Guess who I met today!  Our new START team is sizzling with energy and ideas, and they are ready to meet the second and third grade “world travelers”!

We are all excited about the theme for the six weeks of winter START–Current Events Around the World.  We are hoping to connect with our classmate Natalie’s travels to broaden our understanding of inventions, cultures, happenings, the arts, and more from many different places.  Keep watching our blog to see what happens next Thursday on our first day together.

Until then, meet our volunteers!

Max says, “I am a freshman from Oregon.  I am interested in studying computer science and music, and my hobbies include piano and singing.  After high school, I took a gap year to travel by myself around the world.  I especially like the outdoors, so I explored many mountains.  Some of the places I went include Iceland, a road trip across Canada in the winter (brrr!), and taking trains through the English countryside to search for long-lost relatives.  I created a five song album and a music video about my adventures.”

Elizabeth introduces herself, “I am a sophomore from the suburbs of Chicago.  I am in the pre-med track at Dartmouth, and my goal is to become a pediatrician.  I volunteer a lot with young people to help me toward my goal.  I am studying biology and Spanish.  Some of my hobbies include piano and dance.  I like all kinds of dancing, especially modern, contemporary, and jazz.”

And here is Laya–“I am a sophomore from the San Francisco Bay area of California.  I am into building iPhone apps, and I also enjoy sculpting and painting.  I am in the computer science track for now.  Moving across the country for college has been really exciting for me, and I encourage you to try that someday and to have open minds about exploring new places when you have the chance.”