Saints in Romania: Arriving at Pro Vita

Two plane rides and a bus later, we finally made it to Pro Vita! We quickly settled into our bedrooms and took a walk around the property. The night was short and everyone fell asleep early as we were all exhausted from over 12 hours of travel.

We woke up this morning to another gorgeous day! After a breakfast of cereal and tea, it was time for our first lesson in Romanian. My name is, hello, please and thank you were among the first (and most important) words we learned. 

Next, we toured the whole property and entered some of the children's homes. It was especially interesting to see the buildings that our school's previous travelers had worked on or raised money to complete! Especially cool was seeing the handprints of some former Saints on a barn they helped drywall. 

The morning ended with some playtime in the playground. Our Saints were swinging, sliding, clapping, and giving piggy back rides with the younger children in the community. 

Lunch was a special treat, as it is a feast day in the Othodox religion. The whole community and some people from the nearby village came together to celebrate members of the church that had died over the past year. We enjoyed a feast of soup, stuffed cabbage, polenta, apple pie, and birthday cake (it was 2 Pro Via member's birthdays, pictures below).

We are currently taking naps or going for walks before we plan and put on an afternoon carnival. The carnival will have a whipped cream pie throwing stand, ring toss, face paint, and more!

We arrived in Madrid. Everybody is with their families. Pics coming soon

Saints in Miami ready for Madrid! Ole ole! For now we are enjoying cuban food

Saints in the Bahamas: Three Days to Departure!

How fortunate do I feel? This time last year I was preparing to head to France as a chaperone for the Normandy Scholars program. I will never forget visiting the Pointe du Hoc memorial and looking down at the tall cliffs that brave US Army Rangers scaled in order to knock out six large German guns that were aimed at Omaha Beach. We also had a great time in Paris, wonderful students and, of course, the amazing Madame Van Way as our leader.

This year Mrs. Myhre and I are leading 9 students on a coral reef expedition to the Bahamas. We will be staying at the Gerace Research Centre on the small island of San Salvador. Operating out of this facility we will be contributing to a 20-year long study of coral reef populations. The students will be taught how to identify key coral species, how to map them, and how to perform a Point Intersect (PI) analysis - in order to determine what percent of the reef is constituted by live coral. It won't be all work, though! We will be taking several field trips during our week on the island. Last reported temp: 80 degrees F.

Here is a shot of me from 2008 in San Salvador, Bahamas. The next is one of the beaches where we will be doing our research.

Saints in Greece: Ready For Departure!

Well, the day is [finally!] upon us: we leave for Greece tomorrow. It seems that the gods are smiling upon and the weather for next week is shaping up to be wonderful (and for those of you who know the story of Agamemnon and Iphigenia, you'll realize we have had a lot less trouble getting good weather than they did back in the day...).

So all that remains is to pack our bags, get ourselves to the airport, and find out seats on the plane. Our Greek Odyssey will soon begin!

As we journey we'll try to post some simple pictures and thoughts here. So please check back often to see how our Saints are enjoying the Birthplace of Western Civilization.

10 Saints Prepare for Romania!

Hello! My name is Shannon Fusina and I am an upper school science teacher. I am very excited to have the honor of traveling with Fr. Sean Cavanaugh and 10 sophomore Saints this spring break to Romania.

This is the 9th year in a row that Saints will be traveling to the Pro Vita orphanage in Romania. Pro Vita is a private orphanage community located about 2 hours north of Bucharest, the capital of Romania. Pro Vita is located by the village of Valea Screzii, a small mountain village. The community serves orphans, battered women, elderly, and those that cannot take care of themselves.

Map of Romania: We will be staying at the red "A" north of Bucharest

While abroad, we will have the privilege of using our hands to work on a service project on the grounds of the community, learning some basic Romanian (the only Romance language in eastern Europe!), traveling to Dracula's Castle on an overnight trip to Transylvania, and tutoring and playing with the young children of the orphanage after they return home from school. The students have already begun their service to Pro Vita by collecting two duffel bags full of school supplies and sports equipment for the children to enjoy upon our arrival.

Bran Castle: the legendary castle that is famous for being known as the home of Dracula

Follow along on our trip as I update on the student's activities, travels, and day to day activities!

Australia Study Tour - Theresa Cullen Hill, Dean of Faculty

The Hill Family, Great Ocean Road

I was fortunate to receive a grant from SSSAS’s APT.  With this funding, I have been able to visit schools in the Melbourne region while husband Marcus, a native of Australia and children, Eloise, age 5 and Tommy, age 9 spend time on the Hill Family farm, Somerset.

I began my journey reconnecting with former colleague, Annelies Hoogland and Director of Learning Labyrinth. 

Annelies and I worked at the American School of the Hague where she was the Middle School principal.  She now co-directs Learning Labyrinth with Dr. Bern Nicholls,  consulting and supporting schools.

I look forward to being with Australian educators and learning about Australian schools and their needs. To follow my journey, please visit,  http://hillsinaustralia.blogspot.com.au/