Lopez InSTEP - News

Lopez Island Spanish Club Students to take Service-Learning Trip to Peru

11/19/2018

Lopez School teacher and trip leader Lisa Geddes, along with teacher Brian Goff, and Mental Health specialist, Paul Lewis plan to take ten high-school Spanish students to Peru in spring 2019, in partnership with the organization Language and Friendship. The trip will include a service-learning component as well as individual home-stays with local families and a chance to visit Machu Picchu.

Spanish Club students had been traveling to Nicaragua to do a service-learning project with the Center for Development in Central America, every other year since 2001. However, recent social unrest necessitated a change of plans. (In order to support the CDCA, please visit their website at http://jhc-cdca.org).

Students traveling to Nicaragua had a chance to improve their Spanish language skills while learning about third-world poverty, meeting peers and connecting with their lives. They helped with construction of a health clinic, a water system, and other projects, and also visited a rural coffee finca.

This year's trip to Peru will include various service projects such as helping out on a farm, working with children in a local school, a building project, working with sheep, and preparing natural dyes.

All participants must be comitted students, demonstrate competency in Spanish, and help to raise funds for trip expenses. This trip is more costly than going to Nicaragua, and community support is greatly appreciated. Students hope to raise funds by making crafts to sell at the Holiday Bazaar, cooking for community events, busking at the Saturday Market, and performing singing telegrams next Valentine's Day.

In addition to that, they are hoping to raise $5,000 from the community through direct donations to the new GoFundMe page: <https://www.gofundme.com/jjjz25-lopez-is.-student-trip-to-peru> This page has additional information about the Peru Trip.

You can also donate through InSTEP, the community non-profit dedicated to supporting Lopez students' international teacher-led trips. 100% of donations to InSTEP go directly to program services, and are fully tax-deductible. You can donate through the website at http://www.lopezinstep.org.

Thank you for supporting educational student travel and service! The Lopez community will have a chance to hear directly from the students about their experiences, and see photographs of their trip, when they return. You will be gratified to see how much they get out of these life-changing experiences.

French Trip Blog

4/7/2016

The French Club has been maintaining a blog. If you wish to read their entries, go to
http://richardtetu.weebly.com/french-club-blog

More Greece Trip News

4/7/2016

From Lisa Geddes

Here's the latest from Greece...(April 6, 2016)

Our last day in Nafplio we climbed over a thousand steps up to the Palamidi fortress, built by the Venetians in the early 1700s during one of their occupations. It was a gorgeous day, and we huffed and puffed our way up the stairs with the best of 'em.

Arrived on the island of Crete at the crack of dawn this morning after an overnight ferry ride from the port city of Piraeus, near Athens. Our time in Piraeus was a heart-breaking and at times nerve-rattling experience, as we began the 3 hour wait for our ferry in close proximity to one of the large refugee encampments. Conditions for the thousands of Syrian, Afghani, and Iraqi migrants there have deteriorated and we've been told that tensions are running high; though with the exception of being somewhat intensely reprimanded by a woman in a language I (Lisa) didn't understand for attempting to be a photo journalist and discretely take a photo of a man in the camp playing a guitar, we didn't witness any hostility. Photography is tricky business, not my forte, and although I had the best of intentions, I crossed a line. I thought she was going to take and destroy my camera, but I stayed as calm as I could and attempted to communicate to her that I intended no disrespect and would put my camera away. Though I was somewhat shaken, I can completely appreciate where she's coming from. We rather quickly relocated our group to a fast food restaurant across the busy street. Both Dave and I felt caught between our roles as steady and vigilant trip chaperones and our own mounting sense of overwhelming sadness.

As of today, the government has begun moving the refugees from Piraeus to another location, described in some reports to be a type of detention center. Many are frightened and refuse to leave. Syrians are more likely to be granted asylum than Afghanis or Iraqis, which is generating additional tension between the groups.

And yet within the chaos someone has set up a makeshift hair cutting station and children can be seen playing with improvised toys.

