More than 20 Langley Secondary Grade 11 and 12 students and three LSS teachers are spending their spring break in Belize helping rebuild a school and provide workshops for the many children living there.
The Langley teens are sleeping on the cement floor of the rural high school in the tiny village of Double Head Cabbage (yes that’s its real name).
“We will be building latrines, re-roofing the building, basically repairing the school,” said Grade 12 student Sean Basso.
“There is a large child population there, so we are looking forward to interacting with the kids. I think it’s going to be a real eye opener for all of us.”
LSS teacher Michael Carlyle organized the trip and this is the second group of LSS students he has taken there.
With the teachers’ strike looming, and the students’ flights already paid for, it was touch-and-go on what was going to happen, said Carlyle.
“But, it was pretty obvious that we had to make this happen for these kids,” he said.
Carlyle has been spending countless after-school hours with the students, prepping them and getting everything organized for the big trip.
“I think this is a pretty good example of some of the things teachers do outside of “normal” school hours,” Carlyle said.
Carlyle took a group of Langley Secondary students in 2010 to Double Head Cabbage.
“The last group said it was a bit of a shock to the system with simple things like showering,” said Basso.
The teens expect to see lots of iguanas, cockroaches, scorpions and tarantulas, said several of the students. They don’t expect to get a lot of beach time, but do expect to get a tan under the hot sun.
The last group applied and received funding for projects this group is going to work on, including the chicken coop to raise chickens to sell for scholarships.
Also they have received sponsorships from three Langley businesses to help fund the buillding of a small eating hall.
The LSS students will also be running workshops with the Double Head Cabbage on topics like life skills, leadership, nutrition and health.
The village only has a population of 400 people so the LSS team’s arrival will be a pretty big deal, said Grade 12 student Julianna Towle.
She’s looking forward to meeting all the children.
“Some of these kids have to take a two hour bus ride to go to school,” said Towle.
Carlyle said the students will be fed by Miss Mommy, a villager who they pay to cook for them.
“It will be a lot of beans and rice,” said Towle.
Check out the Belize Rural High School in Double Head Cabbage at http://brhs.edu.bz/