Republic Reflections

In a country much different from where we attend school, a group of LA Students spent time with the Mariposa DR Foundation working for their school for girls. They returned home yesterday and today we pulled from them some BFO's - Blinding Flashes of the Obvious or "AhHah Moments."

(Some are direct quotes, others are statements we created from listening to them tell their stories. Calle Seis refers to the name of a street the group visited.)

Calle Seis was the moment when I realized we were really doing something to help people.

It's hard to communicate even with words, we met a young girl at the school who was deaf and had no language (sign or speech), yet she found a way to talk with us. Awed and inspired I couldn't imagine what her world must be like.

"As I realized how similar I am to those I met, I stopped thinking of or noticing the severe differences in our life styles."

The hospitality and positive attitude rose high above the impoverished neighborhood we walked through. A little girl on Calle Seis invited me to come over to her. She posed happily for a photo. This stood out for me because the people were so open to us, unlike what it might be like in my home country. 

Dominican Republic -  full of beautiful people with big hearts and open arms.

These girls were able to state their dreams and goals because of the existence of the Mariposa  DR Foundation, in a country where women have few opportunities.

Walking down Calle Seis you can tell the people had so much less than us, yet they were all willing to invite us into their homes, talk with us and share their lives with us. I realized instead, they had so much more than us.

Visiting Calle Seis, seeing the houses of the girls we were working with and the poverty they faced daily was a defining moment for me.

I met a girl who has been deaf and mute her entire life, she wanted nothing more than to give her time and communicate with us.

The kids and adults are so much friendlier, despite the language barrier they still wanted to work with us.

Caribbean Grande

The Rio Grande and Caribbean Kayaking have exhibited amazing skills in "radio" silence. We have heard nothing from them. However, we imagine they are having a blast. 

Photos are from earlier this winter. Not all group members may have been present.

Also they must be tired because of the amount of work they are putting into their travels. Everywhere they go they have to put effort into propelling their canoe/kayak through the water. In addition, they need to set up and break down camp often. Kayaking was with a tribe, while canoeing was with guides. Although, we didn't expect to hear from these groups, we do hope they have safe travels back to us and we get to learn about their experiences soon.

Pura Diversión

We just heard from the group in Cost Rica!! The photos they sent are great! Below is the email written to us by the faculty leaders.

Just some quick pictures and an update from the Pura Vida Winterim.....

Costa Rica is headed back after a tiring but fun second week of being on the Las Baulas National Reserve Beach. From learning about mangrove estuaries to experimenting with surfing, the students were able to compare two different ecosystems and lifestyles of rainforest versus beach that exist within one country. They are proud of their hard work and happy to be heading back to their families. 

I'm Coming Home

Lawrence Academy students and staff are coming home soon!! 

Thursday Returns:
Dominican Service
The System (D.C.)

Friday Returns:
Can You Dig It (Italy)
Canoeing in Rio Grande
Caribbean Kayaking (Panama)
Pura Vida (Costa Rica)
Geoscience (Arizona)
Hawai'i Island
Ireland Photography
LEAD (Richmond, NH)
Project Peru
Sports Journalism (NYC)

Saturday Returns:
Adventures in Sailing (Leeward Islands, Caribbean)

Land of the Lizards

Lawrence Academy sent students across the ocean to the Hawaiian chain of islands.

Emailed by Ms. Heatley ("Heater") entitled "Crater"

They are hiking, working at a school, and experiencing the true culture of the Hawaiian people.  We have not actually "heard" much from this Winterim Group. The photos below were taken from a group member's Facebook page so we thought we'd share them here.

Southern most point in the USA

Photogenic Lizard 

By the sea

"Hang Loose" Group Shot

Ice Canoeing - A New LA Sport

We visited LEAD out in Richmond, NH at the YMCA Camp Takodah. We arrived just in time for a canoe trip in the icy waters of Cass Pond. See the slide show below to see us in action.

Fifteen people embarked on an ice breaking mission in a large warrior canoe. The area around the dock was fairly clear. We attempted to go beyond by rowing swiftly, picking up speed and ramming the iced surface. Check out the raw video of these attempts on the LA Winterim YouTube Channel.