Our five student travelers have been extraordinary. After an absolutely sublime student-prepared feast of local chicken and fish (barbecued outside by Harrison, Reese, and Jonathan), Greek salad, and roasted potatoes (eaten on our patio overlooking the Mediterranean Sea), we had quite a long and thoughtful debriefing session, and it was one of those occasions when I think both Dave and I (the adults) felt utterly humbled by the beauty and depth of their youthful insights. We all spoke of dignity and the fact that we were seeing people that, had the circumstances been different in our own homeland, could be any one of us. The students all seem to appreciate having the opportunity to experience and reflect on something so "real" and relevant, in the sense that the crisis is unfolding at this time, in this place. This is the largest refugee crisis since WWII, and future students will undoubtedly study the repercussions of this crisis in fifty+ years much as these students have studied WWII. The juxtaposition of the ancient past and the in-your-face present has been a welcome one and has inspired much spirited conversation. I imagine that Richard and Debbie and the students in France are experiencing noticeable aspects of a changing Europe as well.

In addition to our evening check-ins, the students have been doing some impressive writing, which we'll be sharing at our presentation to the community on May 6th. All in all, the students are coping well, being respectful, asking challenging questions, and at times resorting to playful silliness the way we all tend to do when we need to decompress. The trip continues to be an inspiring, eye-opening, and sometimes exhausting experience, and we're all working well together.

Tomorrow we visit the archeological site of Knossos, widely considered to be Europe's oldest city.

That's all for now. Stay tuned for more photos.

With our deepest gratitude,
Lisa and Dave

Greece Trip News

4/4/2016

Dave Sather and Lisa Geddes sent this update.

We left a busy and hectic Athens for a more picturesque and rural Nafplio today. When we arrived, via taxi, we were warmly greeted by our host Theofilo and his family. The accommodations to each stay seem to continually improve. Attached is the view from the balcony looking north to the argive plain. We walked into town, went into a carnival and rode a few rides before carrying on to go swimming before having dinner in the tight and touristy shops that make up the old quarter of Nafplio. Tomorrow we head to Mycenae and the theater of Epidarus. We are doing a lot of walking and I suspect they may say something about it on our return.

I can't say enough about how the well the kids are getting along and Lisa and I are enjoying their insights on what they are observing. We end each night with a check in and review and discuss our biggest "take always". These conversations truly take us by surprise each time as each of us sees something different about the day. At every turn, we are hit with the hospitality of the Greek people. This evening Lisa and I went to a mom and pops grocery store and received home made feta, and Reese and Jonathan are playing basketball with one of the kids.

We will only be here for two nights before returning to the Athens area where we will board for Crete.

Take care,
Dave & Lisa

Greece Trip Departure

3/30/2016

SPECIAL ENTRY by RICHARD WARD
This morning Lopez High School's first trip to Greece began (missing in photo is Anah-Kate Drahn, who arrived later). This excursion is led by Principal Dave Sather and is financed in part by islanders who contribute to INSTEP, a nonprofit that promotes travel abroad for island students. Teacher Lisa Geddes is helping Dave herd these cats on their 12-day journey. The students were prepared for the experience by taking a course in classics taught by Elizabeth Simpson.

Spring Trips Presentation, May 6, 7:00 PM, at the school

3/24/2016

Lopez InSTEP and Lopez Island School District invite you to attend a presentation on Friday, May 6, from the students who traveled to France and Greece in March and April of 2016. Expect great photos to accompany funny, interesting, or touching stories from the people who represented Lopez abroad. Refreshments and treats will be served. No admission fees: you already did a lot to support these trips.
The doors to the Multipurpose room will be open early so we can start promptly at 7:00 PM.

Umpteenth Annual Quiche Take-Out

1/14/2016

The Lopez Island French Club is holding its annual Quiche Take-Out; as always, students offer Quiches Lorraine, sausage quiches, and vegetarian quiches. These quiches are freshly crafted by the French Club to support the Spring trip to France. You can order now for pick up on Sunday, January 31, from 9:00 to noon. All from scratch for $20! Order from any French Club member or call 468-3214.

From Lisa Geddes in Mexico

12/14/2015

Lopez teacher Lisa Geddes is currently on sabbatical in central Mexico, studying Spanish and doing volunteer work in San Miguel de Allende. Missed by Lopez School students and staff (not to mention her family and friends!), she is also missed by InSTEP, where she is a board member, trip leader of the Spanish Club trip to Nicaragua, and teacher-chaperone to the upcoming Greece Trip.

She is writing a trip diary, and shared a little with us, to illustrate some of the universal values of international travel and language study that will be shared by students. There are foibles, and there are joys. Most importantly, there are insights into our common humanity and our surprising and often delightful differences.

