Nineteen students from Stowe High School and Peoples Academy in Morrisville traveled to Nicaragua with three teachers and the school nurse on a service learning trip in April.
Students visited five rural schools and a youth center/library and conducted lessons in art, music, math, literacy and physical education. In addition, the group painted the interior and exterior of two schools.
The group collected and delivered over 2,000 pounds of items — including clothes, kitchen supplies, bedding, and baseball and soccer uniforms and equipment.
Spanish-language students delivered and translated picture books that were given to children in rural schools.
Their work was coordinated with Planting Hope, a nonprofit educational organization.
The students are Hannah Wykoff, Trent Gutstein, Evan Roberts, Caitlyn Duff, Rory Hauser, William McGovern, Sean Jacobson, Laura Glanz, Adam Patching, AJ Braverman, Will Seivwright, Mackenzie Matckie, Graham Taylor, Rowan Clymer, Mac Crawford, Brandon Levine, Darien Boerger, Kayla Carr and Seychell Duckworth.
Students and staff stayed with host families in the mountainous, rural town of San Ramon in northwestern Nicaragua. They said their experiences in living with kind, generous and hard-working families were highly valuable.
Back home, students compiled reflections about the trip, with insightful comments about family life, poverty, friendship and concern for others.
The trip was the fourth in 10 years for Stowe students, organized by Spanish teachers Heidi Vietze and Laura Kalp. It was the second trip for math and language arts teacher Lucas Peterson and the first for school nurse Eileen Crawford.
The trip was made possible, in part, by a grant from the Green Mountain Fund of the Vermont Community Foundation, and donations from Stowe Family Dentistry, the Stowe High athletic department, Stowe Elementary School, and teachers, parents and community members.
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