“Embrace your passion. Jump into your passion with both feet and bring others along with you.” – Vince Lombardi
This is the seventh post I’m sharing about the LifeTouch Memory Mission Trip in which I participated in January 2016 as a representative of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA).
Thanks to LifeTouch, AASA, and all of the amazing leaders with whom I worked, learned, shared, laughed, thought, reflected, and lived while in La Republica Dominicana! In my first blog post leading up to the actual trip I shared some questions and answers about what I hoped to learn and experience while on the trip.
Excerpts from that post:
Question: What do you hope to learn from the experience of building this school, interacting with the residents of Constanza and working as a team with your fellow Memory Mission volunteers?
Response: I expect a truly life changing experience in terms of culture, language, building, caring, and doing. I am hoping to see the world through the lens of the people of Constanza and through that lens better clarify my own lens. I hope to spread “public diplomacy” as well by showing the good side and caring side of our American people and of our school personnel. I look forward to making life long friendships and connections with my fellow volunteers. I want to make my wife and children proud of me by modeling a life of service.
Question: How do you think the Memory Mission will change you? Do you have personal goals for what you take away from this experience?
Response: I think this trip will change me in terms of the building experiences, the family/citizen interactions, the overall cultural exchange in the Dominican Republic. My goal is to listen, learn, embrace the culture and the people and aim to give as much as I can to these projects.
“Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish.” – Sam Walton
On this journey there were so many outstanding leaders and each and every one of them went out of their way to support our incredible accomplishments.
As I have written before, the Dominican engineer and skilled laborers were among the best teachers with whom I have ever worked. Among their many attributes, they were patient, they used multiple forms of communication, they assessed our strengths and weaknesses, they helped guide us to highly skilled work and they never lowered their standards. They took us (unskilled laborers) volunteers as we were, they accepted who we were and what we could do, and they turned us into skilled experts in a number of areas. Their standards of excellence never wavered, in fact they got higher as our skills and abilities increased under their direction.
Pastor Angel Moreta is the visionary leader who has set forth on the transformation of Constanza’s outskirts. He is seeing to it that the lives of the forgotten villagers will soon be better. He is the champion of education and social justice who we went to serve. He is the inspiring visionary leader who brings forth people from multiple walks of life in unity for a common good. He deserves tremendous credit for improving the lives of the young people in these areas. While we were there the Cecaini school was dedicated and authorized by the government – this was the first school project that LifeTouch embarked upon in the Dominican Republic. It was powerful for us to begin with the end in mind in terms of our school project. The pastor is seeing the power of his vision and his leadership in the work of so many.
The motto of our school district is Engage, Inspire, Empower. Those strong verbs were present in multiple forms during this memory mission trip. We were truly engaged in the work, in the relationship building and in reflection. We were truly inspired in service, personal growth, and social justice. We were truly empowered to build/construct, make relationships, and to learn from others. In our district we often talk about creating environments where we want our students to run to school every day. Well, in our Dominican construction school, we did run to school/work every day. As a result of our
Dominican workers patience, trust, communication (non-verbal, reassuring, in Spanish), respect, attention, and teaching, we ran to the construction site hoping to do better than we had done yesterday. While we were building walls of the school we were breaking down walls of language and culture. While we were building walls with physical force and skill, we were tearing down walls and barriers of emotion and relationship.
I’m not the most handy guy in the world … in fact I have hardly ever done any manual labor or physical construction work in my life. After this trip
and due to the teaching of some very patient workers and supervisors, I now know how to make concrete – I now know how to apply math in real life situations. Seriously, I knew intellectually that water, cement, rocks, and sand combine to form concrete, but I never had the opportunity to mix, make, and use concrete until this trip. I know know how to lay cinder blocks. The top and bottom sides and the right and left sides have significance in the engineering and physics of the building process. I may have known this in my head in the past, but now, as a direct result of project based learning with an emotional tie, I will NEVER forget how to apply my knowledge.
