April 10, 2026 - Service Learning Blog
Student Service Learning Blog Writers
Measuring Success - The Chinthe Fund Totalizer
By Claire Lee (Grade 9) and Claire Jin (Grade 11)
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If you come to school through the front gate, you’ve probably seen the tall box at the top of the steps. If you didn’t know, this is the Chinthe Fund totalizer, and it was created with the goal of measuring how much money has been raised for the Chinthe Fund. The Chinthe Fund has an annual goal of raising $15,000 to support our partner organizations, the Care to the Least Center, Kalitaw School, and the Yangon Animal Shelter. But with so many events taking place, how can we keep track of the money we’ve raised? |
This is why the totalizer was created. It is a great visual representation of our community’s efforts. Instead of asking for updates, people can see the progress just by looking at the totalizer.
So who made it? A couple of years ago, one of the teachers (Mr. Ghavin Smith) suggested something visual to show the progress of donations. He said, “I think this will be a good idea for the Chinthe Fund. You don’t need to ask how much we have raised, you can just see it!” So Mr. Sturmey, ISY’s Service Learning Coordinator, went to the Art Department to ask for their help. After bouncing ideas around with Ms. Wilks, they remembered a children’s TV show from the UK, which had a totalizer (the program was called Blue Peter, if you’re interested). They discussed the idea with students, who were enthusiastic about this exciting new project, and within a couple of weeks, they had designed and built the totalizer.
Now, the totalizer sits at the school entrance, allowing everyone to see how much money the ISY community has raised to support our partner organizations. After a very successful Gala, the Chinthe Fund has successfully met the annual goal of raising $15,000, and the totalizer proudly displays this achievement for everyone to celebrate.
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Of course, ISY’s service learning program is about much more than raising money, but we do need to raise funds to support some of our projects. The totalizer has become a symbol of our community’s success, even making an appearance in the recent musical production. |
The Chinthe Fund totalizer has become an important part of the community, reminding everyone that even small contributions can come together to make a big difference.