Student Video Documents Trip to Nicaragua
The project involved two years of Alex's time, dedication and journalistic skills and resulted in a video that beautifully conveys the real-world learning and service impact of Hawken's Seeds of Learning trips.
In the summer of 2013, Alex embarked on her first service to trip to Villa Japón in Nicaragua. While doing manual labor and teaching and playing with children, Alex made personal connections that led to a commitment to help beyond the 10-day trip. When she returned to Hawken, she helped raise money for a community technology center in Villa Japón by coordinating school dances and helping with the Battle of the Bands, an annual Seeds of Learning fundraiser.
The following spring, Alex returned to Villa Japón for the 2014 Spanish Intensive. During the three-week language immersion and service Intensive, in addition to continuing manual labor on the project, Alex filmed her peers hard at work and interviewed them about their experiences. She also captured the thoughts of Nicaraguans involved in the Seeds of Learning project.
Once again, upon her return from Nicaragua, Alex continued to raise funds for Seeds of Learning. The money raised by Alex and toher Hawken students helped pay for a roof, eight laptops, and a year of internet service for the Villa Japón technology center. The new center serves 150-200 community members daily and Hawken will be sending up to 20 refurbished laptops to the center this summer.
In addition to her fundraising efforts, Alex produced a 30-minute documentary about Hawken's Seeds of Learning service work. The video beautifully captures the life-changing, real-world experiences of Hawken students as they immerse themselves in the language and culture of Nicaragua and work for the betterment of the local community. A shorter, 7-minute version of the documentary can be viewed here.
In addition to her fundraising efforts, Alex produced a 30-minute documentary about Hawken's Seeds of Learning service work. The video beautifully captures the life-changing, real-world experiences of Hawken students as they immerse themselves in the language and culture of Nicaragua and work for the betterment of the local community. A shorter, 7-minute version of the documentary can be viewed here.
Two years ago, Alex connected to a community in Nicaragua and to a higher purpose. Through her efforts, she promoted her classmates’ work, and she brought the Hawken community together with the community of Villa Japón. In recognition of her work, Alex received Hawken's Grant Roth '83 Community Service Award presented annually to a student dedicated to serving the local and global communities and for doing good work on behalf of others.
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Gries Center, 10823 Magnolia Dr, Cleveland, OH 44106
Early Childhood, Lower, and Middle Schools, 5000 Clubside Rd, Lyndhurst, OH 44124
Birchwood School of Hawken, 4400 West 140th Street, Cleveland, OH 44135
Upper School, PO Box 8002 (12465 County Line Rd), Gates Mills, OH 44040
Mastery School of Hawken, 11025 Magnolia Dr, Cleveland, OH 44106
Gries Center, 10823 Magnolia Dr, Cleveland, OH 44106
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