New River Academy Whitewater Kayak School

Pucon, Chile

As a service project Eleanor Perry recently organized the New River Academy high school students on a trip to benefit Pucon, Chile’s all girls orphanage. Perry a Team Dagger paddler and Spanish teacher at the prestigious kayak academy chose her mentor team’s international activity to benefit the girl’s orphanage. Mentee students Michelle Yates and Sean Johnson would learn from Perry’s leadership as they planned the day of activities.

Tino Specht plays soccer with the girls at the Pucon Orphanage

Perry, Johnson, and Yates first researched the orphanage background and discovered what would be most appropriate for the visit. The mentor team purchased snacks such as melons, cookies, sodas, crackers, and cheese for a party after playing with the girls. Games and toys were also purchased by the students and faculty of NRA. These included: waterguns, soccer balls, coloring books and crayons, and Frisbees.

Prior to arriving to the orphanage Perry explained that the employees at the orphanage have goals to educate the girls in a method that provides the girls with opportunities to later gain employment. Perry also offerd advice to NRA students, “Just have fun. Tell them about our culture and ask them about theirs.”

Once the NRA arrived the two separate cultures were mingling, soon a soccer game was underway, and waterguns were distributed under the backdrop of a towering Volcano Villirrica.
NRA director David Hughes stated, “It was obvious the girls enjoyed soaking us with water. At one point I thought it was a good ideal to fill a plastic coke bottle with water and punch a nail size hole in the top to make a spray bottle. I thought we could attack back, but that only caused 8 more girls to go and get bigger plastic bottles. I watched three girls pour water over the top of Eli Spiegel’s head. They loved it, and we were lucky it was a warm day.”

After hours of playing games and interacting NRA students joined the girls for an afternoon snack. It was a great interaction and comparison of cultures as the students exchanged intellectual conversations regarding pop-culture, music, and candy.

“And that has made all the difference.”
For more reports on the New River Academy surf to www.kayakschool.org.
NRA is now accepting 2008-09 semester applications.