Tom Fedor/The Gazette Cecile Nyiramana of Rwanda talks to students at Ijamsville's Friends Meeting School Tuesday morning about the genocide in her country and peace efforts there.

Cecile Nyiramana is a peace activist with the African Peace Teams, sponsored by the Religious Society of Friends.

In her native country of Rwanda, Nyiramana grew up in poverty and family conflict.

After finishing secondary school, she met her husband at the University of Gisenyi, near the Democratic Republic of Congo.

After the genocide of 1994, the two became members of the Quaker faith, and her husband was later imprisoned in 1999.

Nyirmana told the middle school children about her efforts to help other single mothers and victims of the three-month genocide that killed nearly 800,000 people.

"The middle school students have been learning about conflicts and issues throughout the world and ways people are trying to solve them," said Annette Breiling, the head of the school.

The school had a Rwandan speaker talk to the students on a similar topic in October 2001.

"It ties in both our commitments as a Friends school and the state requirements," she said.

"As a religious society, we are concerned with peace efforts, and the speaker fulfills Maryland state standards of peace studies."

Pool speaker visits schools

Michelle Marzullo of Lake Linganore has been teaching local kindergarten students about pool safety. An employee of Century Pools in Monrovia, Marzullo is a registered lifeguard.

For eight years, she has given pool safety lessons to young children in schools in Frederick and other counties. Doing these presentations now leaves the information fresh in their minds because most children are excited for the pools opening, she said.

"Most of the area pools will be opening on Saturday and kids don't realize how cold water will be and danger associated with cold waters," she said.

Marzullo adapted a Red Cross safety program to the kindergarten level and talks about the dangers of holding one's breath too long and the importance of having a buddy and staying with parents or guardians at public pools.

"We talk about if you hold your breath too long, your body shuts down. The way their body prevents that is by making them take a breath ... if you do that underwater, you breathe water."

Marzullo will talk to children at Oakdale Elementary School, 9850 Old National Pike, Ijamsville, today and the Monocacy Valley Montessori Public Charter School, 2421 Monocacy Blvd., on June 8.

Have an item for School Notes? Contact reporter Patrick Dunne at 301-846-2130 or at pdunne@gazette.net.