 1994. Prior tothe Ride 4 Rwanda event, Mr. Ritchey inspired students with an impromptupep talk, drawing on his nearly thirty years worth of experience bikingaround the world.

"If I had been lucky enough to attend Santa Barbara Middle School myself, Ithink I would have recognized much sooner the impact that each one of uscan have, and should have, in being good global citizens," Mr. Ritcheycommented, his voice filled with emotion. "I've spent most of my lifedevoted to the sport I love and my business. Now I have the opportunity touse them both to contribute to wonderful causes like Ride 4 Rwanda andProject Rwanda."

Later that evening, participants celebrated at the 23rd Santa BarbaraInternational Film Festival where reporters from the school's studentjournalism class, Teen Press, presented Angelina Jolie and husband BradPitt with Project Rwanda bike jerseys and conducted an exclusive interviewwith the couple on the red carpet.

"I'm not surprised to hear that Jacob is already making a difference in theworld," commented Dick Davidson, business manager/athletic director ofSanta Barbara Middle School. "Over the years we've seen so many of ourgraduates excel in life, from doctors and scientists to business and civicleaders. We're delighted that our students choose to use their confidenceand well-honed riding skills for such a noteworthy cause."

Ted Hill, a member of the accreditation team at the California Associationof Independent Schools agrees that the school's highly regarded'four-sided' curriculum gives students a decided advantage. "It becomesobvious to anyone who has been on the SBMS campus for thirty seconds orthree days that this school is a remarkable enterprise of both students andadults," he stated. "It is unlike anything else in the world."

Mr. Seigel-Boettner will soon be joined by mountain bike legend Mr. Ritcheywhen he travels to Rwanda's capital, Kigali. Using his considerableexperience in the cycling world and financial resources, he says he willprovide further support to Mr. Seigel-Boettner's efforts to establishbicycle repair shops in several rural areas.

About the Santa Barbara Middle School

The Santa Barbara Middle School is the only stand-alone co-ed accreditedmiddle school in California, part of the California Association ofIndependent Schools. SBMS was founded in 1976 by a group of students,parents, and teachers concerned about the junior high years, seeking tocreate a school that would combine an innovative, challenging academicprogram with an environment responsive to the many needs of adolescentstudents.

Santa Barbara Middle School cultivates in its students a passion for lifeand life-long learning, a deep sense of trust in themselves, strength andcourage to succeed at life's challenges, and compassion and respect forothers. It is located at 2300 A Garden Street in Santa Barbara, California.www.sbms.org or (805) 682-2989.

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