We had to engage in authentic learning on this trip. Our teachers had to guide us and help us and re-direct us as needed. We learned cultural and construction lessons. We were faced with real problems every day and we had to solve them. We were faced with real decisions every day and we had to use teamwork every step of the way. We developed friendships, care, concern, and trust and respect for one another each and every day. All of these 4C’s (Communication, Collaboration, Creativity, Critical Thinking) were part of each and every lesson throughout each and every day.
We learned during our home visits, community walks, play and recreation, photography experiences, picture day, we learned from the minute we landed to the minute we took off.
This was truly a memory mission – memories here, there, and everywhere. Our international crew from the USA, Canada, Brazil and the Dominican Republic made a huge impact on the lives of the people we set sail to serve in Rio Grande as well as in each and every one of us as well as all of the people with whom we interacted along the way. We were not tourists we were members of the community!
A 5 minute video of some of us sharing how the trip impacted us is shown below:
Some people have asked me how can they help sustain the progress on these powerful projects … so I’m sharing information in the event you may be interested in contributing to the mission:
One way is to sponsor a child’s education at Cecaini School (Rio Grande, our school will have this option in the fall). The cost is $31/month with $25 going directly to the child’s education and $5 going to administrative costs). These dollars go to support uniform costs, school supplies, any overages would go to teacher training and medical outreach in the community.
In the Dominican Republic the government pays for most of the teacher salaries as well as breakfast and lunch and some appropriations go to supplies. But the government does not currently support administration, specialized teachers for the vocational education program, social work, nurse, etc. People interested in sponsoring a child or children should visit: For those of you interested in sponsoring a child I have attached the link. http://helpinghandsunlimited.org
FUNDRAISING FOR THE RETAINING WALL or BASKETBALL COURT
There will be a link on thewww.buildinglegaciesintl.org site for both the retaining wall and the basketball court. He will also be posting information about the “Friends of Cecaini” reunion trip, thta will take place December 26, 2016-January 2, 2017.
The FirstGiving site will remain open into June 2017. If you have other questions about donations via a check or First Giving – contact Jan Haegjhaeg@lifetouch.com
For more information contact If you have any questions about the December trip – please reach out to Tim Gibson at tgibson@buildinglegaciesintl.org
See below for the Storify Archive of Life Touch Memory Mission photos and social media!
“Our environment, the world in which we live and work, is a mirror of our attitudes and expectations. ” – Earl Nightingale
This January I will be a part of a team that will build an elementary school in Rio Grande, a small community in Constanza in the Dominican Republic. The team of volunteers will consist of superintendents, principals, educators, PTA members and others who all share a passion for serving children and families. This memory mission trip is sponsored by LifeTouch and supported by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), the National School Boards Association (NSBA), and the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA). I am proud to be one of the superintendents representing the AASA on this mission!
As part of the process of participating in the mission, there are some volunteer questions which I was asked and answered and I want to share via the blog as an amplification as to the purpose of this upcoming leadership and life experience for me.
Question: Why did you volunteer for the Lifetouch Memory Mission?
Response: I view education as a calling and as a call to service. I have been blessed with guidance, mentorship, coaching, and opportunities from others, and I want to pay it forward and serve globally. Over the course of my career (23 years in public education so far) I have worked with students from various nationalities, economic stations, religions, and perspectives. I believe, and I know from experiences, that spending meaningful time in another country serving a local community will improve my life and my service. My aim is to also show via modeling for my own children and family and for the folks in the community where I serve that I am willing to “walk the walk” in multiple venues and situations.
Question: What do you hope to learn from the experience of building this school, interacting with the residents of Constanza and working as a team with your fellow Memory Mission volunteers?
Response: I expect a truly life changing experience in terms of culture, language, building, caring, and doing. I am hoping to see the world through the lens of the people of Constanza and through that lens better clarify my own lens. I hope to spread “public diplomacy” as well by showing the good side and caring side of our American people and of our school personnel. I look forward to making life long friendships and connections with my fellow volunteers. I want to make my wife and children proud of me by modeling a life of service.
Question: How do you think the Memory Mission will change you? Do you have personal goals for what you take away from this experience?
Response: I think this trip will change me in terms of the building experiences, the family/citizen interactions, the overall cultural exchange in the Dominican Republic. My goal is to listen, learn, embrace the culture and the people and aim to give as much as I can to these projects.
