Category: Uncategorized

Temples and Trekking in Nepal

On By Westtown SchoolIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

KIPPEleven students from Westtown and ten from KIPP DuBoise Collegiate Academy, a charter school in Philadelphia, will be traveling together to Nepal with four adult leaders, including the principals from both schools.  Students will be completing service in two local schools in Pharping. They will teach English at one and will be helping with a construction project at the other.  The trip will include home stays for the students and their KIPP partners. They will be visiting  several World Heritage sites in and around Kathmandu, and spend four days trekking
and rafting.  Their longest stay will be in the hostel of a Buddhist monastery in Pharping. This intrepid group departs on Saturday and we wish them safe and happy travels!

They will have limited access to cell phones and wi-fi, but we hope to see student postings here on the blog. Follow Upper School principal, Eric Mayer, on Twitter @ericwesttown for updates as well.

Najha in Liberia

On By Najha in LiberiaIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Hey all,

This blog will chronicle my experiences in Liberia and my quest to further explore my family’s indigenous roots and improve their lives by helping to rebuild our familial village since being destroyed in the Civil War that took place from the late 1980′s until early 2003. In this time, thousands of Liberians were killed and many were forced to flee the country in fear of former president Samuel K. Doe and his successor Charles Taylor. Continue reading “Najha in Liberia” →

The Beginnings of a School Building!

On By Najha in LiberiaIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

The Beginnings of a School Building !

This photo was taken in 2010, during the construction period of the school building for the residents of Goyazu and the surrounding villages.

An Introduction

On By rachelwortmannIn Israel/Palestine Trip 2014, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Hi, my name is Rachel and I’m going to Israel/Palestine for my Senior Project.

The start of any student’s enthusiasm for their Senior Project starts long before their Senior year begins. Mine began in the sixth grade when I first came to Westtown and heard of these high school seniors traveling all around the globe for two weeks in the middle of their senior year. Although Senior Projects were a long way away, I could tell that my Senior Project was going to be special. Continue reading “An Introduction” →

Jerusalem and Beit Sahour

On By Elsa in Israel & PalestineIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

2/26/2012

Today we revisited the old city. There were concerns that we would not be able to visit the western wall because of a fight that broke out between Jews and Muslims at the holy sites of the Temple Mount has resulted in the death of a

Continue reading “Jerusalem and Beit Sahour” →

Kibbutz

On By Elsa in Israel & PalestineIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

2/24/12

 

The kibbutz movement in Israel started in the mid 60s as a hippie movement, as our tour guide Lydia Aisenberg would say. Kibbutz is best defined as a combination of socialism and Zionism. There are two types of Jews in Israel today. There are the practicing, religious Jews, and the secular, cultural Jews. It was these secular, cultural jews that initiated the kibbutz system. Our tour guide told us that it was largely a movement of young people to both get away from global anti-Semitism and to embrace their Jewish heritage without embracing its religious aspects. This kibbutz was essentially Continue reading “Kibbutz” →

Division

On By Elsa in Israel & PalestineIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

2/23/2012

I realized today that I have built a barrier between my mind and my emotions. I logically ingest the information I hear, but I have little to no emotional response. There are several reasons for why this happening: I am an outsider to the situation, I have very little if any power to impact the conflict in a noticeable way, and the emotional gravity of what I’m observing is so great that I am choosing to put it off. This feeling changed a bit when, tonight, I talked openly with peers on the trip about what I have been experiencing. Their views were quite similar. It is difficult to have a lot of information thrown at you and not know what to do. Like steam with no vent, my emotions have built up pressure and, given no way to escape, they threaten to break out at any inopportune moment. I am worried that my frustration might lead to unfair opinions formed out of anger.

 

Continue reading “Division” →

Opinions

On By Elsa in Israel & PalestineIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

2/22/2012

Last night we visited Orna and Rami, a Jewish Israeli couple, at their home, 20 minutes outside of Tel Aviv. While their views are considered liberal by Israeli standards, I found them to still consist of many stereotypes that stem from fear. For example, they believe strongly in the necessity for a Jewish homeland in Israel, and yet they also feel that peace much be reached and are willing to make some sacrifices in order to reach this goal. Orna and Rami embrace the idea that agreement will only be reached if Israel does make sacrifices.

Continue reading “Opinions” →