By Chloe Freed
Upper Class of 2011

In an effort to generate money for earthquake relief, the Upper Campus of Ojai Valley School has launched “Soup Tuesdays,” with students and faculty trading in their regular lunch fare once a week for an assortment of tasty soups and toasty bread.

Headmaster Carl Cooper proposed the idea shortly after the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti and the Student Council unanimously endorsed the move. Class meetings were called and students overwhelmingly voted to forego their regular Tuesday lunches for soup and salad meals.

The move is expected to save the Upper Campus approximately $200 a week, and the savings will be donated monthly to the Red Cross for earthquake relief.

“The class was enthusiastic for the most part,” junior class representative Amit Pandya said. “They felt like it would be a positive change for the school community.”

In adopting Soup Tuesdays, both students and faculty constantly pointed to the fact that the community lives in relative luxury, a way of life that often is taken for granted. Many felt that “Soup Tuesdays” was something they could do on a week-by-week basis to significantly benefits others.

“I love the idea of students sacrificing for the greater good of helping others,” said history teacher Laurel Colborn, who serves as a Student Council advisor. “It makes [the giving] more real.”

Now on Tuesdays a quiet sense of excitement flows through the school. At lunch students and faculty are very enthusiastic about the soup and salad lunch.

“It is tasty, the food is as filling as any other day and I’m glad we can help,” Student Council Vice President Angus Beverly said.