On An Elm Tree Shaded Hillside, March 20

Dear Alumni & Friends:

As promised in my last Elm Tree, I write to you from the Dominican Republic, where I have been on a Winterim trip for the last 10 days. Two days before we flew out, I received the sad news that former French teacher and Winterim champion, Dick Gagne, had passed away. In recognition of Gags’s service to LA, at his retirement, the School named the Gagne Winterim Scholarship Fund, honoring his commitment to equal access to all the amazing opportunities this signature program offers. Throughout this Winterim season, I have been thinking about how Gags would be so proud of what we are doing here in the DR, on campus, and around the world.

Working with Las Mariposas, as the girls are called here at the Mariposa Foundation in Cabarete (www.mariposadrfoundation.org), our group of 16 LA students has had what will possibly become the very kind of life-changing experience for which Winterim is designed. Along with my colleague Khalid Bashir (here in the DR) and the Communications Office (back in Groton), we have created a brief video-tour for you to enjoy. Also be sure to check out the social media links below for a fuller picture of the breadth of the #LAWinterim experience.

Khalid and I agree that the three biggest lessons learned on this service-learning trip have been...

empathy: understanding the living and learning situations of the girls;
cultural understanding: having the chance to experience Dominican culture firsthand and see values, lifestyles, and customs in action;
teamwork: living and working with a group of 18 people nonstop for 12 days, developing patience, trust, selflessness, flexibility, kindness, and a good sense of humor.

I'd love to hear back from people about their Winterim experiences and how their lives were affected. Just reply with your stories. We may use some of your quotes and stories in next fall's Academy Journal.

I'll be in touch in April,

Rob Moore

Robinson Moore
Assistant Head of School

BTW: Today is the first day of spring, and LA is on vacation for the next two weeks! Classes resume on April 7. Tons of snow has melted since Winterim started on March 9, and B&G has started clearing fields to get rid of the last of it. Reunion 2015 is just a few months away. We hope to see many folks on campus on June 5-6 for the celebration.

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