Commencement Address at Democracia

Hello parents:
The dining hall was completed in time for the Bullis students to see it this morning on their way to the airport. The are in transit as I write back to the U.S. Also our country coordinator, Matt Miller, delivered this commencement address at the school this morning. Since it involves some of the work that Bullis and other World Leadership School groups have done at the school, I thought I would post it here. Congratulations Bullis students on work very well done! Hopefully pictures of the dining hall will be posted here soon.
Ross

Graduation Commencement Speech for
La Democracia Government School
June 25 2009
Theme: GO LIGHT YOUR WORLD

Good Morning to everyone; Ministry representatives, Principal Garcia, Teachers, parents and especially students and our distinguished GRADUATES!

Today is a gift. I suppose that is why they call it The Present. Today marks a crossroad for all of us. This is the day our primary school graduates take a step a bit further out and into the light. Go Light Your World is the theme of this commencement ceremony and I can see that each and every one of our graduates here is looking ahead, not behind. Ahead is where your future lies.

Today also marks a new chapter in this village. Our school is growing and expanding. New buildings have sprouted and taken root here in the school yard, more educational tools have and are being installed, parents are volunteering to assist teachers in meaningful, supportive ways, and the graduates from this little school are shining brightly this morning as they step out into the world with the joy of accomplishment in their academic achievements.

They now are GRADUATES. And as they step out today, one step closer to becoming responsible teen agers on the path to adulthood, I remind us all to take pause to count our blessings. We live in a peaceful country. We have clean air to breath and fresh sweet water to drink. God’s gifts of nature are plentiful and remind us of our rich natural heritage; we are blessed with natural capital. People from other countries come here just to experience what we take for granted every day. And some of these visitors fall in love with our village, the Sibun River and the diversity of birds that fill the air with songs. One year ago, a group of middle school and high school teachers visited Democracia and were welcomed by several families here who were willing to open their homes and their lives to these curious visitors. The first night was a bit uncomfortable for both guests and hosts. This Experiment in International Living proved to be a big success by the time night 2 rolled around. Strangers had become friends, food and drink shared, addresses and phone numbers were exchanged, and pictures and stories made their way back to hometowns across the States. And this year, students from these hometowns visited our school and participated in many activities with our Belizean students. They exchanged ideas about biological diversity and climate change, they volunteered their labor and they brought gifts in the form of computers, school supplies and cold hard cash to pay for a few improvements to our school. All this is to say that the light definitely is shining on Democracia. Just look at who and what this light is attracting!

So graduates, Go Light Your World. And remember these important points as you complete the change from childhood to adolescence. 1) Be the leader to guide yourself and others to do the right thing. Be responsible and respectful. Mind your parents, and parents do everything in your power to help create opportunities for your children to grow, continue to learn and find their purpose in life. Be consistent and complete what you started. Continue to read and stay current on what is happening in the world around you. Help conserve and protect the environment. Strengthen your courage by doing one thing every day that you are afraid to do. And finally, believe in a Higher Power; remembering who is in control.

Thank you for the invitation to attend today’s graduation ceremony. Know that Monkey Bay will continue to shine a light to attract other parts of the world to Democracia in order to encourage world peace and friendship.

God Bless.

Flight Arrival Information

Hello parents,

I wanted to confirm the flight arrival information Thursday night (actually Friday morning) into Ronald Reagan National Airport.

June 25th
AA 2104 Belize City, Belize -- Miami 2:55PM – 6:55PM
AA 1012 Miami -- DCA 9:55PM – 12:20AM (June 26)

So far the flight times have not changed. Before going to the airport, please check the 1012 flight number at www.aa.com, as flights are often delayed.

Thank you very much and if you have any questions, call me on 303-679-3412.

Ross

On Tobacco Caye

Hello Parents,

Wanted to confirm that I heard from Chris Lindstrom, World Leadership School instructor, who says the group is having a great time on Tobacco Caye. The sun has finally arrived and the students are very happy about that! They had a snorkel orientation yesterday and a talk about global climate change in Belize's reefs. Today they are out exploring the Belize Barrier Reef, spending some time on a gorgeous beach, snorkeling, and visiting the Smithsonian research center on Carrie Bow Caye. Tonight, they will return to Tobacco Caye for closing activities. This has been a fabulous trip and the kids have accomplished so much.

Also we have workers on the ground back in Democracia, where the group did its community service, putting the final touches on the dining hall. This is the building the students worked on despite rain. This building was built 100 percent because of the students' donations and hard work. As a result, over 100 students at Democracia will now have a place to get out of the rain, dust and heat and have a decent meal -- no child can learn without a decent meal, so this is a really important step forward for the school. The Bullis students were not able to do much of the final work on the dining hall themselves as it required standing on a ladder (which we do not allow for students) and also nailing into tropical hard wood (which was very difficult for the students, indeed anyone who is not a local carpenter). Our hope is to finish the building so the students can see it on their return tomorrow from Tobacco Caye to the Belize City airport. We will certainly post pictures when available.

If you have any questions, please call on (303) 679-3412.

Thanks, Ross Wehner

Blog Entry June 22, 2009

Today we stated off with a breakfast of eggs and potatoes, and then we got ready to head to La Democracia for our second day of our service project at the school. While there, we built the braces to support the walls of the dining room, then put up screening and roofing. We also helped make a walkway from the kitchen to the dining room and also helped make cement for the kitchen. The computer room we started painting yesterday got finished today. After the day was over a few of the teachers from La Democracia came to Monkey Bay to eat dinner with us. Tonight Rufina made rice, curry chicken, fried plantains, salad, and mashed potatoes. Best Dinner Ever!! Then we enjoyed a drumming circle from a local band. We danced really crazy around the fire pit. After dancing we settled down to get a good night sleep for our long trip to Tobacco Caye tomorrow.
Written by Clarke Jamison and William Tavel

Blog Entry June 21, 2009

Today we went to the village of La Democracia to build a dining hall for the local primary school. We put up the frame and we painted their future computer lab. Ms. Aretha cooked lunch for us, and then we got watermelon. She also provided the wood to build the frame of the dining hall. We made a lot of progress today. We got all four walls up and the rafters in place. All that is left to do is the roof and the screening against bugs. Some of us played a game of kick ball with some local kids, and I made a little friend named Latrell. (me being Oriana). In the evening we played a game called “Peanut- Butter Booger Fire Snot River,” in which we had to use teamwork and listening skills, as well as problem- solving skills. We also had to use “I statements,” which are a way of problem solving in which you tell the other person what you are feeling, why you are feeling like that, and what they could do to make you help solve the problem. We also did our own laundry. We hope that it doesn’t rain tomorrow so that we can finish the dining hall and play more games with the kids.

Written by Oriana Theo and Ian Giles

Bullis Part I Video