Sitka High School’s National Honor Society is hosting a garage sale this weekend. It’s a student-led fundraiser to cover educational expenses for children in Guatemala.
Marc Tomas is a senior and the honor society’s president. He was among a handful of students who traveled to Guatemala in March with his teacher Ariel Starbuck’s advanced Spanish class.
“When we went there, we found out that most of the kids in Guatemala drop out at very young age just because they can’t afford it, or it’s better off that they just work and help their families make money,” Tomas said in an interview with KCAW on Thursday (10-8-26).
He said that struck a chord with him, personally.
“I went to school in the Philippines, as well, before I came here, and it was the same situation when my parents had to pay for schooling and all that,” Tomas said. “But I was lucky enough to have my dad working here, and pay for my own schooling, so I didn’t have to really worry about that.”
Since the trip to Guatemala last spring, he’s been thinking about how he can help, and the garage sale was Starbuck’s suggestion. They’re looking for clean working items to sell. So far they’ve collected quite a bit of household goods, clothes, and furniture– even a couch.
He said around $120 dollars would pay for an additional year of school for one student in Guatemala.
“Just the fact that we have access to free education is kind of overlooked for the most part,” Tomas said of public education opportunities. “You don’t realize how great it is until it’s taken away from you, [until] it’s not free, like college for example.”
Sitkans can drop off donations from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Friday at Sitka High School. Shoppers can peruse the collection of donations Saturday October 10 from 8 a.m. to noon in the high school commons area.