Question: Please tell us about any past experiences with international travel. Where have you visited? What experiences abroad have left the greatest impression on you?
Response: I have traveled to Germany, Spain, Mexico, Canada, Bermuda, St. Kitts, St. Maarten, Dominica, Barbados, St. Croix, and Puerto Rico. I lived with a family in Cuernavaca, Mexico in 1992 while attending coursework at a school. The homestay in Mexico gave me an appreciation and respect for the Mexican people, culture, and ways of life as well as the life long skills of biculturalism and bilingualism. My travels to Spain included recruiting Spanish teachers to work in the USA in a dual-language Spanish/English immersion education program. I learned about Germany in 1995 during the opening of the Berlin Wall and the wrapping of the Reichstag. In addition I visited schools, professional learning institutes and government facilities. The greatest impressions I have include the “sameness” that we all share regardless of language, heritage, country, etc. We are all citizens of the world with contributions and benefits to share and to serve. My Caribbean experiences broadened my appreciation for global history, economic interdependence and natural and cultural beauty.
My efforts to help support this project stretch beyond manual labor. There is still a great need to raise funds for the construction and furnishing of the school. Your donation of any size to the Lifetouch Memory Mission can help us continue to raise a village out of poverty. Let’s create a positive change for hundreds of children and their families in this community!
Each day Kids Risk Lives to Reach School
For most parents and kids, crossing the street to catch the school bus may be the riskiest part about getting to school. Could you imagine sending your child on a 2 ½ mile hike up a mountain in order to receive an education? Or what if you didn’t have the ability to send them in the first place?
Children in Constanza, Dominican Republic face these unfavorable conditions daily. Many choose not to take the long journey to school and stay home instead. With the lack of educational resources in this part of the world, children are being deprived of reaching their full potential.
“Our ideals resemble the stars, which illuminate the night. No one will ever be able to touch them. But the men who, like the sailors on the ocean, take them for guides, will undoubtedly reach their goal.”
– Carl Shurz
2015 was full of growth, change, leadership, excitement, and educational excellence! The photos in this post provide highlights of our amazing year in service to our community!
“Being successful doesn’t necessarily make you great. What makes you great is when you reach back and help somebody else become great.”
– Joel Osteen
This year we have been celebrating so much change, energy and newness. We have renewed energy in technology, assessment, standards based progress reporting in grades K-5, modern lighting and environmental controls throughout the district, common core state standards aligned curriculum, teaching, learning and future planning – to name a few …
One of the major initiatives upon which we are focusing is a renewed focus on science education. To that end, with the support of our Board of Education as well as the amazing 140 member Superintendent’s Task Force for Middle Level Education’s STEM subcommittee, we built four world class labs this year at one of our middle schools.
It is often remarked that a picture is worth 1000 words … so for a picture of one of the modern labs:
This year the Board of Education will consider the administration’s forthcoming recommendations to outfit the remaining middle school science labs at both campuses so that all students in grades 6-8 may enjoy a world class facility in which to learn science. Our teachers have been and continue to receive training and in-service workshops on the Next Generation Science Standards, 1:1 Transformative Educational practices, as well as advanced science in their new labs!
As we renew our focus on the shared belief that ALL children can learn and that ALL children deserve learning environments with high expectations it is incumbent upon us to maximize our facilities so that they too can support optimal learning and teaching. We take great pride in our teachers, staff, parents, students, community, and facilities.
Over the past few years We have shored up our technological infrastructure so that we may enjoy robust wifi and connectivity. We have replaced some lighting with LED energy efficient lighting. Our new science labs have energy dashboards that show solar panel electricity (photo electric), wind turbine electricity, and other measures of real life science. Our air quality and air conditioning projects have also enhanced the quality of the learning environments.
Our aim to engage, inspire, and empower is realized and supported by many facets of organization, education, leadership, finance, governance, and community support. While it’s appropriate at all times of the year to reflect and give thanks, it is especially relevant at this time of year!
We are fortunate to have so many supports, tools, and resources to support our noble and challenging work.