STRI update

The last of the STRI group (with Mr. Willis taking the picture) poses with Derrick from Delta who helped us out a great deal.

STRI Update flight Delta 1004 departing at 7:36

Please bare with me. We have no control over which names Delta assigns to these stand by flights.

Students on this flight:

Land
Olafsdittir
Roesen
Siviter
Skeen
Smith, Colin
Wallace, Jessie
Land
Spear
Napolitano
Scanlon
Praver

Scheduled to arrive at 9:25 and is presently on time.

STRI crew chillin' in ATL

Those of us still waiting to get on a flight have had dinner and are in good spirits. We have been looking at photos from the trip and reminiscing about the good times we had together in Panama. See "all y'all" soon!

STRI Baggage

Delta says that most of the bags will be on this flight so please check with the Delta Baggage claim while you wait for the bags. Might save you some time.

STRI Flights

Kucy got on the #1012 4:47 departure at the last minute.

STRI Flight #1012 departing at 4:47 Student passenger list

Delta is going alphabetically:
Here is the list of the students that made this flight arriving at 6:41 into Norfolk.

Castleberry
Chase
Chubb
Crawley
Cunningham
Davis
Dibona
Ghenea
Greeson
Jennings, Hollis.
Jennings, Meredith

Presently, the plane is on time. Thanks for your patience and understanding.
My cell is 715-1010 if you need to speak to me.

If the bags do not arrive for some reason, please check with the Delta Baggage Claim desk in the Baggage claim area.

STRI details

Needless to say, we are a group of 30 and the options are not good.
We will have to split the group up tonight
DL 1012 has 4 seats departing at 4:47 to Norfolk 6:34 arriving
DL1004 has 11 seats departing at 7:36 to Norfolk 9:25 arriving
DL2095 departing 10:06 to Norfolk 11:48 arriving

Kim Johnson will email me and post on the blog exactly which kids are going where. We are sending some groups directly to Norfolk without a chaperone assuming parents will be there to pick up and we would rather have a student take a seat than an adult. If this is a problem, please call me asap. Our faculty are at the gates making sure the kids board safely and we assume a parent will be ready and waiting to pick up their child in Norfolk.

STRI update

They missed the flight and we are working on details.

STRI Flights

Delta Flight #2206

Arriving from Atlanta at 4:34PM

ON time as of 12:05

STRI Panama - June 22; UPDATE: Flying home

Clockwise from top left: Kevin Cunningham '14 became a minor celebrity because he shares a last name with a family in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird that students had recently read; students pass through an open air courtyard at Brader school; the school motto, "Do good to all" in Latin; a banner seen at the school on Spirit Day

Cape Henry students have continued to have a great time during their Panamanian homestay experiences.  Friday was a Spirit Day at Colegio Brader as they prepared to support their school's American football team in the championship game on Saturday.  While fútbol (aka soccer) remains the most popular sport in Panama, American football has become a very popular sport at Colegio Brader. Many Cape Henry students and their hosts will be in attendance for this highly anticipated championship event.

Top: CHC students watch as Brader students practice traditional Panamanian dance; Middle: Hayley Greason '14 and Hlif Olafsdottir '14 don Panamanian pollera skirts to dance in; Brader students smile as Maddy Spear '14 learns from the instructor.

In addition, some of our CHC students had the opportunity to observe a class in traditional Panamanian dance offered after school at Colegio Brader. It was not long before they were asked to join in.  They had a great time learning the dances.

Clockwise from top left: Meredith Jennings '15; Collin Smith '14; Ethan Crawley '14; Lucy Willis '15 and Greer Lowenstein '15

More fun at dance class

Our group has had a fantastic two weeks in Panama. Students have been able to see tropical research and conservation efforts up close.  Many in our group have been inspired to consider future research and volunteer opportunities.  We have also gained a better understanding of Panamanian history and culture and made great new friends.  While it is tough to say goodbye to the wonderful people here, we are looking forward to getting home to our loved ones tomorrow (Sunday) afternoon!

Señor Willis was pulled onstage to join in a traditional Panamanian dance.

