TEAM Charter Schools

It always seems that traveling to a new place brings more interesting things. You will see the most different things; different in the sense that the places and people are new.

Las personas de Costa Rica son muy diferentes que las personas de los Estados Unidos. Hay tiendas como en los Estados Unidos, como Wendy’s, Burger King, Taco Bell, y Papa John’s. En Costa Rica, los Ticos (personas de Costa Rica) viven en casas mas pequenas de las casas en Nueve Jersey.

My advice for traveling to a new place is to always expect something different. Different isn’t always bad. Everyone is different. No one is alike. But being different is variety, and variety is the rainbow of colors that make up our world.

-Breann Burrell and Adella Pierre, Class of 2014

Dear blog,

Today in Costa Rica I worked really hard. I worked hard to provide the Costa Rican kids with a better school. Most importantly, my classmates were a big help in lots of things such as playing with the students, building a school,and helping each other out when needed. After working our butts off, we all came back to the hotel to take a dive in the pool(which was very refreshing).Everyone had a good time in the pool and it seems to me everyone is enjoying the trip. After the pool everyone went to dinner and afterwords will be coming back to tell about their day.So,that’s about it for tonight but there is alot more from where that came from. Night,Night.

-Crystal Hayes, Class of 2014

When Crystal says she worked “really,” hard, she literally worked really hard. We went to the Puerto Viejo school and are working along with many other schools to help them build a new classroom for their 1st graders! Even the 4th graders pitched in to help, straight in their school uniforms when their school day ended. So Crystal spent the morning mixing concrete; Christopher shoveled dirt into wheelbarrows; Ayanna, Inayah and Aliyaah A. painted signs to put around the school, and still others painted chairs, sanded walls, poured concrete, and dug trenches for water lines. But our hard work definitely paid off, and we made many new friends. All of the students worked to their limits, even though it was unbearably hot and sunny today! We were thankful to be able to pay (some of) our rent for our time on this Earth. I’m truly impressed by the grit our kids showed today, by the energy they sent, and by the compassion they demonstrated in all of their interactions and their willingness to do for others.

-Ms. Whittington, Spanish Teacher

Watch all of the program from TEAM Charter Schools’ fourth annual “Be the Change” celebration. Start with the surprise opening speech by Newark Mayor Cory Booker.

Watch all Be the Change 2010 videos >