LSS High School Twins - Humanitarian Entrepreneurs

We thought you might be interested to hear about two of our students" new jewelry line - all real flowers, petals, and leaves, turned into original, eye-catching, conversation-starting earrings.

Using all hand-picked, pressed, preserved flowers theyve collected and prepared, they personally hand-make the earrings. They use Swarovski crystals, semi-precious stones, and beads, as accents to bring forth the best in the flowers.

These girls are A students, and we are so proud of them, because they want to give back and help others with their businesses. This is truly global awareness in action. Heres what they say about their endeavor:

"Hello! We're Alanna and Gennelle, 14-year-old twin

sisters living in Southern California.

We've always been very crafty, making our own cards,

and even venturing into making handmade paper.

We started mulling over the earring idea after pressing

flowers for our card projects. After months of

experimenting with various materials and methods, a new

line of jewelry emerged.

We started wearing the petal earrings of our own design, and soon people were stopping us, asking where they could purchase their own pair.

All leaves, and petals - natural, beautiful flowers.

Each one is special and unique.

We find only the perfect candidates, press them, and then match them into pairs (see our care page on our website for more). They are encased in special crystal-clear, hard coating, and embellished with semi-precious stones, Swarovski crystals, glass or wooden beads - whatever we feel complements best. Each pair of earrings is different from the next."

You can visit Alanna and Gennelles website at: www.thepetalconnection.com

A portion of their profits is contributed to Kiva: http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=home

When you purchase earrings from The Petal Connection, you can choose who to lend to through Kiva - whether a baker in Afghanistan, a goat herder in Uganda, a farmer in Peru, a restaurateur in Cambodia, or a tailor in Iraq - and as they repay their loans, you get your money back. Its a powerful and sustainable way to empower people right now to lift themselves out of poverty.

Alanna and Gennelle will spin any repayments back to Kiva to benefit another person in need and keep the giving alive!

10-08-2008

Laurel Springs has allowed me the flexibility of travel as well as the ability to pursue further academic opportunities concurrently. I was able to refine my academic resume while studying in another country, thereby fulfilling the qualifications needed for the competitive university programs which I applied for. I have also been able to pursue and receive credit for my study of music as well, giving me a more well-rounded profile. I am very happy with my experience with Laurel Springs School, the teachers, and the staff who were so helpful throughout my time with them. Thanks to Laurel Springs, I have been able to achieve my goals academically and culturally, which would have otherwise not been possible had I attended a typical high school.

Melissa Marie McDonald Attending University of Edinburgh, Fall 2009 Field of Study: Honors International Relations/Honors Japanese