This Winterim group has bonded over the last week and half.  As visitors to this group we could feel their camaraderie as they followed rowing commands from the YMCA staff member, Buddy. After forging through the ice and cold pond water, the group was going on a hike.  With two more days left, this group continues to enjoy their time together.

A Snowy Leprechaun

From Sandy Gallo '75, Director of Alumni Relations at LA – she writes in an email:

I received some pictures from my contact in Ireland who just had the kids over yesterday. The weather was miserable. These are pics of the kids and some of the horses they saw in the snow. 

They were at Frog Lodge and Royal County Equine in Ratoath, Ireland.

They battled the snow and the ice to get there and enjoyed homemade soup, warmth from the wood burning stove, Dandie Dinmont Terriers and some horses in a demo fraught with snow and wind!

NAY (horse sound)

Shooting the horses...with a camera of course

Dashing through the snow

Sniper

Critics, week 2

Check our Everyone's a Critic tab at the top of this page for our reviews from last week and from this week's trips to the MASS MoCA (Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art), to the Museum of Fine Arts Boston and A Raisin in the Sun at the Huntington Theatre Company. 

The Adventure Continues

The sailing Winterim is pressing on, they are experiencing the wonders of sailing on the Caribbean. They are doing everything from cooking their own meals to body surfing. The area they are in is beautiful, the weather is perfect.  Read the blog written directly by the students from their sailing vessel.  (The 4th tab above will also take you to their blog; it is updated regularly.)

  

Peru Painting and Playing

After a fun day of whitewater rafting, Project Peru was back to work. Their work on Monday consisted of painting a pre-school room and playing with the kids. Check out the pictures of their work!

                 

                 

D.C.

White House

The System traveled to Washington D.C. to experience the Justice system at work in our nation's capital. While in D.C. they are visiting historic sites. They are also meeting with Representative Griffith at the Maryland State House.

Group shot infront of a famous building. Can You name it?

Statue of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Washington Monument

An Ancient Land

Students in Ireland are visiting landmarks for photo opportunities. They are allegedly taking better photos than one of their Winterim Leaders. They came together and celebrated a student's birthday, and they got to see a castle, which is currently a 5-star hotel.

Trinity College in Dublin

Photo shoot overlooking the Irish Sea on the East Coast

Happy Birthday Sarah!

Croagh Patrick (statue is St. Patrick)

Ashford Castle

Thank Goodness we Still have Snow

Thank goodness we still have snow or our Total Mountain Experience Winterim would not have much to do during these two weeks at Wachusett Mountain.

Taken from Wachusett Mountain Photo Gallery - Ariel View

Besides skiing and snowboarding the students in this group are assigned to different areas of the mountain business to work - ski school, grooming, snow-making, business office and etc. They will learn the inner workings of how a ski mountain functions from day to day by spending time working closely with the professionals through their Wachusett Shadowing Program. They were assigned to customer service, terrain park maintenance and the cafeteria. They also helped with rentals and helped in the waxing and repair shop. Today, (Tuesday) due to the weather we are going to Polar in Worcester for a tour. Polar is run by the Crowley Family, who also owns Wachusett Mountain.

Weekend Warriors - the Volunteers & Athletes

The Massachusetts Special Olympic Winter Games were this past weekend and 13 LA students were exhausted and ready for a break by late Sunday afternoon.  They left early on Saturday morning and returned late afternoon, only to make quick change, so 7 of them could attend and volunteer at one of the dinners/dance that evening.  Then they returned again early on Sunday for the final games and medal ceremonies.  Our students were only 13 out of 1200 total volunteers needed to pull off this event where over 2500 athletes participated in basketball, skiing, bowling or floor hockey. Venues included 9 high schools in the Worcester, Auburn and Shewsbury area, Wachusett Mountain, two bowling lanes and Assumption College's rec center.

Basketball happened at nine different venues. Our students were involved with basketball at the largest venue, Shrewsbury High School (4 courts and 29 teams). They were impressed by the competitive nature of the games and the high level of sportsmanship on the courts.  They assisted with the set up and clean up for each game throughout the day.  They also ran the clocks and kept score for many of the games.  

