While teaching in Indonesia, Danny Knoll started an English club after school. He reached out to 3 other American ETAs who were also teaching English Clubs in West Sumatra and organized a united Club Camping Trip. Over 100 Students from 4 different schools came together at Harau Valley for a weekend of camping, filled with fun English learning activities.
On February 15-16, the West Sumatra ETAs executed an English Camp. The West Sumatra ETAs include Ammarah Rehman, Danny Knoll, Jillian Castoro and Nicholas Navin. The ETAs took 70 of their students on an adventure-oriented English-learning excursion. The group went camping at Harau Valley, which is known as the Yosemite of Indonesia.
After setting up tents, the group engaged in a series of immersive learning experiences. First, there was an Opening Ceremony where the ETAs performed a skit about English learning and then taught the students regional American slang. To promote inter-school mingling, the 70 students were often split into different groups to do activities.
Next, there was a hike and selfie scavenger hunt to a beautiful waterfall. It started pouring rain, but the students and ETAs kept the energy up and had a dance party in the rain.
After, there were English Competitions that included having to put sentences in the correct order and an obstacle course where students had to instruct only in English a blindfolded teammate around the obstacles, After dinner, the ETAs taught the students camp songs and then had a big bonfire with marshmallows.
The next morning, there were four “Rotating Classrooms” where each ETA led a 15-minute session focused on something they felt passionate and knowledgeable about. Lastly, there was the closing ceremony, student performances and another swim in the waterfall.
The students regularly use the regional slang and still remind the ETAs of how much fun they had. Overall, English Camp was an unforgettable experience for everyone involved.
In the spring and summer of 2021, Danny Knoll created a masters swim program within the Wissahickon Community Aquatics Club (WCAC) for adults over the age of 18 could come to Wissahickon High School new pool and swim! Danny Volunteered his time there as the coach provided practices, encouraging others and even swimming alongside!
Danny Knoll Volunteers with Mangrover Education where he has hosted and sat in on educational topics and practices shared with teachers in over 8 countries including Uzbekistan, Taiwan, Japan, Cambodia, and Indonesia.
Danny made the most of his time in Indonesia by travelling to as many pools as he could to swim and offering technique sessions by working together with local swim coaches