Clockwise from top left: The Panama City skyline at night; a sloth seen by our group; one of the inspirational messages written on the walls at Colegio Brader; Curtis Kirby '14 and Mr. Willis in Portobelo; Ms. Frasher and Mrs. Johnson enjoy a cup of coffee at Colegio Brader

SUNDAY MORNING UPDATE: We are all through security at the Panama City airport and should soon be boarding the flight to Atlanta!  Our final flight, Delta 2206, is scheduled to get in to Norfolk at 4:30 PM today.

STRI Panama - June 21

Clockwise from top left: The nun in charge of the farm welcomes our group; Some of the flowers on the farm, Jack Scanlon '14 entertains the group at night with his poi skills; a horse on the farm.

Tuesday night after the orphanage visit, our group made the trek to the countryside to stay at the Malambo Farm. This simple but beautiful location serves as a retreat center for the children of the orphanage, to give them a chance to be out of the city and experience some of the natural beauty of their country.

Cape Henry students help out on the farm.  Clockwise from top left: Raúl from Brader School and Tyler Chub '14; Greer Lowenstein '15; Meredith Jennings '15; John Napolitano '14

As part of our group's goal to serve the Malambo organization, we worked on Wednesday doing landscaping and gardening work on the farm. During the rest of the day and evening, students were able to relax and enjoy nature while reflecting on the many unforgettable experiences they have had so far on the trip.

More yardwork on the farm.  Clockwise from top left: Collin Smith '14; Hayley Greason '14; Kevin Cunningham '14; Jessie Wallace '14

Thursday, we traveled from the farm back into Panama City, arriving mid-morning at Colegio Brader, our partner school. Cape Henry students had been matched up with Brader School host families, and each one finally had the chance to meet the Panamanian student with whom they would be staying.

Cape Henry students arrive at at our partner school, Colegio Brader. Clockwise from top left: Jordan Davis '14 and Ethan Crawley '14 talk to their student hosts; Jack Scanlon '14 gets a hug from his surrogate mother Mrs. Johnson before heading off to his homestay; Raúl Arenas (Brader '13) shakes hands with John Napolitano '14; Collin "The Legend of Conky" Smith '14 enjoys conversing with Panamanian students.

The Cape Henry and Brader students seemed to bond instantly and had a great first day together.  CHC students visited Brader classes and spent the afternoon and evening engaged in various activities with their host students and families.

CHC students meet their Brader hosts.  Clockwise from top left: Hlif Olafsdottir '14; Madi Praver '15 and Brooke Castleberry '15; Madison Land '15; Alex Ghenea '14 and John Napolitano '14; Isabel González (Brader '13) and Teacher Ileana work together to make sure all the details are perfect for the homestays.

Click photos to view full size!

Look for a final update tomorrow (Saturday) before we fly out Sunday morning and arrive home to Norfolk late Sunday afternoon.  ¡Hasta pronto!

STRI Panama - June 20

Top: Kevin Cunningham '14 and Curtis Kirby '14 snorkeling at a coral reef near Portobelo; Middle: Brain coral; Bottom: Fish swim amidst the coral.

The STRI group has been without Internet access for the past few days, so we have a lot to catch you up on.  Monday morning, half of our group went snorkeling at a coral reef in Portobelo, seeing myriad colorful tropical fish, various types of coral, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, and other marine life.  Meanwhile, the other half went ziplining through the jungle canopy. In the afternoon the two groups switched activities. The afternoon zipline group had an especially adventurous experience as they traversed the rain forest during a torrential downpour and got just a little dirty in the process.

Clockwise from top left: Alex Ghenea '14 prepares to take off; Alex ziplines over the treeline; Bradley Skeen '15,  Hollis Jennings '15, Tommy DiBona '15, Alex Ghenea '14, and Mr. Willis proved their toughness ziplining in the pouring rain; Meredith Jennings '15 yells in excitement while zipping through the rain forest.

Videos by Curtis Kirby '14:

On Tuesday, the group had the privilege to visit the Malambo Orphanage in Panama City.

Clockwise from top left: Kevin Cunningham '14; Blair Chase '14 and Amanda Siviter '14; Tommy DiBona '15, and Raúl Arenas (Colegio Brader) enjoy spending time with children at the Malambo orphanage; a sign celebrates the over 120 years of service the orphanage has provided to Panama City's children.

