Massapequa High School students went on a life-changing mission this past summer to improve the lives of impoverished community members in G
uatemala. What they gained, was a new perspective on what happiness means and a desire to continue studying Spanish to help others on a global level.
Freshman Lily Bastian, juniors Julianna Hartmann, Kyle Korwan, Hailey Korwan, Andrew Lazina, Elizabeth Murphy, Natalie Murphy and Lili Si
monetti and senior Laine Thelian embarked on the trip with about 50 members from their church youth group. Equipped with the Spanish skills they learned in school and a great willingness to improve the lives of others, they set to work.
Students’ activities and responsibilities included building a house, repairing a soccer field, teaching vacation Bible school and fixing an orphanage, while reaching out to the community to connect with its residents. They worked in teams, each tackling a specific task.
“The real-world opportunity that these students experienced is a wonderful testament to our world language teachers and their focus on teaching global competence,” said William Anderson, the district’s curriculum associate for world languages.
During their one-week experience, their Spanish skills grew considerably, from one-word sentences, to actual conversations as they recalled what they learned in the classroom.
“It’s a whole different experience when you have to rely on using your Spanish,” said Hartmann. “When you see how you can apply what you’ve learned, it encourages you to continue studying the language and even makes you want to study other ones.”
“We also used a lot of nonverbal communication to get our point across,” Hailey Korwan added. “They really respected that we tried so hard to communicate with them.”
The group remembered phrases and songs they learned from their teachers in the district and used them to connect with the residents.
“We visited an HIV/AIDS orphanage and school during their recess and we asked a girl named Dulce what her hobbies are,” said Natalie Murphy. “She told us she liked music so we sang the one verse of Dimelo that our Spanish teacher Mrs. [Amelie] Czekaj taught us and she started singing with us. It was the coolest thing ever. We were able to brighten a shy girl’s day because we knew the words to a familiar song.”
Students also had to exchange currency, a skill they learned in the classroom, and used their knowledge of language to bargain at the markets in the city of Antigua.
“While helping the people of Guatemala, we also learned from them,” added Natalie. “They showed us that although they had nothing, they
were the happiest people because they didn’t need material things to make them happy. They had all that they needed; a house, a family, faith, hope and love. It was a really positive environment.”
—Submitted by Massapequa Public Schools
