SHS students Kenya and NYC bound

Times Contributor

 

Students from Strathmore High school will be returning to Kenya this summer, and for the first time ever, will be heading to New York in spring, 2012. The Kenya trip is scheduled to depart July 2 and return July 17, and the New York trip is to take place April 9-14, 2012. The Kenya trip will be volunteer-based whereas the New York trip will be more directed towards the arts. 

Two summers ago, the students who attended the Kenya trip started to build the foundations of a school kitchen, and this year’s group will be going back to try and finish the project. The importance of building a school kitchen is to encourage kids to come to school and be guaranteed that they will be getting at least one meal for that day.

“Free the Children has been working on drought relief in Kenya because what has ended up happening is that the drought is so severe that a lot of the school food programs in places like Kenya have been shut down, so organizations like Free the Children have tried to step in to provide some additional aid,” said Christine Magill, SHS teacher and trip organizer.

Going further to help with drought relief, the Me to We club at SHS, a charitable group that is not directly linked to the Kenya trip but was founded by students who previously attended the trip in 2010, will be selling handcrafted necklaces made in Kenya to help raise funds towards the cause. In association with Free the Children, the necklaces are sent from Kenya to the organization, which sends them on to the school. The Me to We club hopes to sell the necklaces at the school and throughout the community. 

Students attending the Kenya trip will be participating in activities within the community including working and playing with the children, a safari, visiting the markets and fully experiencing the Masai culture.  

 “We met with a local family and actually hauled water for them from the river, we met with the local Mama and talked about different development issues and alternate income, and so most likely this trip will be very, very similar in terms of the last trip,” said Magill.

The completely different New York trip has several highlights students can look forward to. Tours throughout the Big Apple itself can be expected, as well as the CBS Morning Show, NBC studios, MOMA, and midtown. The students will be visiting very famous special attractions including the Empire State Building and Observatory, Lincoln Centre, Drama Workshop, Best of Broadway Schoolroom, 2 Broadway shows, Radio City Music Hall, Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Prices are $5663 for the Kenya trip and $2403 for the New York trip. Both costs include airfare, medical insurance, transportation, in country expenses and all meals on the Kenya trip and all breakfasts and suppers on the New York trip. For more information about the Kenya trip, contact Christine Magill at Christine.magill@ghsd75.ca and Tricia Bezzeg at tricia.bezzeg@ghsd75.ca.