TSA Students and Staff Serve On Trip to Dominican Republic

On April 11, 13 Sharon Academy students and three staff members left for the Dominican Republic on a 10-day community service trip.

The group is traveling with Rita Severinghaus from the Norwich Congregational Church to the small village of Cotui in the center of the Dominican Republic. This is the third trip that the Sharon Academy has taken with Severinghaus to the Dominican Republic, and students are staying with families of the Lions Club International that have hosted TSA students in the past.

Previous projects have included work on the construction of a building currently used as a school and community center, as well as making communal ovens in three different village communities. The work on all projects is shared between students and Dominicans.

During their stay, the group will build two outhouses and travel to a local school to educate children about germs and hygiene. Over 500 pounds of school supplies, clothes, and toothbrushes were donated to give to the outlying villages of the Cotui community. The group members took as many bags of these as the airlines would allow. Leftover donations are being saved for future trips.

"I’m excited to help the community and to see their reaction to our work," said junior Bekah Woodin. "I’m also thrilled to finally travel to the place that has been a little dot on our map for the past six months."

The students worked on a variety of fundraising projects for the trip, including selling burgers at school soccer games and Valentine’s Day carnations to the TSA community. Donations were solicited from local organizations as well. The students are grateful to all who responded, in particular the Hartford Lions Club and the South Royalton Women’s Club.

The group will return Saturday, April 21.

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