News & Notes
Country Day’s First Trip to Ghana Brings Lasting Memories Over Spring Break, 10 Upper School students, along with faculty trip leaders David Lynn, Tianna Butler, and Peinda Diop, visited peer schools in Accra, Cape Coast, and Kumasi, Ghana, and learned more about the region’s history. By Tianna Butler and David Lynn
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STEPPING OFF THE PLANE into 94-degree heat in the beginning of March was both a welcoming and shocking experience. We knew it was going to be warm in the heart of Ghana, but the thick, hot breeze reminded us that back home in Charlotte our peers were still bundled up in jackets. After numerous hours of travel across land and water, our Country Day crew— composed of 10 students and three adult trip leaders—arrived in Accra, Ghana, for a 10-day experience and learning journey during Spring Break in March. In fact, the Ghana People-to-People Experience began well before we stepped foot on Ghanian soil. The inspiration for one of our first international travel experiences post-COVID was inspired by Emmanuel Omari ’22. Now studying at Queens University of Charlotte, Omari made a tremendous impact at Country Day as a senior exchange student during the 2021-22 academic year.
10 PERSPECTIVES
In September 2022, Samuel Pyne—the current mayor of Kumasi, Ghana—visited Country Day and spoke with a group of Upper School students. After great conversation, the students vowed to visit Mayor Pyne and the second-largest city in Ghana when they ventured to the continent of Africa later in the school year. In preparation for the trip, we organized the group for a traditional Ghanian meal at Country Day hosted by the amazing Chef Awo Amenumey, owner of Eh’vivi Ghanaian Cuisine in Charlotte. The delicious meal consisted of jollof with honey suya chicken, fried yam with egg stew and shito, kelewele, waakye with beef and fish stew, gari, cocoyam chips, sobolobo, and more. The gathering was a time for students and families to partake in the wonderful meal, learn more about Ghana, and hear about the multiple visits students would make along their journey through Accra, Cape Coast, and Kumasi.