Compass School Inc wrote -

In the spring of 2017 our junior class plans to travel to Cuba. We are excited by the prospect of seeing this country and connecting to its people during this unique time in the history of Cuban-US relations. Thank you so much for considering supporting this valuable experience!

The Compass School is an innovative independent middle and high school in Westminster, Vermont. Creating engaged global citizens is one of our many important educational goals. To that end, our junior class travels to a devolping Spanish-speaking country each year. This trip is a core part of our curriculum, and we are committed to making it accessible to all our students regardless of family income. Our school has an economically diverse population, with 50% of our families qualifying for free-or-reduced lunch.

The Junior Class Global Connections Program has many goals. Among these are:

• Developing cross cultural understanding
• Learning how to be a “traveler, not a tourist”
• Opening up the world to our students so they are comfortable traveling and have both the interest and skills to undertake travel experiences throughout their lives
• Valuing learning through direct experience and immersion
• Appreciation of life in less developed parts of the world—discovering, in the words of one of our students, that “the beauty of a person’s life is not determined by the beauty of their house.”
• Engaging in service
• Extensive practice with Spanish language
• Increasing the “international intelligence” in our area by using this experience to share with others in the larger community
• To give every student, regardless of family economic status or prior travel experience, the opportunity to have this tremendously meaningful experience