A small group of Upper School Charles Wright students spent their Winterim experience this year exploring Central American culture and history and working with children at an orphanage in Guatemala.  Lower School Spanish teacher Plinio Gutierrez-Delgado, a native Spanish speaker, guided the nine students throughout their adventure. 

“It was a powerful experience to see how much our students can change in just one week,” says Gutierrez-Delgado. 

The students spent several days at Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos, an orphanage.  They played, studied, ate and worked together on a variety of service projects including organizing games and activities for the children living at the orphanage. 

“It seemed that even though the kids didn’t have a family, they were pretty happy,” one student later told a report for the Academy Times.  “Lots of people were happy even though they didn’t have material goods.”

Another student commented: “It was an eye-opening experience in a third world country.  It helped me appreciate what we have here.”

During this trip students also visited the city of La Antigua, the Chichicastenango market, and the ruined Mayan city of Tikal. 

“At the time they have to leave the airport to get back home, I was quite happy they said goodbye to me the Guatemalan way,” says Gutierrez-Delgado. “They got so used to getting and giving hugs to the children, that I got a big hug from each Upper School student while they said ‘Gracias’ and ‘Adios.’”

You can share in the experience by viewing a video of the students’ time at the NPH orphanage. 

Click here to view the 2008 Guatemala Winterim Trip video in high quality or low quality.