Issue link: https://trevordayschool.uberflip.com/i/915972
n 2015, 10th grader Alicia A. formed the Cuba Club. Its mission is to learn about and celebrate the vibrant Cuban culture and their love for education, art, family, and community—values also embraced by the Trevor community. When Head of School Scott Reisinger learned of it—the timing of which happily coincided with the historic normalizing of relations between the U.S. and Cuba—he decided that this was the ideal time for faculty and staff to visit, as a first step to creating a cooperative partnership with schools in Cuba. In the summer of 2016, led by Trevor parent Cynthia Alonso and her daughter Alicia (both of whom had previously visited Cuba many times), six teachers joined Scott and Anne Reisinger on a weeklong trip, filled with engaging and immersive experiences that focused on cultural exchange, art, and education. Just one year later, members of the Cuba Club embarked on the first-ever student service trip to Cuba. (Other schools had visited Cuba, but only for cultural exchange.) True to their commitment to becoming responsible global citizens, Trevor students spent five mornings working at a nursery school. Only after completing their service with the children did they participate in a wide range of cultural activities. I ServiceandLearning inCuba First Tripin2016: Trevor Facultyand Staff "e most meaningful parts of the trip for me were seeing a country with such a high literacy rate, and art everywhere. I learned that Cuba has a 99% literacy rate, the second highest in the world. Despite food shortages (worsened by the embargo), Cuba put its money toward literacy and health care. ey also invested in the arts in a way that contrasts so deeply from America, where arts funding in public schools is often the first to go. In Cuba, it seemed as if the schools had a full array of arts programming, especially dance and music. —Liz Fishman Grade 5 English and History Teacher Above: An elementary school girls' dance performance, which celebrated Castro's 90th birthday. Right, top: Metal sculpture of Castro at the Museum of the Revolution in Havana. Below: Recycled bathtubs are used in this whimsical sculpture in Salvador's Alley. Below: In one of Cuba's iconic cars from the 1950s are Anne Reisinger, Scott Reisinger, Nate Birkey, Liz Fishman, Megan Henry, Sandra Rovelo, Laura Kuske, and Shelley Miller. Above: Nate Birkey, Grades 6–8 Music Teacher, performs with world renowned Cuban saxophonist, Cesar Lopez and his Habana Ensemble.