Greenwich’s Whitby School makes trek to Dominican Republic

GREENWICH — For some students, preparation for the trip began when they were 18 months old and they started murmuring their first words in Spanish with Whitby School nursery teachers.

Earlier this month, 39 Whitby seventh- and eighth-graders traveled to the Dominican Republic for a one-week service trip, the culmination of their Spanish-learning experience at the school.

Students volunteered at the Mariposa Foundation in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. The nonprofit focuses on supporting the women of the poverty-stricken nation with academic enrichment, scholarships and medical care.

From June 1 to 8, Whitby students played sports, Spanish-English games, made crafts, swam and read with Dominican girls ages 8 and older who participate in the Mariposa before- or after-school enrichment programs.

They also learned about the economy of the region and walked the neighborhoods surrounding the foundation property to get a feel for community life.

“Our kids know that they are privileged and they know they don’t want for much, but it really hits home when they meet kids who don’t have nearly as much but who also are happy and also have so many gifts that they obviously offer and can share,” said Head of Upper School Jonathan Chein. “That shared humanity is at the core of our mission at Whitby.”

While Whitby students have done service trips to the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico for the past five years, this year was the first with a heightened emphasis on interacting with locals, as opposed to building facilities or completing other tasks for local residents, organizers said.

“They were able to use their Spanish more,” said Luis Rivera, an upper school Spanish teacher. “It definitely raised confidence... Some of my kids from phase one, lower level, said ‘Wow, I actually know a lot more than I thought I did.’”

Students who went on the trip spent much of the school year studying the history and culture of the Dominican Republic. They learned the significance of “la mariposa” — butterfly in Spanish — a symbol of freedom and peace in the country.

“Las Mariposas” was the code name given to the four Mirabal sisters, national Dominican heroines who led revolts against the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo in the 1950s.

The Mariposa Foundation tries to teach girls the same spirit of activism and independence.

“The little girls were partners in helping us, just as we were partners in helping them,” said Chein. “It was overt that way, and it wasn’t charity at all.”

At Whitby School, students begin to learn Spanish at 18 months old. Four times a week, Spanish classes begin in first grade and by middle school, Whitby offers four levels of Spanish, including a Spanish literature course, in each grade.

The school also debuted a dual immersion program for Spanish and English for a mixed-age prekindergarten/kindergarten class this year. One teacher spoke exclusively Spanish to the students, while two others spoke only English.

emunson@greenwichtime.com; Twitter: @emiliemunson