This summer, a group of Leyden students will complete a service learning trip, leaving May 28 to travel thousands of miles to Peru. While students will visit some of the sites, like Cusco and Machu Picchu, they’ll spend most of their time working on serving the needs of a local community.

And because the goal is service, not just travel, students will only need to pay $500 for travel and accommodations thanks to a new commitment by the board of education to fund service learning.

“These trips cost thousands of dollars,” superintendent Dr. Nick Polyak explained,  “and as a district we are passionate about service, but we also know many of our students could never afford that.” The summer trip to Peru, for example, will cost over $3000 per student.

“No amount of fundraising is going to make that available to all kids,” Polyak said, “so I asked the board for permission to support the trips and knock the price down for our students to $500, thinking that it will make it available to more of our kids.”

The board agreed and will ask only that students who access the funding meet established criteria and promise to provide some sort of information, presentation, or “give back” upon their return. With future service trips, Dr. Polyak hopes that the prices stay low, so students have more opportunities to experience these life changing service trips.    

The upcoming trip to Peru, his own experiences, and the annual West Leyden service trip to Mexico all inspired Dr. Polyak to ask the board to help with costs.

Dr. Polyak recently returned from a Lifetouch Memory Mission to the Dominican Republic, where he and about 50 volunteers helped build a new elementary school. “The trip to the Dominican was unbelievable. It really provided me with a whole different lense to look at the world in terms of what it means to be happy, gracious, and even welcoming,” he said.

Mrs. Johanna Heppeler, who will be advising the Peru trip, explained the benefits of service. “For many of the student participants, the service learning trip will offer a very meaningful and memorable experience. Whether learning about the people they are serving, the ancient history of the Incan Empire, or taking home lessons about themselves, this trip will enrich each student’s life in immeasurable ways.”

Senior Priscilla Mercado echoed that excitement. “I’m most excited to just experience another part of the world and meet the different people around there!” she said. “Also, being able to help them out with whatever they will need will bring a great feeling to all of us who are going!”.Karolina Jasko explained, “I think that I’ll walk away with a different outlook because I’ll see what people have to go through and how in need certain people are and how I shouldn’t take simple things for granted. I also love the fact I’ll be able to say I went to Peru because let’s face it, not a lot of people have the chance to say that!”