Rotary Inter-country Teacher Exchange (RITE) Program
Rotary District 5680 has participated in the RITE Program since January 1996 through the support of the West and Sunrise Clubs. The Program consists of an Inbound Program (Jan-Feb and an Outbound Program (Jun-Jul).
The Inbound Program allows teachers of English from Panama and Argentina to come to the Wichita area for a four-week immersion experience, which helps participating teachers improve their English skills while interacting in native English home and school environments. The benefit to the teachers in both participating countries has been related to the RITE Committee through their personal reports calling their time as a RITE Teacher an outstanding educational experience.
The Outbound Program allows travel opportunities to three outbound teachers per year from the Wichita area to the Republic of Panama for a four-week program, where they share their teaching talents and skills with Panamanian teachers through school visits, materials, resources and a two-week seminar. These teachers are supported by several Wichita Rotary Clubs.
We have received 39 teachers from the Republic of Panama and 45 teachers from Argentina for the Inbound Program. The Outbound Program sent 13 teachers to Mexico from Summer 1996 until Summer 2001.
Beginning Summer of 2001 through present, 61 teachers have been sent to Panama. COVID put the program on hiatus during summer of 2020, 2021 and 2022. We hope to return Summer 2023.
Dalia Hale- RITE Coordinator for the Wichita Area
- Member of West Sedgwick County Rotary Club- Sunrise
- Outbound teacher to Panama during summers of 2016 and 2019
- RITE Host since 2009
- Retired USD 259, Wichita Public Schools Educator and Adjunct Instructor at Butler Community College
Committee Members: Armida Hight will share the History as it was started while her late husband, Ralph Hight was District Governor 1997/98. Dalia Hale will share details of the current RITE Program and changes because of COVID. Shelli Kadel will share details about host families and placing teachers with Wichita Area Rotarians
Dorila (Dori) Cascante, David, Chiriquí, Panamá, Represents the Rotary Club of David - Dori is a teacher of English. She currently teaches first graders at a bilingual school. She participated in the 2019 RITE Seminar for Teacher of English in David. She has completed 10 years of teaching.
She appreciates and seeks the opportunities to learn new teaching strategies to use with her students. She wants to improve her fluency and vocabulary through her immersion in English and the US culture.
Dori also wants to learn new and effective teaching techniques to help her students learn English, manage her classroom while improving her teaching methodologies.
She is married and had two children (son is 11 and daughter is 6). This is her first time to travel outside of Panama.