Hard work pays off for students via foreign trip
By COURTNEY LINGLE of the Coloradoan Newspaper

Amy Mullineaux spent her 18th birthday standing at the base of three icy peaks in Chile's Patagonia.

"It was the hardest hike I've ever done," she said, describing one of many incredible experiences she had on a school trip she says altered her forever.

"My mom said I came back truly changed," Mullineaux said. "I think my outlook on life has changed. I used to be negative and pessimistic. Now I'm pretty laid back. I realized it was important to have fun in life."

It's been a year since Mullineaux embarked on the Chilean adventure with Centennial High School's Road Scholars program. Now, she's gearing up to go back with a new group of students who on Jan. 30 will begin the journey teacher and organizer Bryan Maddox says serves as a "rite of passage" for its participants.

"We don't have a rite of passage in our culture," said Maddox, who for more than a decade has been taking students on international and domestic trips through his Road Scholars program.

"There's a lot of confusion in this culture about when you are an adult. This is a chance to walk through that academically, intellectually, emotionally and socially."

Maddox said through the rigorous work of the trip and the profound experiences the students encounter, they recognize who they are as adults.

"We talk about still being child-like, but not being childish," he said, explaining that Chile provides the students with a new landscape and a safe instability that gives them the opportunity to change and grow.

John Miller, 20, said he hopes to use this trip as a turning point in his life.

"For me, it's something to define my high school career. Up to now it's been sort of lackluster," he said. "This is kind of the stepping stone (to define what direction I will go from here)."

This year's Road Scholar trip to Chile will be centered around the small lakes region of Chiloé, a series of small, lush islands that are home to historic churches, tiny pueblos and poor but friendly people.

Students will spend the majority of their time doing service learning projects, which in the past have included the building and renovation of schools, churches, boats and health clinics. A small amount of time will be spent sight-seeing.

Centennial's Road Scholars said the work of the trip doesn't begin when they get to South America –# it started way back in August with fundraising efforts that are still ongoing.

Through car washes, a silent auction, a Rotary breakfast, a parent-sponsored garage sale and donations from businesses and individuals, the students have come close to raising the $48,000 they need to fund the trip, which requires students to pay just $300 out of pocket.

"It's a lot of work," Miller said. "It's not like some senior trip where you go off and your parents give you the money."

Centennial's Road Scholars are hopeful that a Nov. 29 benefit concert at Poudre High School will top off the remaining amount required for them to get to Chile.

Ellie Jimenez-Waters, 16, said she has tried to help donors understand that they aren't just making a donation, they're making an investment.

"This is the kind of trip that breeds fundamental people in society," she said.

In addition to fundraising, students work hard in other ways to earn the privilege of international travel.

"These guys have to earn it in so many ways," said Brandy Hodgson, who is joining this year's trip as an instructor and chaperone.

To go to Chile, students must maintain good attendance, keep their grades up, stay sober and perform hours of community service in Fort Collins.

When they return from winter break, they will spend a month of intensive study on Chile's language, history, culture and geography. The soon-to-be travelers will each become "experts" on a specific aspect of the country and will share their knowledge in presentations to junior high school and elementary school kids in Poudre School District. They will also engage in a sort of "Travel 101," learning how to pack appropriately and travel safely.

"We work so hard for this," Arica Brunin, 17, said, adding that she realizes it will make the trip that much more meaningful.

For senior Trevor Chase, 17, the Chile trip will be his first journey off American soil.

"I'm extremely excited," he said. "This trip is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. I don't know if I'll have another opportunity in my life to travel to another country. This way it's affordable."

Originally published in the Coloradoan Newspaper: November 20, 2005