Children of Haiti Project is partnered with Cayman International School. In 2016, a group of teachers and I organized a fundraiser for school supplies, and visited the Haitian school during our spring break. Though we brought much needed materials, toys, and clothes, we also taught daily lessons with the children.  I taught mini math lessons, team building activities, and a variety of sports over the course of the week. 

We lived on campus and had the opportunity for a tour of Port au Prince. Cayman and Haiti are both Caribbean Islands that could not be any more different. Engaging with the students was the highlight. They were full of energy and excitement to learn things, which reminded me of what it is to be a learner again.

Attending a Mathematics conference in 2009, I learned about flipped classrooms. Returning to my school in California, I decided to give it a try for one of my Algebra classes. The new change was successful. I enjoyed making videos for students to watch for homework. During class it was helpful to see student learning on a daily basis. Now, with a decade of experience, I have created dozens of videos and flipped most of my classrooms. 

Coming to Cayman, I realized how many students and teachers were unaware of the existence and benefits of the flipped classroom model. So in 2017 I applied to present this concept at an Association of American School in South America (AASSA) in Rio, Brasil. I was accepted and given the opportunity to present to a full class of eager teachers. It was a valuable experience for the other teachers and I as we discussed ways to improve my current model and for them to take it back to their countries and apply it in their schools. 

International Baccalaureate (IB) begins in grade 11 at CIS. My colleagues and I found that the grade 10 students need a lot of support to prepare for the program. We worked together to develop a series of activities covering a variety of topics: Grit, Apathy, Social Justice, Sustainable Development Goals (from the UN), and the IB Learner Profiles. Reflection was a big piece of each activity and it was amazing to see their growth throughout the year. Again, we felt other teachers could benefit from these activities. We developed a large portfolio of all these materials (Wacky Wednesday Activities), and were accepted to present at the AASSA conference in Quito, Ecuador in 2018.

During the 2018-2019 school year, a colleague and I started the Aquaponics Activity at Cayman International School as a passion project. I enjoy aquaponics, because I am a learner again. My colleague and I have learned right alongside the students since aquaponics was new to all of us. For example, there were a number of trial and errors with the Bell Siphon, but when it finally flushed the water for the first time, we were all ecstatic!

Now, a core group of students participate and monitor the functioning system on a weekly basis. Student interns feed the fish and record the various chemical levels on a regular schedule. We are also creating an additional system, breeding tanks, juvenile tanks, and a floating raft system.

Cayman has a lot to offer in terms of fun in the sun. As I was raised to find my own fun, I decided to be the head of the Social Committee for CIS. Being far away and transplanted in a new place, it was important to me to build community. The committee is charged with creating activities to help bring the staff together. I have planned fun runs, happy hours, scuba dive groups, movie nights, and more. 

Service is a main principle at CIS, Each December we have a staff dinner. So in 2017, after Hurricane Maria,  we organized a fundraising raffle and raised over $500 for Puerto Rico.  In 2018 we sponsored Feed Our Future, which brings meals to local families in need. $1000 was donated to the organization to provide, gifts and food during Christmas.