Middle-Schoolers Prepare For Journey To Africa

Ten Richland One middle-school students will have a lot to tell their classmates about when they return to school in August.

The seventh-graders will embark on the journey of a lifetime, when they depart Columbia on Thursday, June 1 for Ghana, West Africa. The students were selected to participate in the Richland One Student Experience to Africa (ROSETA) program as ambassadors from their respective schools. This year’s theme is "Going Places with Smiling Faces."

Leading up to the trip, the students, parents and advisors from the seven participating middle schools have engaged in studies through which they researched and explored the cultures of Ghana and South Carolina throughout the school year. For the ten students and their chaperones, these lessons will culminate in a 12-day tour of Ghana during which the ROSETA group will visit schools and sites of historical and cultural significance.

This year’s ROSETA group includes: Bria Kitt and Rachel Richardson of Crayton Middle School; McKinzie Mikell of Gibbes; Cara Davis of Hand; Gabriel Cade and Khira McKenney of W.A. Perry; Camara Sharperson and Brandolyn Mack of St. Andrews; Mya Praileau of W.G. Sanders; and Karthiga Jordan of Southeast Middle School.

The group will return to Columbia on June 14.