Malambo provides a home and family environment to over a hundred kids ranging from birth to age 18, including special-needs and HIV positive children.  The CHC students really enjoyed getting to meet, play with, and show love to the children and teens at the orphanage.  Seeing the smiles on the faces of the Malambo kids and the Cape Henry students as they enjoyed each other's company was priceless. Many of our students were able to use their Spanish abilities to communicate with their new friends. This time made a huge impact on our group, and we were sad to leave and wished we could have stayed with them longer! 

The Cape Henry group enjoys interacting with the children of Malambo orphanage. Top: Mr. Willis and Ms. Frasher; Middle: John Napolitano '14, Bottom: Bradley Skeen '15 and Meredith Jennings '15

This is the third year that Cape Henry STRI students have been involved with the Malambo orphanage.  Past students were touched by the experience and were inspired to make a difference there. As a result, during the past school year, the CHC Upper, Middle and Lower Schools worked together to raise money and collect supplies (including school and art supplies, clothes, and personal hygiene items) for the orphanage. We were thrilled to be able to present four huge duffel bags of donations, as well as a check for $600, to support the great work that is done at Malambo.  Thanks so much to all the members of the CHC family that contributed to this great cause!

Top: Maddie Spear '14 and Hlif Olafsdottir '14 pose with some of the children they met at the orphanage; Middle and Bottom: Alex Ghenea '14 is all smiles as he and a new friend have fun on the playground.

Click the photos to view full size!  Another update is coming soon.

Clockwise from top left: Hollis Jennings '15 at the orphanage; Jack Scanlon '14, Ethan Crawley '14, and Kevin Cunningham '14 practice soccer drills with a new friend; Madi Praver  '15 shares a laugh with a child at Malambo; Carly Roesen '15 is happy to spend time with the girls of Malambo.

STRI Panama - June 17

Clockwise from top left: Students disembark at Barro Colorado Island; the STRI logo in Spanish; A lizard found on the trails; An agouti prances away from our group

Saturday, we took a morning boat out to Barro Colorado Island, a mountain that became an island when the enormous man-made Lake Gatún was formed as a result of the Panama Canal. It is now considered the world's foremost tropical forest research site.  It includes a 50 hectare plot that for many decades has been regularly censused and observed by some of the world's top scientists.

Clockwise from top left: A red-eyed tree frog was sleeping when we first came across it; The frog wakes up; It jumps onto the shoulder of Mitch Kucy '14 shoulder; It jumps onto his camera.

Upon arriving, we split up into four smaller groups to explore some of the island's trails for several hours, with experienced jungle researchers as our guides. Some animal highlights of these treks included red eyed tree frogs (along with their eggs and tadpoles), poison dart frogs, golden orb spiders, a family of howler monkeys, agoutis, hummingbirds, lizards, a huge colony of leaf cutter ants, and the amphibious cecilia.

Clockwise from top left: A red-eyed tree frog showed its leg extension as it climbs up our guide Marcos's arm; It then jumped unbidden onto the head of Maddy Spear '14, as Mrs. Johnson looked on; A poison dart frog on BCI; Two golden orb spiders (the female is the larger one).

Some of the plant life we observed included “beer-belly trees,” “walking trees,” liana vines, heliconias and more. Many of the trees and liana vines were over two hundred years old.

Clockwise from top left: Marcos shows a group a "walking tree," a species that has been known to move its location up to a meter a year in pursuit of sunlight; twisting liana vines; Nature's hummingbird feeder, the heliconia; A group of students observe an enormous tree

We also heard from some of the STRI researchers about the incredible biodiversity of Barro Colorado Island and its key role in the study of tropical forest dynamics.

Clockwise from top left: Croc warning at BCI; A croc; Tommy DiBona '15 and Jordan Davis' '14 talk to Isabel from Colegio Brader; Jessie Wallace '14, Blair Chase '14, Amanda Siviter '14, Hayley Greason '14 and Hlif Olafsdottir '14 enjoy the view from the front of the boat

Clockwise from left: CHC group departs BCI; Madison Land '15, Brooke Castleberry '15, and Carly Rosen '15; Lucy Willis '15, Maddy Spear '14, and Ethan Crawley '14.

