Celebrating 10 years of cultural immersion

SEELEY LAKE – "Ten years ago, I and a handful of other students headed to Ecuador. We didn't realize that we were starting something that would last much longer than our time at Seeley-Swan High School," wrote Locke Hassett, 2011 SSHS graduate, in an email. "I didn't realize that that short trip would re-frame my worldview and quantify experiences to be infinitely more valuable than objects."

Destinations for Education (D4E) celebrates 10 years of community support Saturday evening, Feb. 15 at The Lodges on Seeley Lake. The community is invited to enjoy "an evening of memories, good food and fantastic desserts" while continuing to support this year's group of nine going to Orosí, Costa Rica in April.

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The dream of embarking on an international trip began as a conversation in Trace Stone's Spanish class in 2009. Stone shared his experiences traveling with students to Spain and about his own travels in South America to help increase their knowledge and curiosity about other cultures. Hassett, then 15, asked how they could create a program of their own.

"How we, students at Seeley-Swan High, could make such a trip a reality seemed like a pipe dream," wrote Madeline Williams, 2012 graduate of SSHS. "The district would never give us the funding for such a trip, so right away it seemed the odds were against us."

Discussions led to action as a core group of students and parents, eager to take advantage of cross-cultural opportunities beyond sightseeing, formed the cultural exploration group named Destinations for Education: Students of the Seeley-Swan Seeking Global Understanding. Their mission was to increase understanding of and appreciation for other cultures through formal and practical language study, cultural immersion/homestays and service to the host community.

Co-founder of D4E and Hassett's mother Vicki Voegelin supported her son's simple suggestion to fulfill a big dream. She said D4E takes pride in being open to students from all financial backgrounds giving them the opportunity to earn their experience through hard work and dedication.

"This program is not a subsidized frivolous vacation for only affluent students and their chaperones but rather a mind-expanding, eye-opening opportunity for any student with the desire and tenacity to become a more aware and empathetic human being," wrote Voegelin in an email. "It is an opportunity to begin to understand the world beyond our beautiful valley and an opportunity to grow."

"Once the community realized what we were working towards, the support came pouring in through monetary donations and personal donations," wrote Williams. "By volunteering and working for the funds, the students have a greater appreciation for these trips and are able to give back to the community that is supporting them."

The first experience concentrated solely on cultural immersion. It came about when Bruce Rieman told Stone about an inspiring school in Saraguro, Ecuador. Eight students did homestays with native Quichua students for 17 days.

"I hoped to create a lasting exchange partnership with the school," said Stone. "This would have proved one-sided, though, as I soon learned about the futility of securing travel visas for the Ecuadorian students." 

The second trip in 2011, students went to San Pedro La Laguna, Guatemala. Stone added service and formal language components.

Eight students spent three hours each day in intensive, individualized Spanish classes and lived with local families. For their service project, they installed Onil cooking stoves in the homes of impoverished families increasing efficiency and decreasing respiratory illness, burns and deforestation.

"This immediately felt right – [the language instruction and service projects] needed to define the experience going forward," said Stone.

Subsequent D4E trips to Panama and Costa Rica followed the same model. Stone builds each trip from scratch without using a travel group allowing them to add more personalized experiences for roughly half the price of commercial trips.

In 2012, students visited Boquete, Panama. They studied Spanish, lived with local families and tutored English and provided companionship to children in an orphanage for their service project.

After the third trip, Stone said they decided to offer the trip every other year.

"The constant fundraising was too much to ask of the community and was too competitive with other worthy endeavors like the junior high's D.C. trip," said Stone.

In 2014, the group set off for Orosí, Costa Rica. The group took three hours of Spanish classes per day from the Otiac Spanish Language School and stayed with host families. They helped build the playground at a small school for their service project. Trip participant Sidny Johnson said this was her favorite part because the students had never had a playground before.

"We were able to make a difference in those children's lives by giving them something they never had before, such as tires, hop scotch, a soccer field, a playhouse and a basketball hoop," wrote Johnson. "The principal even said to us before we left 'this is for life.' I think that really hit everyone hard because what we did made a difference."

"Our hosts were so thoroughly attentive to the students' well-being and growth that we returned in 2016, 2018 and we will return again in April of 2020," said Stone.

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Over the past 10 years, the impacts on those who have participated in D4E have extended well beyond learning the Spanish language, cultural immersion and a service project. Parents and student participants often cite courage, self-confidence, empathy, work ethic, teamwork and compassion as attributes they gained from the experience.

Bridget Laird, past chaperone and parent of past and present student travelers, said learning how people live and really connecting to a typical Costa Rican community that is not a tourist destination has been immeasurably valuable for both herself and the student travelers.

"For most of our local kids, this is their first international trip, and for some it is their first time leaving Montana," said Laird. "D4E requires true immersion through the homestays, projects and language school -- components most travelers will not seek out to experience on their own."

"My two D4E trips validated my desire to see the world," said Laird's son Angus Batchelder, 2016 SSHS graduate. "It's a 10 day, hands on educational experience that lasts a lifetime and is a shared experience with the great folks I grew up with and inspired me from Seeley."

Williams said her love of traveling and experiencing new cultures grew out of her trips with D4E. Since graduating, she has visited Spain, Bolivia and Peru. In 2018 she received her bachelors of arts in anthropology with a focus in cultural and ethnic diversity with an emphasis on Latin America.

"I am so proud to have been part of something that is continuing to have a positive impact and learning experience for students at SSHS," said Williams. "I can only hope that in another 10 years I will be reading about the most recent trips to Latin America."

For Hassett, the D4E demystified the human factor of traveling while illuminating the vast expanse of experiences the world has to offer. These experiences also made the world seem a bit smaller, more accessible, tangible and approachable. He has spent months aboard volunteering on farms in Europe, solo bicycle touring in the United States and Central America seeking to not only explore and push himself out of his comfort zone but also engage in the local culture as much as possible.

"I will always carry the confidence and dogged pursuit of a seemingly ridiculous and impossible goal with me," said Hassett. "As a professional educator now, I can only hope that my work has the ability to give to students what Trace was able to give to us: the confidence to be afraid of the unknown, and pursue it anyway. 

Stone said his fellow trip leaders Annie Marlatt, Laird and Tonya Smith have made this opportunity possible.

"It is a stressful, difficult undertaking to plan and execute - you have to be able to roll with unforeseen and trying situations while working as a team," said Stone. "These ladies have been unfazed by the challenges posed by the trip, and have been amazingly solid leaders and reliable traveling companions."

He also recognized the support from Missoula County Public Schools, SSHS's administration and his colleagues, the community and the parents, especially Voegelin, who continue to value the program and help make it financially accessible for all students.

"Our students deserve the opportunity and I will do what I can to make sure they get it," said Stone.

"Seven life-changing trips in ten years is a big deal - a milestone that all participants and supporters should be proud of," said Voegelin. "As this program looks forward to another 10 years we acknowledge with sincere gratitude all who have not only believed in but championed this effort to help our students expand their minds and build their character and become proud ambassadors of the Seeley-Swan Valley."

The 10-year celebration starts at 7 p.m. at The Lodges with a light Latin American buffet and D4E slide show and presentation. The dessert auction will begin at 8 p.m. The community is invited to come at 7 p.m. or join the fun after the final Blackhawks basketball home game. All proceeds from the buffet and desserts will support the students going this year.