This summer, 27 Midview High School students, one Midview Middle School student, and four chaperones traveled abroad to Panama to participate in a service-based learning program. During the nine-day immersive experience, students helped improve health, education, and economic outcomes in under-resourced communities.
“This trip filled me with such pride for our district, our Midview families, and our students,” said Board Vice President Janet Winslow. “Our students worked hard to make a difference and continuously showed compassion and respect to everyone we met and worked alongside. The joy they shared with the students of Panama was heartwarming.”
Midview traveled under the guidance of Global Brigades, a renowned international non-profit known for its work in resolving health and economic disparities. Global Brigades’ program, Squads Abroad, empowers teachers and students to make a global impact through skill-based experiential learning programs focused on health, business, STEM, or education. Midview volunteered as part of the Global Health Squad.
Facilitated by the Panama Squads Abroad local team, Midview students:
lent a helping hand at Rural Panama School, spending three days improving sanitation infrastructure and making building updates (digging drainage ditches, using pickaxes to clear an area for a new classroom area, exterior and interior painting, mixing concrete by hand using shovels and pails of rock, sand, cement, and water) and two days working alongside dental health professionals (providing Fluoride treatments, teaching a dental health lesson in Spanish, packing hygiene kits with donations from the Grafton community and Global Brigades)
learned about Panamanian culture through activities and field trips, including making tamales, Mola-inspired painting, crafting Soap Rock carvings, hiking, sightseeing, and learning to Zumba
practiced their foreign language skills, interacting with locals and the Panama Squads Abroad staff in Spanish
“Real-world application is an important component of our vision for the Midview curriculum,” said Superintendent Dr. Bruce Willingham. “This was an incredible opportunity that empowers our students to not only apply what they’ve been learning in the classroom but to also gain insight into future careers, experience a different culture, and make a difference in the lives of others.”
The Midview Local Schools Board of Education and administration would like to extend their gratitude to the local businesses and families who helped make this trip possible through their generous donations. An additional thank you is also owed to Jessica Dembiec, Janet Winslow, Brett Mattingly, and Amelia Eastin for traveling with this great group of Middies.
This experience was offered to select students due to its foreign language and medical focus.