After returning from the island, we had the opportunity to meet with Ricardo Moreno, a jaguar researcher who founded the NGO Yaguará to help save the endangered jaguar and other wild cats from extinction. His group educates Panamanian locals to discourage poaching and to compensate farmers whose animals are killed by big cats (to keep them from seeking to wipe out the jaguar population). They also have put GPS tracking collars on many of the jaguar to better understand their behavior and potentially intervene in situations where they may threaten farm animals. Students were very inspired by his story, with some expressing interest in volunteering with his group in the future.

Top: Alex Ghenea '14 is ready to explore;
Middle: Ricardo Moreno shares about his work saving the endangered jaguar;
Bottom: Jessie Wallace '14 and new friend Isabel from Colegio Brader prepare to leave on a jungle hike.

Sunday, we traveled to Portobelo, where we took a tour of the historic center of the city, built by the Spanish as an important stop on colonial trade routes.

Clockwise from top left: Spanish colonial ruins in Portobelo dating to 1752; Hollis Jennings '15 at the old fortress; Portobelo's cathedral; Curtis Kirby '14 and Kevin Cunningham '14 stand watch at the harbor's defensive barrier

After several very full days, students had the chance to relax on the shores of the Caribbean at the beautiful Scuba Panama Center in preparation for a big day of coral-reef snorkeling and jungle ziplining on Monday.

To be continued...
Click photos to view full size!

Clockwise from top left: Collin Smith '14 relaxes in a hammock with matching soda outside a Scuba Panama bungalow; Several caught lionfish, an invasive species whose population Panamanians are trying to reduce; Lucy Willis '15 smiles after successfully splitting a coconut; John Napolitano '14 drinks some coconut milk

Clockwise from top left: Sunset over el Mar Caribe at the Scuba Panama center, Curtis Kirby '14 whips his hair back and forth; Crabs come out of their holes at night and are caught with a camera flash; A very sociable bird; Palm trees by moonlight outside our bungalows

STRI Panama -- Father's Day Shout Out!!!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Kim Johnson:  Happy Fathers Day old man!! Sending LOVE to you in Farmville!  Congrats on another beautiful grandchild (-:

Michelle Frasher: Dearest Dad, wishing you a super happy Father's Day in Sunny California!  I hope all is well, sending much love, thanks and devotion from Gamboa, Panama. Talk to you soon, Kiss Kiss.

David Willis: Papá, te felicito en tu día.  Gracias por ser un hombre de carácter y un buen ejemplo a seguir.  Te quiero mucho y espero celebrar contigo al regresar a Virginia.

Lucy Willis: Hi Daddy, I hope you have a great Fathers Day and know that I love you and am thinking of you. Relax and have fun and I'll see you soon!

Bradley Skeen: Feliz día del padre! In case you didn't notice, I'm a total stud at Spanish now. I love you and can't wait to see you when I get home. 

Greer Lowenstein: Hi Dad, I hope you have a wonderful Father's Day and I can't wait to see you again. I love you and miss you!

Kevin Cunningham: Happy Father's Day Marky Mark!

Maddy Spear: Hey Daddy! I miss and love you sooooo much! Have a SUPERB-MARVELOUS-FANTASTIC-AMAZING FATHERS DAY:) You deserve it you crazy kook<3 Love you and see you soon!

Madison Land: Hi Dad! I hope you have an amazing Father's day. I love you and miss you so much! Can't wait to see you!

Curtis Kirby: ¡Buenas! Happy Father's Day Padre and I hope to return soon to tell about the trip, from your boy 

Ethan Crawley: Happy father's day pops! Love you, Ethan

Brooke Castleberry: Hi Dad! I love and miss you so much! I know you will have a fantastic Father's day. See you soon!!!

Tommy DiBona: Happy Father's day Daddy D!

Carly Roesen: Hi Dad! Hope you have an amazing Father's Day and I wish I could be there! I love and miss you so much!

Madi Praver: Hi Wheot! I hope you are having a fantastic day! You're the best "dad" I could ever ask for. You dah bomb and I love you so much!

Tyler Chub: Happy Father's Day Papa!

Raúl Arenas: Happy father's day!! Te quiero!!

