Melissa is a junior at Leland High School. She enjoys music and dancing and is a member of the cheerleading squad and the dance line. She plans to attend Jackson State University and major in psychiatry.
“I want to go to Honduras because I want to experience a new country. I also want to learn about what other people do in their countries. I think this would be a very good educational trip for me and others.”
Alexia is a sophomore at LHS. Her favorite class is Spanish II. She enjoys listening to music and writing poems. She hopes to attend Mississippi State University to major in journalism.
“[I want to go to Honduras] because I want to learn more about Spanish Speaking People. I want to learn about a different culture. I want to have a chance to be around Spanish speaking teenagers.”
James is a freshman at LHS. His favorite things to do are play football and his Play Station 2. He hopes to play football professionally, but if that doesn’t work out, he will pursue his Ph.D in biology.
“I have an uncle who served in the army and toured in Honduras. Listening to him speak about Honduras, I can only imagine what a wonderful country it is to visit. . . Maybe one day when I am older, I can return and make a difference in some life [in Honduras].
Allen, a senior, is no stranger to travel, as he has spent the past two summers with his dad in Germany. He loves soccer and making movies. He is has also spent his last two spring break volunteering with Habitat for Humanity. He will attend Alcorn State University next fall.
Thérèse McKinny-Wood teaches Spanish at Leland High School. She is originally from upstate New York and is very excited to lead LHS students to Honduras for the second time this summer. She hopes that the Honduras Bound program will help foster a spirit of global curiosity within LHS community. She also wants her students to know that they are welcome to come visit her in Honduras next year! Keep in touch!
Meet the participants of Honduras Bound 2008!
Kayla, a junior at LHS, intends to attend Georgia State or Mississippi Valley State University and would like to pursue a career in the fashion industry or the medical field. She wants to go to Honduras because:
I want to go to Honduras to experience the different culture and background of Hondurans. I also want to help them learn about our culture. It will be a good experience for me to expand my knowledge of foreign countries. Also, because people that took the trip last year have told me of all the great things they learned and experienced.
In order to be selected to participate in Honduras Bound 2008, each of these eleven students had to submit a college-like application. Students had to obtain letters of recommendation, fill out an application, and write an essay describing their motivation to go to Honduras. These eleven students have demonstrated high levels of personal responsibility, maturity, flexibility, and commitment. Congratulations to our Honduras Bound 2008 team!
Kaila loves reading, acting out poems, and dancing. She is a freshman and her favorite class is Spanish 1! Her dream is to attend a university of her choice and major in law. She wants to become an excellent lawyer, and stand for what is right. She wants to go to Honduras because:
First, I want to explore the culture of Honduras to compare and see if it relates to my culture. Second, I’m an adventurous person, and I love adventure! Third, I love meeting new people. Last, I want to see what Honduras looks like and learn what Honduras is all about!
Tylisha is a junior and loves fast pitch softball. She hopes to attend Virginia Commonwealth University and become a choreographer. She wants to go to Honduras because:
I think that it’s going to be a very memorable event! I also think I can learn a whole lot from this experience. I also think this trip will help me to understand how life is in another country. If you really wanna know why I want to go to Honduras, it’s because I want to help those that are less fortunate in Honduras. I know this will be the perfect trip to help out!
Kaylan is only a freshman, but she already has big plans to be a detective, doctor, lawyer, teacher, actress, model, and PRESIDENT! She would like to attend Princeton, Yale, or Harvard. In her spare time she loves gymnastics, track, and collecting. Her favorite classes are Spanish 1 and Algebra 1. She wants to go to Honduras because:
I want to contribute to success in that country. I also want to go to become an even better individual. I also think it’s good to know other cultures and languages. This will be great practice. I have always wanted to travel, so I chose to start now!
Whitney is a graduating senior at Leland High School. She loves to sing and is actively involved in the school choir. She recently had the opportunity to see Barack Obama speak in Jackson AND she then got to exercise her right to vote for the first time ever! Whitney is excited to go to Honduras because:
Ritajoe is a senior and her favorite classes are English IV and Spanish II! She loves reading, walking, and talking on the phone. When she graduates in May she intends to go on to college to major in nursing and eventually become a pediatrician. She wants to go to Honduras because:
It would be something extraordinary. I could see new things and meet new people. I can have the chance to see how other cultures live in their everyday lives as well.
This summer eight Leland High School and three Greenville-Weston Spanish students will embark on new and exciting educational journey to Central America. In June 2008, these eleven students, under the guidance of Thérèse McKinny-Wood & Jessie McKenzie, will be participating in an international service and language immersion field trip to Copán, Honduras. While in Honduras, the students will spend two hours a day in one-on-one Spanish instruction at the Guacamaya Spanish School in Copán. They will participate in cultural excursions, such as visiting ancient Mayan ruins and an indigenous village and school, and will participate in classes with subjects like local cooking and dancing. They will also take part in a service learning project while they are in Copán. Participating students will live with local families during their stay, giving them an additional opportunity to improve their language skills, forge relationships with the members of their host families, and experience local cuisine.
Meet the Chaperones
Melissa is headed to Honduras for the second time this year. She will graduate this May and intends to attend the University of Southern Mississippi and major in psychology. She wants to return to Honduras because:
I want to have another experience in Honduras. This will not only be a good experience, but this time I will get to share it with new students and make new friends.”
Tammie is a graduating senior from Greenville-Weston High School. Her favorite class is English IV and she wants to be an elementary teacher….if her singing career doesn´t take off, that is. It is very easy to get along with Tammie because she is a people person! Tammie is excited to go to Honduras because:
I want to explore a new way of living and lifestyle. I want to walk out of my comfortable way of living and live in a different way.
Dale is a junior from Greenville-Weston High School. His favorite class is Plant Science at the Vocational Center. He wants to be an Agriscientist because he´s very interested in how plants and animals work together. He enjoys gardening, caring for animals, computers and drawing and wants to go to Honduras because:
I want to see a new place, its native wildlife, and help out some of the people.
Locakeya is a graduating senior from Greenville-Weston High School. Her favorite class is English IV and she is planning on majoring in International Relations. She´s very interested in other cultures and would like to one day help countries keep their cultural traditions alive. Locakeya loves to play soccer, read and listen to music when she´s not learning and being productive. Locakeya wants to go to Honduras because:
It would be the perfect opportunity to get a taste of this culture before I major in International Relations. I also want to minor in Spanish and Honduras would aid me in that.
Jessie McKenzie, or “Profé”, teaches Spanish at Greenville-Weston High School and also coaches the Girls´ soccer team. She is originally from Morristown, New Jersey and graduated from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. She is very excited about this opportunity for her students!
Graham VanderZanden is a French teacher at Lee High School in Marianna, AR. Last year, he co-led a trip for Lee High School students to both France and Spain. He originally hails from the Pacific Northwest, but will be headed even further south in August as he gears up for a year teaching sixth grade at a bilingual school in Copan, Honduras.
Sanja Bosman was formerly an English teacher at Gentry High School in Indianola, where she also coached track and cross-country. She spent last year working as the Assistant Fencing Coach at her Alma Mater the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Sanja will be attending Vanderbilt University for her master’s in Special Education beginning this summer.
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Rex will be graduating this May and hopes to attend MVSU for a degree in music education. He is an active part of the band and choir, but his real passions are rapping and recording his music (he even raps in Spanish!) He wants to go to Honduras because:
It will give me a chance travel. Not only that, it will give me a chance to blend with other cultures and try something new. Also, helping people is a big goal for me. It will not just benefit the people I’m helping, but me as well.