Enjoy!
Jane Werntz Ward

October 29th
I’m about a week-and-a-half into my three-month stay in San Miguel. The sky is grey this morning, which is unusual, if a week-and-a-half is anything by which to measure what’s usual and what’s not. On other mornings the skies have been clear and breathe-it-in blue with Montana-like puffy cloud formations. And the daily temperature has been noticeably ideal. Something to talk about.

My earliest impression of San Miguel is that it is an open-armed city: accessible and permeable, and although I’m all-too aware that I’m not of this place, I don’t feel as though I’m out of place. I’ve felt warmly welcomed as a fellow human being sharing a wee space on a narrow sidewalk or in a crowded bus or marketplace. Despite the fact that of the approximately 140,000 residents, about 11,000 are expats, it retains an authentic Mexican culture, and the expats I’ve encountered seem to have an interest participating in and contributing to the local quality of life rather than simply being entitled consumers of a good time or cool art, of which there is a lot!

In addition to taking one-on-one formal Spanish classes, which will start in mid November, the two places I’ve been contributing my time as a volunteer are the Biblioteca Pública (the public library and hub of educational and cultural activities, as those of you have been here know) and an organization called CASA, the Centro Para Adolecentes de San Miguel, whose mission I’ve listed below in Spanish, the gist of which is to improve the conditions for the most vulnerable populations in San Miguel through the promotion of sexual health and education, sustainable development and human rights.
http://www.casa.org.mx/
Misión:
Contribuir con calidad y calidez a elevar las condiciones de vida de la población más vulnerable por medio de acciones en la salud y educación, promoviendo el desarrollo sustentable, la salud sexual y reproductiva, así también el respeto a los derechos humanos con una perspectiva de género
The CASA is located just over the wall from the casita where I’m living here in the Colonia Santa Julia part of the city. Yesterday there was a celebration welcoming a 70-year-old Canadian man who rode his bicycle from Toronto, Canada to San Miguel in order to raise money for the organization. Pretty impressive fella. A group of children sang and danced and made Canadian and Mexican flags.

I’ve started co-teaching an English class to a group of teenagers at the library twice a week. The main teacher is a tiny, elegant, and blind linguistics professor from Mexico City named Alicia. She moved to San Miguel from la ciudad about 15 years ago and shared with me that one of her ancestors is pictured on the 200 peso note. She's very proud of this fact!
Our teaching styles seem to be quite complimentary and I’m learning a lot from her.

Today is Tuesday the 3rd of November, and the Día de Muertos festivities have come to a close. Preparations have been going on ever since I arrived starting with tarpaulin-covered booths set up around town selling sugar skulls, candles, papel picado, pan de muerto, and so many gorgeous flowers – marigolds and cockscombs and these delicate white flowers that I don’t know the name of.

By Friday of last week, el jardin (the center of the city) had become a cacophony of colors...skeletons and ofrendas (altars) and music. I was all-a-gawk with the splendor of the surroundings. Giant puppets and people on the move, setting up ofrendas in the square or carrying bundles of flowers to the cemeteries. Oh . . . and the glorious food!

There’s also the preponderance of tourists milling about, adding to the already crowded sidewalks and streets, none of which have any kind of lights or signage saying when to stop and when to go. It all just kind of works itself out, and surprisingly well. It requires eye-contact, communication, and an uno por uno sensibility. (You go, then I’ll go...)

Lots of walking . . . lots of hills and lots of cobblestones. I’m thoroughly enjoying finding different routes to take every day since I’m living a ways from the center of things. Every now and again I'll come upon a group of women wearing stiletto heeled shoes walking on the cobblestone streets on their way to some event. For the life of me I don't know how they do it!

Roof dogs . . . This is new to me. I’ve always seen lots of dogs on the loose in Mexico and Central America, but have never seen so many tasked with the job of being 24-hour-a-day guard dogs from the roofs of homes and shops. Most are pit bulls and are quite growly and frightening, but many of the pit bulls are wiggly sweethearts that bark and bark while hardly able to contain themselves for all the tail-wagging and eagerness to come down and make contact. Although they seem better fed than many of the street dogs I've seen, they seem isolated and starved for affection. Pulls my heart strings!

P.S.: Attached are a few photos of the city, particularly Día de los Muertos.

September 29th, 2015

9/29/2015

If you visit the Greek Club, Spanish Club, Japanese Connections, and Students in Action pages, you will see updated photos about some of their activities over the last few months. This includes hosting dinners, supporting catering, and most of all, trip photos.

Greece Trip Update

6/30/2015

Some of our students as they muster for their trip. Please visit our website.
http://lobosingreece.weebly.com