We’re back in Toronto! Thanks for following Twitter, keep updated on Tumblr for some follow-up blog posts: http://UCCvisitsLewa.tumblr.com
We’re relaxing at the hotel, leaving for Toronto later tonight.
Check out our Flickr stream for some photos of our last day at Ntugi: http://www.flickr.com/photos/UCCVisitsLewa
Settling in at the hotel.
We just landed in Nairobi and are driving to the hotel.
The final assembly was very heartwarming, with several students giving moving speeches about their experiences. We will miss Ntugi!
On our last day at the school, we spent lots of time with the students playing badminton and music, painting and exchanging emails.
Please visit our Tumblr blog for an update about the new Arts programs at Ntugi: http://UCCVisitsLewa.tumblr.com
Wrapping Up - Arts
With today being our last day at the school, we have started process of making sure everything will keep running smoothly after we leave. We hope that this post and the next summarizes our successes both in technology and lasting friendships with the students of Ntugi Day Secondary School.
Photography
Prior to the trip, we purchased 3 Casio EX-G1 cameras for the school. Connor and I led sessions for each grade at the school to give every student an opportunity to learn and use the cameras. The students were surprisingly enthusiastic and adept in photography and requested to use the cameras to document school events. Below are some photos taken by Ntugi students:
The club also helped students interested in photography master the cameras and take photos of their classmates during school events. Diane (a Form 2 student) was very interested in photography and borrowed my camera for a while during a school-wide sporting event.
Music
The music club at the school was also very successful. Matthew began by teaching the students basic scales and notes, using both the recorder and the school’s keyboard. The students were able to quickly pick up and remember the notes and were soon playing Row Row Row Your Boat, Amazing Grace and even ‘Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu - the Kenyan national anthem!
Matthew also learnt the students’ favourite songs on keyboard and started to teach them how to play them. All the students had a great time and several students are now more confident in their own musical ability due to the club.
Below are some photos of the music club:
Art
Richard was in charge of the art club and taught students basic drawing schools for the first couple of sessions. However, the real success arrived in the last few sessions of the club where he took a couple of students to the Ntugi Day Primary School. At the primary school, there were 3 very faded wall murals of Kenya, East Africa and the continent of Africa. The club has begun to re-paint these murals in bright colours, which have given new life to the walls of the primary school. Below are some pictures of the mural painting:
Badminton
The badminton club, led by myself was also a success. At the beginning of the academic year, the school had set up its own badminton team, however they only had one net and two rackets. Thanks to the generosity of the Granite Club in Toronto, we were able to provide the school with 10 more rackets and 2 additional nets. There are a couple of students who had previous experience in the sport and with their help, I taught the basic skills of badminton to other students. The most memorable moment of the sessions was seeing the students continue to play even as we drove away from the school at 6:30pm.
Please stay tuned for a follow-up post about the technological successes of the trip. Keep updated with our Twitter, Flickr, Vimeo as we will be posting more photos and videos!
Twitter: Click here
Flickr: Click here
Vimeo: Click here
- Amal
Today, we created Gmail accounts for every student in Form 2 and 3 and also demonstrated how to use Google Docs.
