FOA Student’s Research Project Comes to Life

 Africa and Asia were the two continents that the Lower Elementry program focused on during their cultural and historical studies last year. For the final project of the year, Lower Elementary students were asked to pick one African or Asian country to research, create a visual to share, and finally present to the other students. FOA student, Alex McCall, knew his family had planned a trip for early August to go to Kenya to witness the Great Migration in hopes of seeing hundreds of thousands of wildebeest cross the Mara River. Knowing about his trip at the end of the summer, naturally, Alex picked Kenya for his project.

The project was the perfect way for Alex to learn about the country he would be visiting. He learned some phrases and important words in Swahili. He learned about the geography and different animals that call Kenya home. He also learned about the current president, Uhuru Kenyatta, who is the son of a former president of Kenya and well-liked by his countrymen.

Imagine the McCalls surprise when they met President Kenyatta while waiting for their flight at a tiny airport near Mt. Kenya! Alex recognized President Kenyatta from his project research and was able to greet him by name as he approached. The president was quite taken with this young American boy bursting with excitement at the prospect of meeting him. He stopped and shook hands with Alex and his sister, Maddie. President Kenyatta proceeded to ask them questions about their visit to Kenya, the animals they had seen, and about their favorite part of their trip so far.


Upon returning to the US, Maddie and Alex shared photos, souvenirs, and even African candy with their classmates allowing them to share in their amazing experience.