Press Release about the Visit
On November 24th and 25th, the students of Mountain Discovery were honored to host a group of children from the Hope Community Center in Kenya. That Tuesday morning at the Grove church, the Kenyan group treated the MDCS community with a choral performance in Swahili. Then everyone returned to the school to resume the day. The Kenyans were able to visit many classrooms and spent a lot of time playing with MDCS students on the playground. “It was amazing to see the power of a soccer ball,” said MDCS Interim Director, Carter Petty. “Interaction between our students and their guests was awkward at first. However, once they began to play soccer together, the cultural barriers vanished. “ Mountain Discovery students were able to teach their visitors how to play ultimate Frisbee, another MDCS favorite. Randa Jobe, the middle school language arts and social studies teacher began a dialogue with group leaders about the possibility of an exchange-student program. “I’m very curious to see where this leads,” said Petty. No matter what the future holds, the visit has had a profound impact on the MDCS community.
Student Reaction to our Kenyan visitors
I had a good experience with the children from Kenya. They were really cool and fun to hang out with. We taught them how to play ultimate Frisbee and they taught me that I wasn’t as good at soccer as I thought I was. It was very cool and it will be something I never forget.
By: Wil, Grade 8
The Kenyans’ visit was a wonderful experience. They are polite, friendly, smart, and the best athletes I’ve ever seen. On Tuesday, Nov 24th, their story was inspiring. I can’t imagine being out on the roads without any friends, or family. At recess we played a lively game of soccer, which I enjoyed very much. Nov 25th was even more fun than the day before. I played a game of chess with one of them and she won. My friend and I suggested another game of soccer. It was fun. Kenyans are amazing people.
By: Sage, Grade 4
My visit with the Kenyan kids was fun. I had a lot of fun playing soccer with them. They taught me a lot about being friendly and polite. I taught them about a lot of things as well and I hope they will carry it with them like I will carry what they taught me.
By: Skyler, Grade 8
The Kenyan visitors came to sing for us. They came from an orphanage, trying to raise money for supplies for the orphanage. They have no parents, because there is a war in that area, so most kids don’t have parents because they were killed.
By: Jake, Grade 5
The visit from this group was truly amazing. The singing and the dancing gave us a little idea of what their culture is like. It also gave us an inside look at how they live. When they came to the school, it might have been a little confusing for them. When they began to play soccer, it showed us the talent they had at that sport… …It was a truly great experience to meet and converse with the Kenyans.
By: Vance, Grade 8
Yesterday, November 24, we went to see Kenyans who came to America to sing to get money. They came to our school and played with us. I played soccer with one of them almost the whole time. They were really good! The rules of soccer here are also the same in Kenya. They not only played with 5th & 4th but all grades.
By: Austin, Grade 5
The Kenyans were so nice and sweet. They would learn a new game and be great at it. Like Rachel played checkers her first time and won. They were good at spots.
By: Emma, Grade 4
Yesterday, some kids from Kenya came to our school after their concert we went to. We had recess with them after the concert. I was shy all day, not as usual, but I wasn’t the only one. Lots of the visitors were shy and didn’t know how we would react. We all eventually all decided to play sports like soccer, football, and tetherball. It was really fun.
By: Katie C, Grade 5