At the dance they served the buffet dinner  and also ran fun booths like tatoos, basketball free throws, face painting and etc. They served ice cream in between catching a few dances with the athletes, as well.




On Sunday, they helped with the final games. They were there to congratulate the athletes at the medal ceremonies.  Gold, Silver or Bronze medals are given to the team members who earn those respective spots as they play other teams in their division.

This week they will be focused on  the clean-up and re-organizing of the things they need to bring back to the Yawkey Training Center.  (Mr. Poulin let them sleep in on Monday since they worked all weekend!)

Panama's in the Caribbean?

Gamboa and the Panama Canal as seen from the Gamboa Rainforest Resort's Canopy Tower.
(Wikipedia Images)

Caribbean Kayaking is paddling around in Panama (which does border the Caribbean Sea), it is going swimmingly. They are island hopping with the indigenous Kuna tribe and enjoying it. The wildlife, water, and weather is exotic and beautiful. The small remote islands are an amazing site on the beautiful waters of the Panama Canal. (We know Mr. Bukholtz has his phone, as he sent Ms. Poulin an email the first day to ask about where he could sent information. However we have not heard from him - we hope he did not drop the phone in the water!)

After their stay in a hostel in Gamboa, they kayaked to the island of Tigre where they camped for about 2 days.  From there they island hopped, snorkeling and checking out the reefs along the way. They will not return to "main land" until this Thursday. (We found Gamboa on a map, however most of the islands' locations are a mystery to Google Maps.)

The single lane wooden bridge into Gamboa.
(Wikipedia images)

Students in Arizona Rock

The Geoscience Winterim is keeping their own blog. Check it out for a complete summary of everything they have done through Sunday, March 10th.  (The 3rd tab above will also bring you to their page.)

They have been inside a dome biosphere, observed wildlife at a national park, visited with a meteorologist at a TV network in Phoenix  driven through a major thunderstorm, been "snowed in" Arizona style, visited a natural pool or well of water in the middle of the desert (which they couldn't drink from - read the blog to know why!) and hiked at least 3 miles just yesterday.

 

From the photos, they certainly look like they are having a good time while learning about the environment, weather, and habits without the need for a textbook!

A Week In the Dirt

Confronted by untamed beasts, they show no fear.

The Vatican. Are they choosing a new Pope?

 

"Horses roam the dig site but their friendly"

The Excavation Begins

They've been in the dirt for a week, and have started to

Tolfaccia, Italy

clear the site and dig. Their site are the ruins of a church in the small town of Tolfaccia, Italy. The students seem to be enjoying themselves.
To see more photos go to the Can You Dig It Picasa Photo Album.

Getting Things Done in Peru!!

We received an email from Ms. Cronin and Ms. Ryan about the Winterim group in Peru!  They sent some photos as well. Check out the slideshow of their photos below or go the their Picasa Photo Album to have a closer look at all of them.

Hello!

Project Peru students just spent the last three days in the small community of Arin. While they were there they built new, clean stoves for six families. They did amazing work with incredible attitudes. 

The project consisted of them making adobe by stomping (with bare feet) clay, guinea pig hair, straw, water, and cactus juice. After that was mixed they put together the stove with blocks similar to bricks and adobe. The finished project was amazing and the families could not have been more grateful. 

When they were not working- our students played with the kids in the community and practiced their Spanish. It was adorable how quickly our students and the community children got attached. It was sad to say good-bye today but we left with new friends and six very happy families. 

Tomorrow [Sunday] we will be whitewater rafting and on Monday we head to a Pre-school for more service work. 

Theresa and Courtney

Everyone's A Critic is online!

 The reviews are in for week number one! It's a hit! 

After seeing theatre in Boston and Hartford, art at the Institute of Contemporary Art, the Wadsworth Museum and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, dance at the Boston Ballet, and two films in the RMPAC Cinema at LA, students posted critiques of what they've seen and heard. 

You can read the reviews here: 

http://everyonesacriticla.blogspot.com/