Lo-Ellen Park students celebrate cultural diversity during trip to Ecuador

Students in the Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School’s Me to We Club will celebrate cultural diversity during a special trip to Ecuador which begins on Saturday, March 24, 2018. During the eight day trip, students in Grades 10 to 12 will take part in a variety of activities and service projects to help build a better understanding and appreciation for Ecuadorian civilization.

“Our Me to We Club works to give a hands up to societies that are developing,” says teacher Vanessa Catto. “We collaborate with communities to help provide access to education, health care, food, clean water, opportunities for women, and safety for all.”

The school’s Me to We Club has been supporting Ecuador through various fundraising ventures over the past two years. Some members of the Club raised $10,000 to build a school in Ecuador when they were students at Alexander Public School. Meredith Kusniercyzk, Anne-Marie Sakki and Anna Teolis will have the opportunity to see first-hand how their fundraising efforts have helped Ecuadorian communities.

The Education First tour will begin in the nation’s capital of Quito, where students will be immersed in arts, architecture and language. They will have ample opportunity to practise their Spanish, which they have been learning under the guidance of teacher Camille Dupuis.

While in Quito, students will visit Yunguilla, a sustainable development community in the cloud forest, and will witness the natural forces at work near the equator.

Students will dive into various weather conditions, landscapes and altitudes while travelling from Quito, to the Amazon Rainforest, to Baños, a mystical town of waterfalls, hot springs and surrounding rivers.

Students will canoe up the Napo River to the Minga Lodge where they will settle for community orientation. While in the Amazon Basin, students will work with Free The Children to understand community challenges.

“This trip is directly linked to the Me to We Club’s mandate of student commitment to both local and global action, and being ambassadors for change,” says teacher Vanessa Catto. “This reinforces the idea that students are global citizens who care about the world in which we live.”

The trip will culminate in the city of Otavalo, where local residents are famous for weaving textiles such as blankets and tablecloths. Students will browse the local markets for crafts, clothing goods and tasty cuisine.

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Media Contact:

Jeff McKibbon, Principal, Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School
Rainbow Dsitrict School Board, 705-522-2320