"This Day Ill!" (aka Club GLOW Fun Day)

Today 6 GLOW girls came over for our end-of-year party. It was described by Nolvia in the words of the title, "This day ILL!" I am really glad they had such a good time. I don't think Anthony or I sat down once during the 4 hour festivities, but we really enjoyed it. "Big op" to Anthony for being our pizza dough chef, our tie-dye timer and rinser, and all-around awesome support.

The day began with tie dye (thanks to Erin and Mrs. Tarzia for the dyes) since we needed time for the shirts to soak, rinse, and hang. The girls enjoyed making random knots and patterns with their elastic bands to see what surprises would be in store once the shirts were finished. We had a grand plan to mix colors to make a few more options, but the girls were most happy with red and blue.The day continued with making personal pizzas on Anthony's infamous whole wheat dough. We offered pineapple as a topping and no one took us up on it - no adventurers today. The girls loved tomatoes, onions, and cheese: lots of cheese :) We also made Ginnie's banana-oatmeal cookies. They are a modified recipe from applesauce-oatmeal cookies; since bananas are super affordable, the recipe is one the girls can bring home to make (Yolanda even wrote it today to take home). All the girls took part in the cookie making process and were eager to measure, mix, and shape the cookies; and even more eager to eat them!

While the pizza was cooking, the girls sorted through the variety of beads to select what they wanted to use to make bracelets and necklaces. We also popped in the movie "Cinderella Story," which Taniesha brought along. Once bellies were full with pizza, the girls finished the movie and an intense game of UNO began. In the meantime, shirts made their way through the tie-dye process and the cookies came out of the oven and found their way immediately to the girls' bellies. I gave the girls their gift bags filled with fun activity pads, crayons, stamps, erasers, and a personal card reminding them how special they are.

The day truly was a fun day; Anthony and I were pretty pooped after all the energy and excitement of a house filled with pre-adolescent girls, but it was worth it for the giggles and the smiles. I have really loved working with GLOW and am so proud of the girls for being leaders in their lives and communities. I have no doubt these young women will take Belize by storm and succeed in everything they do. They have made my life richer for being a part of it and I will always have a special place for them in my heart - I love you, GLOW girls: Keep GLOWing!

Trinity's Standard Six Banquet

Last night Trinity held its banquet for Standard VI students. Like last year, the big event took place at The Smokey Mermaid restaurant at the Radisson Fort George Hotel. It was a really fun night: the students looked amazing in their beautiful dresses and fancy suits, the meal was delish-os, and the dancing was all about the punta. Students had a great time and we enjoyed celebrating with them.

My dress was made by this teacher. We talked months ago about the design idea and she made it entirely from scratch with no pattern - just a picture I drew, my measurements, and 2 yards of fabric. I love it!

Mariesha is a GLOW girl. I am very proud of her as she heads off to high school!

The staff had just as much, if not moreso, fun as the students dancing the night away. I joined in and Anthony even showed off a move or two, helping a teacher win her bet that he would dance. I suspect he'll do far more dancing at his banquet when we switch roles and I play photographer (although, I know his teachers will not let me get away with using that as an excuse not to dance...)



The students give a big cheer of excitement for their accomplishment in finishing primary school. Congratulations, Standard VI!!

TMS Library Opening Ceremony

The Trinity Methodist School Library is now officially finished and ready for use by the teachers and students of the school!

On Thursday, the 18th, we held our formal opening ceremony. A couple teachers and students met early in the morning to decorate the library for our invited guests. Anthony came along as well and helped with final placement of our posters (some of which he was instrumental in designing!).

The ceremony took place in the church and involved a few speeches, items performed by students in each of the three divisions, and a very touching certificate presentation to Ginnie. Our goal was to inspire the children to enjoy reading and get excited about the books. The looks on their faces as they came into their new library showed their enthusiasm and eagerness to begin browsing the shelves and opening their minds to the wonderful world of books!

Immediately following the ceremony, the invited guests (which included our Reverend and Local Manager, Reverand Goff; the Methodist Schools' General Manager, Mrs. Bennett; our PC PTO Bryan; and Ginnie's counterpart from YES, Inda) joined some teachers and the student library monitors for a ribbon cutting. Ginnie and Mrs. Bennett were given the task of cutting the ribbon but Ginnie's scissors couldn't get through the material! Mrs. Bennett got a clean cut on her first try, but everyone insisted we get the other side cut, so with some persistence Ginnie made it happen!

The guests and library monitors then spent time browsing the shelves and sharing stories of their favorite books. We began to notice the students separating themselves with a selected book and getting right to reading, despite all the discussion surrounding them! It was fabulous :)

Ginnie's dear friend, Lindy, joined the gathering and sought out a Mickey Mouse book to read. As we flipped through the pages he took over the story, picture-reading a suspenseful tale involving Mickey and the Barracuda Triangle and an evil plot to destroy Mickey's planet. He's quite a story teller. After lunch, Ginnie brought each of the classes up to the library for their first official visit. Many children have been in and out to help and to take a peek, but for several this was the first time seeing their new library; the looks of excitement and wonder as they walked in made all the months of work well worth the effort. The Infant II class got so excited when I took their picture, they held up the books they had selected to browse. Teachers remarked on how quiet all the children were when they sat to look through the books; one even said she wasn't sure how this space could transform so greatly and wondered months ago if it would be finished and now she just wants to bring her class all the time. She's already asked for all of Ginnie's library activities!

Everyone at Trinity is extremely grateful to all of the family and friends who made this library possible through book donations, funding support, and conducting book collections. We can't express enough gratitude to show our appreciation!

Here are a few of Ginnie's favorite library quotes; she used them in her remarks for the ceremony.

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” ~Dr. Seuss

“I've traveled the world twice over,
Met the famous; saints and sinners,
Poets and artists, kings and queens,
Old stars and hopeful beginners,
I've been where no-one's been before,
Learned secrets from writers and cooks
All with one library ticket
To the wonderful world of books.”

~ Anonymous ~

"A library is a hospital for the mind." ~ Anonymous