leadership development
trips foster a maturity that allows the students to be more independent, to want to pay attention and work hard. From both an independent and cultural awareness standpoint, their evolution as a language student spikes in an awesome way.” While the goals of these trips are to fully immerse students in a culture and increase language fluency, it is ultimately the confidence they gain from living with local families where not using the language is not an option. In 2023, a small cohort of Grade 8 Spanish students traveled to Guatemala where they spent 95% of their waking hours in Spanish. “This allowed them to ‘turn off’ their English brains and gain fluidity in their second language,” says Spanish Teacher Dirgni Betancourt, who chaperoned the trip and encouraged the boys daily to
immerse themselves in the culture, only eat local cuisine, and try the unfamiliar, like the ancient temazcal (Guatemalan sauna). “Once they make these meaningful connections, it brings everything to life,” says Mandarin Teacher Isaac Chou. Whether it’s attending a local village’s Lunar New Year celebrations or making tortillas in the kitchen with homestay families, “It’s no longer just a school subject, a textbook worksheet, or homework. They get different perspectives from real people, real culture with special history and meaning. It’s irreplaceable.” For Betancourt, understanding their role in the bigger picture of humanity inspires the boys “to help create a fair, equal, and diverse community,” life lessons the boys brought back into her
classroom after their last trip. “They became more involved in class, eager to help others to improve their Spanish,” she says of the confidence the trip instilled. “They developed a thoughtful sensitivity to explore and understand other cultures.” And, as Felix Ramirez ’23 observed from his homestay in Guatemala, humility was one of the greatest lessons: “I learned that you don’t need much to be happy and feel loved,” he says. “People have much less money but still live life to its fullest.” Both transformative and humbling is the annual service trip to Puerto Rico, an initiative brought to the Cathedral community by Grade 7/8 English Teacher Chris Corrigan. Focused on two ongoing projects, Eye on the Rain Forest and the underserved community of Villa del Rio, this labor-intensive service trip commits
Intersession 2024: The Future of Transportation
14 | cathedral school for boys
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