One of the specific philosophies of Unbounded Thinking, of The Webb Schools in general and of my own personal convictions is that it isn’t enough to simply learn. One has to do. One has to experience.
It is because of this philosophy that Webb has many outdoor and real-world experiences. We go on retreats and Peccary trips, hike in the Grand Canyon, Half Dome, Montana and Utah; travel to Spain, France, China, South America and many others every year.
As the new Science Department Chair, I wanted not only to embrace this philosophy and these adventures but to expand on them. Thus, I decided in the fall of this school year that a trip to the small country of Belize would be the perfect addition. My wife and I have had many previous travels in Belize and felt strongly that it is a very special place that Webb students should experience.
Belize is a small country of only 380,000 people that is situated on the Caribbean just below the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. It has many beautiful and remote islands within 1-2 hours’ boat ride of its mainland. Many of these islands are uninhabited. It’s warm, pristine tropical waters boast the largest barrier reef system in the western hemisphere and is 2nd in size only to the Great Barrier Reef of Australia (the world’s largest!). Belize used to be called the British Honduras and was a colony of the British Empire form the mid-1800’s to the 1960’s. The English mined for precious metals, lumbered for teak, mahogany and ironwood trees and created many valuable dyes from plants found in the rainforests there. In 1968, Great Britain began the process of independence and in 1982 the country accomplished sovereignty and became known as Belize. It has amazing diversity in its plants, animals and people. There are several distinct peoples in Belize that create a varied yet cohesive culture. Mayan ancestors from the Mayan empire (its peak was 1000-1500 years ago), Spanish ancestors (from Cortez and the Spanish Incursion of the 16th century), African ancestors (from the slave trade) that fractured into islanders, Creole and Rastafarians and Mezitos (Spanish and Mayan mixed blood). Amazingly, all of these cultures get along well together. Belize is a 3rd world country that is both poor and yet not impoverished. By that I mean most Belizeans have little money but do have homes they built, land and space, and they grow much of their own food. The one exception is the poor who live in Belize City where a large slum exists.
The Webb students experienced all of these things as well as all of the natural wonders that exist there. We snorkeled in areas that were completely pristine and protected as well as areas that were over-fished and had lost much of their biodiversity. We snorkeled in areas where the students could see the economic and nature benefits of ecotourism and yet on the same boat trip to get there, plastic pollution and trash were evident from cruise ships even on the most remote beaches.
We canoed up ancient rivers through pristine rainforest, jumped off waterfalls and waterside cliffs. We swam into cave systems that went for miles. Leaving the water, we hiked into caverns that held the remains of ancient Mayan rituals and the skeletons of Shamans (Mayan spiritual doctors) who were considered the only guides to and through the underworld. The ancient Mayan culture made a great impression on my students and inspired respect for the knowledge, skills and courage of ancient peoples.
Our Webb students were amazed by what they saw and experienced. I think more importantly, they experienced many priceless, thoughtful and life-changing moments first-hand of what it might have been like to be an ancient indigenous person, a poor person in a 3rd world country of today, a farmer or a fisherman who relies on his/her daily work for food and money, and a guide who makes his/her living from tourists. Global issues were/are apparent in Belize. Our students not only became aware of these issues, they grew tremendously as thoughtful and responsible Global citizens.
To me, “way beyond the standard” means affecting our students in deep, meaningful and life-changing ways. I cannot help but feel that our Belize students will not only remember this journey, but will also be positively affected by it the rest of their lives. I know my wife and I will…
