Thirty-four students (7^th & 8^th grades) from St. Marcus School, Bruce-Guadalupe Community School and Milwaukee College Prep along with school leaders, teacher chaperones and a representative from the Center for Urban Teaching will depart Saturday, February 21 for a seven day, experiential and cultural learning experience in El Salvador.

Sponsored by the Ramirez Family Foundation, the schools have partnered with Casa La Atarraya, a school located in Ahuachapan, El Salvador; a Christian, family founded, fully accredited pre K-12^th grade school.  All 3 Milwaukee schools and Casa la Atarraya have excellent school cultures rooted in discipline and strong character.

• The students’ activities will be highly meaningful and their days full and exhausting.  Activities include:
  School Outreach:  school work/lessons, mural paintings, athletic programs
• Students will participate in service projects including work on the school’s community garden project, digging a foundation for a new building for the school and assembling food packets for the community food program
• Visits to historical sites

Professional development opportunities will also take place between the Milwaukee school teachers and Casa La Atarraya teaching staff.

This will be a life-changing experience where students are exposed to a different way of life amid hardships and extreme poverty. It will lead them to see themselves and the world differently and consider what impact they would like to have on the world. Previous trips developed a reflective, appreciative, compassionate, and mature attitude in the students that participated.

Teambuilding, study of regional geography and culture has prepared students and chaperones for this experience.

For more information about Casa La Atarraya visit: http://www.clatarraya.org/

Follow the group’s activities on Twitter:
Twitter name to follow: MKEinElSalvador

Link to view tweets: https://twitter.com/MKEinElSalvador