Parker students visit Peru

KAMUELA — Eight Parker students returned from a 10-day trip to Peru on June 19. It was an inaugural trip comprised of middle and upper school students that belong to the school’s newly reformed Travel Club.

Students visited Lima, Cusco, the Sacred Valley and the Amazon Basin. Trip highlights included visiting Machu Picchu, getting up close with llamas and alpacas, and seeing monkeys, tarantulas, capybaras, parrots, macaws, a sloth and a jaguar in their natural habitat in the Amazon.

Parker students also visited a nonprofit organization called CooperarPeru located in Cusco. The organization works with children and their families in the areas of health, community development and education.

“We met with volunteers and students during our visit to CooperarPeru,” said Melissa Lunchick, Parker middle school Spanish teacher and Travel Club leader. “After our visit, many students expressed a desire to come back and volunteer. It was an eye-opening experience.”

Students voted on Peru as the country of choice and Parker worked with EFTours who paired them with two other school groups from Texas and California.

“Students made strong connections with one another and with students from the other schools we traveled with. The highlight for me was watching each student become more independent and confident in themselves as they navigated in a new country and practiced their Spanish,” shared Lunchick.