AROUND LA
In March 2014, LA’s two DR service Winterim groups—32 students and four faculty members—met up at The Mariposa Foundation in Cabarete for a combined photo.
LA in the DR alumnus Jay Dunn ’83 became interested in our work. He helped fund the bricks and mortar for our trips and eventually helped to start the Mariposa DR Foundation.” From those roots, LA’s relationship with the Dominican Republic grew, as did the impact of the trips on people in both countries. Dan Scheibe and his wife Annie Montesano visited The Mariposa Foundation in February for the foundation’s 10th anniversary celebration. Pictured, L-R, Ekow Edzie, Dan Scheibe, Lin Manuel Miranda, Tatiana Suriel '16, and Julia Alvarez. There are plans for Lin and Julia to come to LA as Mees Visiting Scholars.
“In the early years, LA built houses, a ball field, and a school...and because our work helped to give centralized organization to that community, they were able to apply for, and receive, a Peace Corps volunteer,” explained Mr. Smith.
Ten years ago, in these very pages, David Smith recalled his 2003 Winterim trip to the Dominican Republic, noting, “If you want to make difference in the world, it is most important that you show up.” A decade hence, Winterim continues to make a difference in the lives of Lawrence Academy students, and has allowed the school to forge a bond with the Caribbean country.
Now well-established, The Mariposa Foundation celebrated its 10th anniversary in February 2014. After accepting an invitation to attend festivities honoring the milestone, Head of School Dan Scheibe and his wife Annie Montesano reported: “David Smith provided an introduction to the roots of LA’s involvement with Mariposa, but his description was so humble, concise, and self-effacing that we were unprepared for the display of strength and engagement that we were to witness.”
“I became interested in an international consortium of schools called The Round Square and, by chance, there was a service trip to the DR that coordinated perfectly with Winterim,” said David in recollection of LA’s first foray to the DR. “Then,
18 I FALL 2014
“We arrived in Cabarete and, at the gala, we met Jay Dunn for the first time,” the couple said. “His presence, likewise, was modest and straightforward, but the intensity of his impact on the course of
events over time through LA Winterims, through David, and through [The Mariposa Foundation’s founder and executive director] Tricia Suriel soon became clear. We left in awe of their good work, their legacy, and the promising prospects ahead.”
“David Smith provided an introduction to the roots of LA’s involvement with Mariposa, but his description was so humble, concise, and self-effacing that we were unprepared for the display of strength and engagement that we were to witness.” Dan Scheibe and Annie Montesano
The LA legacy in the DR continues to evolve. In March 2014, a second DR Winterim service program was added to the popular Mariposa session, this one called From the Ground Up: Transforming a Mountain Village in the DR. “Knowing of our involvement in the DR, an educational trip organization called
