Outbound to Panama

The RITE (Rotary Intercountry Teacher Exchange) program was started in our District by Ralph and Armida Hight in 1996. It began as a joint project of the Rotary Clubs of West Wichita and West Sedgwick County–Sunrise and has grown to involve additional clubs in our District. In 2010, Dalia Hale (WSC-Sunrise Rotarian) and Shelli  Kadel (former WW Rotarian) took on the responsibility of organizing this program. The Inbound portion of the project includes receiving teachers from Panama and Argentina for 4 weeks mid-January to mid-February and involves lining up host families, planning activities and school schedules. The Outbound portion involves selecting and sending teachers from the Wichita area to Panama for 4 weeks during their summer break.

Today, our Outbound teachers will share about their experience in Panama this summer.

Katie Brinkman is a Spanish teacher at Wichita Southeast HS. She began her teaching career at Wichita Southeast HS in 2018.

Leury Balcacer is a New York City native who moved to Wichita with her family in 2017. Her teaching experience began in a Global Learning Institute for Girls Charter School in the Bronx from 2011- 2017.  Her current time in Wichita includes 2020-2024 at Horace Mann as a First-Grade teacher at Horace Mann Dual Magnet K-8 School. She spent three years from 2017- 2020 at Child Start Head Start in Wichita.  

Katie and Leury both served teachers of English in a seminar setting for a two-week training and an additional two weeks with teachers in the schools.  They were supported and hosted by the Club Rotario de David, in David, Chiriquí, Panama.

Angela Taylor began her teaching career in 2014 as PK teacher in the Wichita Public Schools. She moved to the Wichita Diocese in 2015 as a Kindergarten teacher. Currently, she is a middle school Spanish teacher at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School. Angela traveled to the Boquete area to serve teachers in a seminar setting and was hosted by the Rotary Club of Boquete- Sunset. Due to a prior commitment, Angela is not able to join us today.