Amanda Siviter: Happy Fathers Day daddy!!!! I love you and miss you and mom so much ! Thank you do much for everything you do for me. Your the best father in the world! I give all my love to you, mom, and chico and Jane <3 

Jessie Wallace: Happy Father's Day, Daddykinz! Thanks so much for letting me go on this awesome trip! Most of all thanks for being the best dad! Love you lots! See you in a week! :) <3

Alex Ghenea: Happy Father's Day! Hope it's a good one; see you soon. 

Blair Chase: Happy Father's Day to the best dad ever!! I'm having an awesome time here thank you for everything you do for me ! I miss and love you ! Hope you have a wonderful day try not to stress about work, see you soon love you lotssssss <3

Mitchell Kucy: Happy Father's Day Dad! See you in a week!

Hlif Olafsdottir: Happy Father's Day! Thu ert besti pabbi ever! langar ad vera heima og knúsa thig! Sakna thin mjog mikid, hlakka til ad sja thig eftir viku! That er mjog gaman hérna!! Elska thig. 

Hayley Greason: hi mom! make sure you get dad to see this and make sure you give him my card!!! Happy fathers day dad I love and miss you so much but I'm having a ton of fun and every time I saw a fish when we went snorkeling I thought of you <3 I hope you have a great day!!! 

John Napolitano: Happy Father's Day! Have a nice day!

Cailey Crow: 

1) Daddy (Jamie), I know that it isn't fathers day where you are, but I'd like to take this opportunity to let you know how much I love you. I miss you sooo much, it's been too long since I've seen you, and I can't wait for Christmas! I'm doing well, Panama is really fun! 

-xoxo Possum

2) Tom, this must be a serious let down from my fathers day gift from last year. Sorry. I miss you a lot, and I'm sure you miss me too. I'll be home soon, have no fear. Love you Tom have a great Fathers Day

-xoxo Cailey  

Hollis Jennings IV: Happy Father's Day Big Lee! Hope it is a good one. Love, your buddybear Hollis.

Jordan Davis: Happy Father's Day dood!

Isabel González: Happy Father's Day!! Papa te quiero muchisisisimooo!! Espero que la pases excelente en tu dia. Gracias por todo lo que haces por mi. La estoy pasando super bien!! Mandale saludos a todos por alla. Te quiero y te extrano!!

Jack Scanlon : happy father's day pops!!

STRI Panama - June 14

Top: Group at Playa del Cangrejo (Crab Beach), a STRI research site; Bottom: Group with the Panama City skyline

Greetings from day three of STRI Panama. Our day dawned with the first real glimpses of the sun we have had providing us with excellent weather to enjoy a trip into Panama City to see the STRI facility at Punta Culebra which is beautifully situated right at the base of the Panama Canal as it enters the Pacific Ocean, not far from the construction of the BioMuseo, which we had visited the previous day.

Clockwise from upper left: The group enjoys a lecture by Dr. Mark Torchin; An explanation of the research done in the DNA Lab; Students look at some of the work being done by Dr. Torchin

The first stop at the STRI facility was for a fascinating lecture from Dr. Mark Torchin, a highly respected research scientist, who spoke to the group about the challenges of invasive species in Panama and what those challenges mean for the rest of the world. We then toured the STRI Laboratories getting an up-close look at some of the work that is being done at the facility, including a good explanation of what they do in their DNA labs.

Clockwise from left: Group at Punta Culebra; Ethan Crawley '14 gets friendly with a sea turtle; Mrs. Johnson and Jordan Davis '14 observe stingrays

The rest of the morning was spent at the STRI Punta Culebra education center where the students were able to see Fiddler Crab research being done and get introduced to a variety of aquatic life, including Caribbean and Pacific Starfish, stingrays, some very young sharks and a very old turtle. Of course, what would a stop in Panama be without some observation of some Two-Toed Sloths; which seems to excite our students much more than it does the local Panamanians....go figure!

Lucy Willis '15, Haley Greason '14, Isabel (our friend from the Brader School), and Madison Land '15 enjoy interacting with Pacific and Atlantic starfish

Mid-day included a stop at a local mall for lunch and some very brief shopping and then a late afternoon return to our temporary home in Gamboa for a soccer game arranged by Curtis Kirby '14 with some local players. Despite muddy conditions and playing in sneakers instead of soccer boots our boys held their own. The trip down the hill into Gamboa allowed for the students to also view some ant mounds recommended by our lecturer from the previous evening. The behavior displayed by the ants as they traveled along their long "highways' to and from their working destinations was fascinating.

