Aloha Spirit

Judith Morris Start Date: Jan 5, 2018 - End Date: Jan 4, 2019
  • Hawaii, United States of America

My Travel Story

by: Judith Morris Start Date: Jan 5, 2018 - End Date: Jan 4, 2019
I am a high school teacher in southwest New Mexico. This community is very rural and impoverished. Most of the students are being raised by either a single parent or their grandparents. Many of these young people sleep in a different place every night. High school graduation rates are notoriously low in New Mexico,while at the same time, teen pregnancy is on the rise. Becoming prepared for the real world has not been addressed by families nor educators. In this area, there are not any corporations or large companies. The biggest industry here is the local copper mine.
In an effort to improve the graduation rates at my high school, I presented students in the Class of 2019 with an incentive. Should they remain in school, graduate, earn their high school diploma and refrain from becoming pregnant,
I would take them on a trip of their choice. Forty out of eighty-six students were eager to take me up on my offer and selected Hawaii as their destination.
I am passionate about this project because this will be the last gift that I can give to these particular students before they become adults and transition into the world of responsibilities. In order for these students to be successful and to assimilate into the twenty-first century as contributing citizens, it is imperative that they learn how to make decisions, how to behave in unfamiliar or new situations, and how to interact appropriately with different cultures. To be able to provide my students with the skills and experiences that will last them a life time as well as to prepare them for the future, will be the greatest gift an educator could ever possess.

  • Hawaii, United States of America

Updates

1
  • Summer Reprieve

    Hello everyone, my apologies for not updating you all more frequently! In May, my students and I made and sold Breakfast Burritos and Cheeseburgers at a Car Show and Fiesta in a nearby town. The wind that day was ferocious, so the vendors and foot traffic were less than in years past. School ended for us in late May, so we are officially on summer break! This past Saturday, we held a Car Wash to assist those students who have been having a difficult time making their monthly payments. The Car Wash was successful and popular with the community, but it was a lot of work! I have more fund raisers scheduled for later in June to help the students who are behind in their payments. In July, we'll try to have some kind of an indoor event due to the onset of our rainy season. Even though we're trying to keep our fund raisers active during the summer, please know that we still need your help and support. Several students are struggling to make payments and fear that they may have to drop from the trip! We're just about a year away from traveling now and still need the generosity of others to make this trip a reality. Please spread and share the word with all of your friends and family. Thank you again for any donation you care to make.