photo courtesy of Senegal Trip Photo Library
On June 15, thirteen LWHS students and three faclty members flew to Senegal to work in the village of Niokhob Guedj and experience Senegalese culture. At 7 a.m. each morning, they woke and rode a bus to the village to build benches, desks and paint virbant murals at a local school. In the evenings, they’d relax by playing soccer with friends or going to the beach.
One important aspect of the trip was learning Pular and Wolof, two languages spoken in Niokhob Guedj. “Everyone had to put more effort into learning about each other and being together,” says Ally Poggi-Li ’20. “We were all invested into connecting with one another, and this challenge just served to unite us further.”
After two weeks of service work, the trip ended with a weeklong tour of the country. They volunteered at an orphanage in the beach town Mbour, learned about the slave trade in the Goree islands and walked through Dakar. This was Lick-Wilmerding’s tenth trip to Senegal and third trip to Niokhob Guedj.
Senegal Trip Students: Anthony Aldaz ‘20, Hannah DeGroot ’19, Sabine Gillelen ’20, Bobby Gonzalez ’20, Annabelle Hendrickson ’19, Anna de Hostos ’19, Jeffrey Martinez ’20, Sabrina McFarland ’19, Felix Murphy ’20, Ally Poggi-Li ’20, Sadie Ray Smith ’19, Khloe Thomas ’18, Isabelle Watson ’20,
Faculty: Youssou Fall, Daniel Tesfai, Michecia Jones, Kate Boyd
photo courtesy of Costa Rica Trip Photo Library
On June 9, twelve students traveled to San Pedro, Costa Rica on a LWHS-organized service trip. Raji Davenport ’20 was thrilled to visit Costa Rica for his first trip outside the country.
“I wanted to work with younger kids, help out communities that actually need a lot of help, and practice Spanish,” Davenport said.
In Costa Rica, Davenport and the other students painted buildings across their homestay community, including the new kitchen and rusted-over jungle gym. They would also volunteer at a local school, playing tag, soccer, dancing and singing with the younger kids.
For Regan Fenrick ’20, spending time with her host parents and four host siblings was the most impactful part of the trip. “My host family was really welcoming and kind,” Fenrick said. “They overall just made the experience incredible.”
At the end of the trip, all of the homestay moms taught Lick students how to flatten, shape, and bake dough over a fire.
“Seeing everyone interacting with each other and trying something new was really inspiring,” Davenport said.
Costa Rica Trip Students: Abby Amlesom ’19, Lillie Aivars ’19, Ali Beavans-Szabo ‘19, Raji Davenport ’20, Oscar Derryck ’20, Regan Fenrick ’20, Sam Ludeke ’20, Julian Mendiola ’21, Sofia Monfiglio ’19, Quincy Peters ’20, Elena Skarupski ’19, Oscar Wilmerding ’21 Faculty: Laralyn Bergstedt and Monica West