Clockwise from top: Kevin Cunningham '14 and two of his Varsity Boys Soccer teammates engage in a World Cup Qualifier with Panama, Jordan Davis ' 14 makes a key save as keeper; Leaf cutter ants carry supplies back to their colony for processing.

Lastly, we once again enjoyed a wonderful dinner of chicken, boiled cassava, beans and rice, salad and fruit. After dinner, the students and faculty enjoyed another lecture, this time by Dr. Tomas Sattler, the "Batman".Dr. Sattler provided some great information regarding the bats of Panama and then took us outside to us some sophisticated back track devices that allowed us to hear the bats as they used their sonar to track their meals. Meredith Jennings '14 seemed particularly fascinated with the bat tracking and Alex Ghenea '14 believed that there could be some musical application for the bat sounds. After this nocturnal adventure, we all headed off to bed, eagerly anticipation the next day's expedition to Galeta for snorkling, water sampling and exploration of a mangrove swamp.

Clockwise from upper left: Tommy DiBona '15 challenges a Panamanian player for possession; Captain Curtis Kirby '14 inspires his teammates "Brun-style"; Collin Smith '14 shows his ball-handling skills; Tyler Chub '14 boots the ball.

More to follow......

STRI Panama - June 13

Clockwise from top left: A mother howler monkey with her baby; Jordan Davis '14 is mesmerized by hummingbirds feeding; Our merry band of adventurers

 Greetings from STRI Panama, Day 2. As mentioned in yesterday's blog, Day 2 began with another ascent up the 166 steps of the Canopy Tower and some fabulous bird watching commencing at 6:30 am! The group that went up the tower the first day went on a jungle hike in search of the Howler monkeys that we heard as we drove up. They were excited to spot a female Howler monkey and her baby and see plenty of amphibious life. After a solid two hours of nature observance, we all returned to our house for a brief respite and preparation for the next stop of the day, a visit to one of the seven modern wonders of the world, the Panama Canal.

Clockwise from upper left: Welcome to one of the seven engineering wonder of the modern world;  huge container ship from Hong Kong prepares to dropped nearly 100 feet before our eyes as we eat lunch,  the biggest lock gates in world open; Maddie Spear '14, John Napolitano '14 and Alex Ghenea '14 rev the engines at Miraflores Locks simulator; Hlif Olavsdottir '14 and Cailey Crow '14 enjoy their artistic genius

Our arrival at the Miraflores Locks just north of Panama City was timed perfectly, as we were able to witness the passage of two large container ships heading south and multiple ships heading north. The students were amazed by the engineering genius that allowed for some huge boats to rise or fall nearly 100 feet. A walk through the Panama Canal Museum give the students the opportunity to appreciate both the history of the canal's construction and function of the modern canal and some of the boys including, Jack Scanlon '14 and Jordan Davis '14 took particular pleasure in using the simulator to guide a ship through the locks (with only few small accidents!). This was then followed by an excellent lunch at the Locks Cafeteria, which was highlighted by the delivery of a small birthday cake and the singing of "Happy Birthday" to a slightly embarrassed, but nonetheless happy, Brooke Castleberry '15.

Clockwise from upper left: Tiny frog found on the morning nature hike; Brooke Castleberry '15 get ready to enjoy her birthday cake as Lucy Willis '15 looks on; Bradley Skeen '15 caught in a moment of enjoyment; Colorful tropical birds

The next stop on our busy day was a quick swing into French Quarter of Panama City where the students got an opportunity to understand some of the history of Panama as a colonial possession of the Spanish, a part of Colombia, and finally the influence of the French as they made the first attempt to build the canal. After our visit to the French Quarter, we traveled over to the BioMuseo, which is being constructed on a spectacular piece right near where the Panama Canal empties into the Pacific Ocean. after a brief lecture on the remarkable biodiversity of our host country, we all donned hard hats and toured the colorful shell that will someday fulfill the vision of the world-famous architect Frank Gehry. Tommy DiBona '15 spoke for all of us when he stated that he hoped to come back and see the Museum when it is finished one day.

