For over a decade, Packer has partnered with Ndonyo Wasin, a residential primary school for children from the nomadic Samburu people of northeastern Kenya. An annual summertime exchange allows Packer faculty to travel to east Africa to collaborate with Ndonyo Wasin’s teachers and students.

In November, Packer hosted the Samburu leader, Chief George Lemerketo, for a discussion about the goals of the partnership, the students’ progress, and the ongoing relationship between the two schools. Chief George encouraged the Packer community to continue to stay involved with the primary school: “Come and make the project continue by supporting it.”

Students also welcomed Chief George to a Lower School Assembly where they sang the Ndonyo Wasin song Papalai Ntoipoyeki and posed questions about life at the school in Kenya: “What is your role in the Samburu community in Kenya? How did you decide that education is one of the most important things children need in northern Kenya?”

“It was truly delightful to have Chief George visit to celebrate our longstanding relationship with the Ndonyo Wasin School,” said Preschool and Lower School Division Head Bill McCarthy. “We were able to share the wonderful work that takes place in the division and individual classes in regard to our partnership with the Ndonyo Wasin School and the Samburu people.”

This fall, Fourth Grade Teacher Tim Jensen extended his work in Kenya through a classroom math exchange. Connecting via Skype and Facetime, students at both schools simultaneously opened an envelope and solved the math challenge inside. He reflected on the success of the endeavor: “The 7,500 miles between us collapsed.”