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!