Group shots from the construction site of the BioMuseo

Finally we returned home to find another superbly cooked and filling dinner, featuring a Panamanian delight, cassava chips, along with spiced meat, rice, a wonderful salad, and, of course, the amazing fruits that have accompanied every meal. After dinner we enjoyed another interesting lecture, this time from a young STRI researcher on Cutter ants. After the lecture we headed to bed; gratefully so after an exceptionally busy 17 hour day!

We will look forward to telling the story of day three soon!

Click images to view full size!

STRI Panama Tuesday, June 11

Tommy DiBona '15 and Hollis Jennings '15 enjoy the view from the Canopy Tower high above the rainforest, while a sloth enjoys viewing our group.

Emerging from the dawn mists, on top of a 32 meter observation tower, 16 CHC STRI students and their chaperones were treated to a panoramic view of the Panamanian rainforest as they took in the sounds of hundreds of birds and insects and the distant growls of Howler monkeys. Soon, the student's bird-watching eyes adjusted and they began to spot, with the help of our expert guides, a huge variety of birds including Toucans, Hawks, Hummingbirds, Parrots, and Kites. As the hour progressed, scene after scene of canopy forest brillance unfolded for us, inspiring Ethan Crawley '14 to finally say, "I feel like I'm in Heaven" to which one of his peers responded, "No, Ethan, we are in Panama; it is the same thing".

This was the second trip to the Canopy Tower in two days as the other members of the trip went up the first day we were all here. The first trip was highlighted by the spotting of a Three-Toed Sloth perched on a branch high above the canopy, the second trip by the sighting of a rare and beautiful Orchid Bee at the base camp below the tower.

But we've jumped ahead of ourselves.  Let's start at the beginning.  After arriving at our house, with our bags (Yeah!) in Gamboa past midnight very early Tuesday morning we launched into a busy day with a trip to visit Curtis Kirby '14 at the Amphibian rescue center to learn about his work with endangered Panamanian frogs. While there, we went through three work stations to view the research technique of Angie Estrada and her team. After that we we treated to an impromptu session with a local animal rescue expert, who introduced us to baby otters and a remarkable baby anteater.

Clockwise from upper left: A happy bird enjoys a snack of an unhappy lizard; Maddie Spear '14 is mesmerized by her new friend John Lennon the Beatle, soon to be frog chow; a neighbor watches us eat breakfast; Students stand in "aww" of the rescued baby otter.

Mitch Kucy '14 gets up close and personal with Samba, a rescued baby anteater.

Later in the afternoon we were joined by our Brader School friends Raul and Isabelle who have rapidly integrated with our happy band of now 28 students. We also went out for a walk to view the town of Gamboa, but were driven back a torrential tropical downpour with vivid lightning which lasted well into the evening. After drying out we were treated to a wonderful dinner by our host Guido and his staff and all went to bed full of great food and happily fatigued.  More to come!

Click on photos to view full size!

Students hike in a bamboo forest; Collin Smith '14 is ready for action; Students enjoy breakfast surrounded by monkeys, agoutis and hummingbirds; John Napolitano '14 enjoys bug juice while showing his Team Willis pride.

STRI

Dave Cameron emailed and noted they had just returned from the Canopy Tower watching birds. Yesterday, they could see all three types of toucans at one time which is incredibly rare. They are off to the Miraflores locks to get a close up look at how the Panama Canal lock system works. After a tour of the museum, they'll enjoy a lunch watching the ships transit the canal via the Miraflores lock.

STRI 2013

I just spoke to Kim Johnson; they are presently looking at all three kinds of toucans at the Canopy Tower for an early morning birding session. Everyone is excited to see so many tropical birds. Also, everyone has their bags so the trip is off to a great start.

Hopefully we'll post some pics sometime in the next couple of days.

STRI Panama 2013 - - Pre-Departure

Monday, June 10 is our departure date!  I am looking forward to traveling to Panama again this summer, with such a great group of upper school students.  Check-in on the blog to see updates and photo journal entries by the students while we are in Panama.  Updated information and reminders will be sent the the group in the upcoming weeks to assist with all of the packing and last minute preparation details.