12/14/2016, Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY
This Thanksgiving, while many journeyed home to enjoy a hearty meal or spend time with friends and family, a small group of students at The Storm King School chose a road less traveled. As part of the School’s Outdoor Education Program led by Taras Ferencevych, 11 students and three faculty members traveled to Cuba for a 10-day international service expedition, the first trip of three this school year.
The excursion was realized with the cooperation of Central American Service Expeditions (CASE), an organization that specializes in group expeditions for high school and college students to countries in Central and South America.
Students who attended included seniors Dennis McMahon and Vicky Liu; juniors Annelie Boersma, Ella Gao, Grace Song, Nara Tseng; sophomores Rachel Chen, Cem Taviloglu, Jason Lin, Joseph He; freshman Isabel Chen. SKS faculty members Taras Ferencevch, Michael Hauser and Jeanette McMahon accompanied the students during the trip.
SKS students explore art and culture in Havana’s Callejon de Hamel
LIVING LA VIDA HABANA
A full program awaited the travel-weary group upon their arrival in La Habana, Cuba. They began by learning about the biology and conservation of the coral reefs, followed by snorkeling at Playa Coral. The next few days were spent exploring the famous city of La Habana. The students had a lot of time to reflect as they strolled through Vieja Havana, the old city, visited the Cuban Museum of Art and attended painting and theatre workshops with Cuban artists. They even had the chance to learn salsa!
A local terrace farm in the Viñales Valley, Cuba
SUSTAINABLE FARMING AND SANTERIA
After six days in and around Havana, the group ventured out to the Viñales Valley. Viñales is an agricultural area, where tobacco, fruit, vegetables and coffee are grown by traditional methods. The area is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its unique landscape of limestone rock formations, underground steams and caves. The area is also well known for its terraced farms with rows and rows of vegetables, fruits and flowers – all grown sustainably. Here, the group explored Cueva Del Indio, the “Indian Caves”, explored an organic terrace farm and visited a local tobacco plantation.
Upon their return to Havana, the group immersed themselves even deeper into Cuban culture and art. Their final days were spent learning about the local customs and religion with a visit to the Santeria Museum and the Callejon de Hamel, an area of Havana that is world famous for its brightly-colored paintings, murals, sculptures and religious objects.
Snorkeling at Playa Coral, Cuba
WITNESSES OF HISTORY
During their final days in Cuba, the group witnessed history in the making – the passing of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro. They took the time to contemplate his passing and what it meant to different people throughout the world. On their way to the airport, the students opted to visit Castro’s memorial site. Unfortunately, large crowds of visitors kept them at a distance. With that, the group began their journey back home to the Mountain with many great experiences and many stories to tell.
SKS students attend a Cuban workshop in theatre
WHAT IS A SERVICE EXPEDITION?
A service expedition combines community service with adventure travel to some of the most beautiful places in the world. These trips are designed to help open a young person’s mind to the many possibilities of the world and our role within it. The Storm King School organizes three international excursions each year as a part of its outdoor education curriculum and community service requirement. These trips combine cultural and culinary sightseeing, environmental education and stewardship and community service activities that benefit local communities in each country.
For more information about outdoor education and service expeditions offered at The Storm King School, visit: sks.org/outdoor-education/