Every year the Compass School junior class embarks on an immersion experience to a Spanish-speaking country in the developing world as part of our Global Connections Program. Compass is a small independent school in rural Westminster, Vermont. Many Compass students come from economically disadvantaged families, and it is our mission to send every Compass School junior on this life-changing trip regardless of their ability to pay. For many, this is their first trip out of their region, let alone out of the country.
The Global Connections trip is far and away one of the most transformational experiences we offer. Whether students are building roads in the hills of Tres Ceibas or haggling in Spanish over a taxi ride in Santiago, jumping off waterfalls in the mountains or meeting with the leaders of the Mariposa DR Foundation, the mission of the trip is clear: to foster cross-cultural understanding and an appreciation for life in the developing world.
The junior class is responsible for planning and fundraising the two-week trip and an immense amount of community support in recent years has ensured that every Compass junior has been able to afford this amazing opportunity. The class of 2016 needs your support!
Former participants have been inspired to make international social activism a key part of their lives. For example, Jake Saunders '08 of Westminster returned to the Mexico border for his senior project to volunteer with
No Mas Muertos, an organization that gives aid to lost migrants in the Arizona desert. Katelin Wilton '05 of Putney dedicated her college years to working with HIV-infected teens in West Africa and was nominated for a Rhodes Scholarship for her work. Isaac Shaw '13 of Westminster conducted a three-month long study abroad in Costa Rica for his senior project and is currently traveling in India. Sophie Taylor-Havens '12 of Saxton's River is currently in Thailand studying agriculture and development.
Pictured above: Devin Hennigan '13 plays with the local kids in Tres Ceibas.
Pictured below: Isaac Shaw '13 and Mandy White '13 and Devin Hennigan '13 reflect and journal by the roadside.
Pictured below: The Class of 2013 charges toward the Atlantic Ocean in the windsurfing capital of the world: Cabarete!
With your support, each of the juniors in the Class of 2016 will be able to attend this life-changing trip, regardless of their ability to pay.
Thank you!
