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Westbury students describe STEM, service and cultural learning from trips to the Dominican Republic and Japan
Summary
Students who traveled with Westbury UFSD to the Dominican Republic and Japan told the school board about service projects, sustainability work and STEM visits (including JAXA and assistive technology). Board members praised the trips and said voter‑approved budget dollars support future international programming.
Board members on May 12 recognized scholars who traveled abroad this spring and heard students describe service learning, STEM visits and cultural immersion that district leaders said were enabled by voter‑backed budget support.
Superintendent Dr. Tahira Duprich Chase introduced the scholars and encouraged them to share their experiences. "We take our international global studies in our school district very seriously," Dr. Chase said, and asked students to explain what they learned.
Bastian, speaking for the Dominican Republic group, thanked administrators and the board and summarized hands‑on, service‑oriented activities with the Inspire DR program. "We're so excited to share a glimpse of what we learned, experienced and what we took away from this journey," he said, describing sustainability projects using recycled materials and STEM activities such as water‑rocket engineering.
Students who traveled to Japan highlighted the trip's STEM focus: visits to the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), an earthquake‑prevention center, Cyberdine studios that demo assistive robotics and a bullet‑train ride. "We were able to stand in the mission control room," one student said, noting the visit connected them to global science and expanded career thinking. Several students described how the experience informed their IB coursework and extended‑essay topics.
Board members repeatedly thanked chaperones and program staff. A trustee noted that the community "supported the budget overwhelmingly knowing that these trips were being funded," and the board said international experiences are included in the district budget so more scholars can participate.
Administrators said the trips also tie to the district's International Baccalaureate work: staff praised students for representing the district abroad and for applying their travel experiences to classroom projects. Students and leaders said the district will post video highlights and photos to district social media and the website so the broader community can view the scholars' presentations.
The board did not take action on programming during the meeting; members framed the presentations as recognition and reaffirmed support for continuing international and IB opportunities funded in the district budget.
