Nepal Challenge MAy / J U N E 2 0 1 3 71 Eight Napa High School students are about to take the trip of a lifetime. This journey will impact not only their young lives, but also the lives of the children and elephants of Nepal. The group and their chaperone, Steven Hatton, chair of the Social Studies Department at Napa High, will embark on a 28-day expedition beginning June 7 provided by Wandrian Adventures (www.wandrianadventures.com). “I’ve traveled to Asia before, but I’m looking forward to seeing our kids’ reaction to how people outside the United States live,” said Hatton. The group will spend seven days at an orphanage teaching English, engaging in cultural exchange, and will also help with general maintenance of the facility and the care of the children themselves. The students will also be volunteering at an Elephant Sanctuary in Chitwan National Park in order to round out their international service learning and ensure their trip leaves a positive impact on the people and animals of Nepal. The students will embark on a 14-day self-supported trek through the Annapurna circuit, which will culminate in crossing Thurong Pass, which touches the Tibetan Plateau at 17,764 ft., and will somehow find time to take in a little whitewater rafting before returning home. The students were involved in the planning from beginning to end, and themselves chose the amounts of time spent volunteering, trekking and on recreation. The students will not only learn about the culture of Nepal, but will also learn about themselves through actually guiding themselves through this expedition. They are collectively in charge of the budget, sourcing their transportation, accommodation and food while they are in-country. Wandrian Adventures provides an Expedition Leader, but they are taught to “lead from behind” and offer assistance when it is a matter of safety or extreme difficulty on the part of the students. Three adults will supervise the expedition: parent Tami Lines, Wandrian Adventures’ John Ricco and teacher Mr. Hatton. “Tami, John and I will take a step back and the kids will take on the leadership roles. We will only step in if there are safety concerns,” said Hatton. In order to support their expedition, the students have held bake sales, yard sales and have been working independently in order to fund this experience. This trip is not sanctioned by the school or the district; however, the community as a whole have been supportive and the students are hoping that further support will come from their getting the word out. If you would like to donate to this expedition we encourage you to get in touch with Mr. Hatton at shatton23@ sbcglobal.net or send a check c/o Napa Valley Life Magazine, P.O. Box 865, Napa, CA 94559, and put “Nepal” in the subject line. Please include your email. Know that any donation will be helpful and you will receive a special gift and updates from the group while they are in Nepal. Donations will also help provide a scholarship for two other kids who are not financially able to make the trip. Look for a follow up article in the Sept/Oct issue of NVL. Attending the trip L-R back row: Elliot Ash, senior; Tami Lines, adult; Rejean Ruel, 2013 graduate; Steve Hatton, adult. Front row: Sklyar Lines, Abby Richards Hatton and Sarah Lippmann, all freshmen. Not shown: Glorianne Besana and Catherine Abajian. Claudia Samson, Dr. Robert Hampton, and Teri Williams Eight Napa High School Napa professionals heading to Malawi Fund raising efforts are underway for eight Napa residents heading to Lilongwe, Malawi in Africa for humanitarian endeavors. The group consists of Dr. Eric Grigsby and his wife, Dr. Mary Rocca, and their two adult daughters, Dr. Robert Hampton, his wife Claudia Samson and artist Teri Williams. This is the second trip for Dr. Hampton, who set up a dental clinic at the Daeyang Luke Hospital two years ago. His goal is to continue developing an education program at twelve nursing schools on the impact of oral health. “Nurses in countries like Malawi have the greatest contact with the population,” said Dr. Hampton. “Prevention and diagnosis are great aids in treating simple emergencies.” Samson will be teaching cooking with solar ovens at the local Women’s Center, while Williams will be instructing how to make cookware with ceramics. “I had the luxury of being a delegate at the United Nations for the Commission on the Status of Women, and met commissioners from Solar Cookers International,” said Samson. “I’ll be experimenting with Solar Cooking and will be able to teach women how to cook with this alternative source.” The landscape in Malawi is clay and they use the clay to build their homes, so Williams will showcase other uses for the clay. “Americans are doing dangerous, wonderful things around world,” said Williams. “We all need to be ambassadors and expand our boundaries to those we help.” Dr. Grigsby and Dr. Rocca will be training physicians. To aid in raising money for dental and school supplies for their trip, the trio are holding an exclusive art sale at their home on May 11, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Besides being a dentist for forty years, Dr. Hampton is an accomplished oil painter and sculptor. Williams is a sculptor as well. Both will have a generous selection of their work on sale at 3780 Hagen Road in Napa. Williams and Samson originally met as flight attendants for TWA in 1970 and flew internationally. Decades went by and the duo ran into each other in Napa a few years. Williams said she has always been drawn to Africa and even sponsors a little girl in Malawi. The group leaves Napa on June 7 and will return June 24. Tune in to the September/October issue of NVL to hear more about their journey. 707.251.9331.
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