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