Today was our first day of community service at Eslabon School. We sanded and cleaned the walls of two classrooms to prepare for our main goal, to paint the walls. With only twenty students, we were able to successfully accomplish the preparation needed to proceed with our community action project. Tomorrow we will begin painting so that the students there can enjoy their newly painted classrooms.

-Brandon Olvera

“What are the keys to successful teamwork” was the question of the day, and it matched the energy of the group completely today. Waking up at 6:30 am, the group prepared for the day and took a 20 minute hike with one collective goal: to beautify the school, “Eslabon,” for the first and second graders living there.

When we arrived, the group began working. Each in four groups, every Glimpser started sanding and cleaning rooms with brushes, rags, brooms, hoses, and later, even shovels! Due to an unexpected request from the school, the group had to remove the plastered tiles, with Manny taking the lead with a large shovel, breaking apart the tiles for the group to collect. Among the many Glimpsers sweeping and mopping the floor, Tenzin, Clayton, Ren-kuan, and Aldo coordinated to collect the broken plates with a wheel barrel. Always at the forefront but still part of the team, leaders Christian, Alejandro, Jamie, and Maria were also working with students hand in hand: shoveling, cleaning, and sweating with the students as part of one team.

-Aiden Jiang