Karjam Saeji: Tibet comes to LIFE for school travel program

Oct 02 2007

Tibet comes to LIFE for school travel program

By Michele Heller

The Lopez Center will be the venue for a richly textured look at Tibet through the lens of photographer and world explorer Don Gurewitz, with a special performance by Tibetan singer, Karjam Saeji, winner of the Lopez Artist Advance.

The LIFE Travel Program at the Lopez School will be the beneficiary, along with the community, in another wonderful Lopez potluck dinner and slide show at 6:30PM, Saturday evening, October 6th.

LIFE (Lopez Island Foreign Exchange) Travel Program transports high school students from the Lopez School to the far corners of the globe including Europe, Central America and Asia

The travel program began through the efforts of Lopez schoolteachers Greg Ewert, Pat Burleson and Richard Tetu with help and inspiration from Susan Corbin, Cynthia Dilling, Jane Werntz. Richard and Debbie Tetu began by taking students on trips to France and Quebec, as part of the French language program.

Middle school teacher Greg Ewert, who has taken students on service trips to Nicaragua with the help of Dandy Porter, described the early history of the LIFE travel program, "Our first travel outside France was to Russia in 1991, in collaboration with the Lakeside School, followed by a student traveling to Greece. LIFE Foundation for travel was founded to help raise money for continuing these trips."

With generous donations from Sally Bill, Mary LaPorte and another Lopez family, and support from many others, LIFE travel programs have been able to continue, with money provided by families of participants and fundraising by the students as well.

Travel to Asia has been with teachers Kurt Jacobs and Pat Burleson, who lead a two-week trip to experience Japanese culture. Ieshima, an island off the coast of Japan, is the location of a reciprocal home stay program that is now in its seventh year. Students from Ieshema visited Lopez last week in a memorable event with students at the Lopez School. Funding for the program is provided by The Freeman Foundation.

"To be able to offer these opportunities to our students is remarkable, and it has been through the commitment of the school and a lot of generosity, that it has been possible," reflected Mr. Ewert, "We are really grateful that our kids have been able to experience other cultures."

"A Trek to the Tibetan Kingdom of Mustang" on October 6th, is free and everyone is invited. All donations will benefit LIFE Foundation, a 501c(3) charity. For more information about LIFE Travel, call Greg Ewert or Richard Tetu at the Lopez School.

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