During Spring Break, the Prior Lake Rotary conducted its fourth international service trip to Cambodia where they took 4 teachers from Prior Lake and three Prior Lake students. A high school student was selected to go and there were two elementary students who traveled with their parents. The goal of the trip is to provide Basic Education and Literacy Support to Cambodian schools. This work falls under Rotary International’s 7 Key Areas of Focus which are: Peace Building and Conflict Prevention, Disease Prevention and Treatment, Water Sanitation and Hygiene, Maternal and Child Health, Basic Education and Literacy, Community Economic Development, and Environment.
Michelle Burkle Guzman working with a teacher at PTD, a school that specializes in supporting students with autism.Prior Lake partnered with the Rotary Club of Pursat to support teachers and students at schools/learning sites in two different provinces, Sustainable Cambodia in Pursat, and Ptea Teuk Dong (PTD) in Battambang. At PTD, Prior Lake teachers worked with teachers there on engagement strategies for all students and best practices to support the learning of special needs students and students with autism. At Sustainable Cambodia, the team focused on developing a love for reading in students and provided teachers with lessons on the Zone of Regulation and reading comprehension strategies around character development, key vocabulary, and group work. Rotarians and students who traveled to Cambodia were key in connecting and uplifting the Cambodian students. They provided cultural exchanges through traditional Cambodian games, dances, and the universal sport of soccer. “Traveling with teachers from the US to Cambodia showed me that, no matter where we are in the world, the connection between teachers and children is universal.” Gary Crawford, Rotarian
