This is Professor Cadwalader hijacking the student blog.

Today (Monday 19 January 2026) was the first workday of week two, and the morning came early for the climbers recovering from conquering Volcán Acatenango.  It will be a short but busy week.  On Friday, the team travels to the La Iguana Perdida hostel on the banks of Lake Atitlán for some well-deserved “R&R.” 

Normally, each of the three teams works at one of the three primary worksites – (1) Jardin de Amor in Santa Maria de Jesus; (2) Asociación Creando Oportunidades in San Antonio; and, (3) CANI Guatemala in Jocotenango.  (The hyperlinks provide more information about each of these organizations and the work they do providing opportunities for Guatemalan children.)  However, the San Antonio location was closed today, so two groups were assigned to CANI Guatemala.  The third group worked at Jardin de Amor.  The work at CANI included preparing and laying pavers for a driveway that will expand the school grounds and provide a safer drop-off area for students.  The pavers have been reclaimed from a nearby road improvement project, so part of the cadets’ job is to ensure each used paver is scraped clean of old aggregate, intact, and suitable for use.  It is physically demanding and technical work, and the cadets have been doing an excellent job.  In Santa Maria, the team tirelessly mixed concrete by hand at high altitude.  The concrete is being used for an expansion project that will enable the school to educate an additional 100 Mayan children from the local community.  Mass Maritime can be very proud of these cadets.  They have maintained their positive attitude and sense of humor while doing meaningful but exhausting work.  Their teamwork, commitment to service, and support for one another are exceptional.

After the afternoon’s Spanish class, the team met on the roof of the hostel to celebrate the 81st birthday of one of the most dedicated and impressive supporters of our program, Richard “Smitty” Smith.  Smitty is a Marine Vietnam combat veteran, a former Philadelphia police officer, and a retired DEA agent.  He and CAPT Lennon are former professional colleagues, and Smitty has extensive experience in Central and South America.  He has volunteered to work with MMA cadets in Guatemala for the past several years and continues to lead from the front with his inexhaustible work ethic and boundless enthusiasm.  We are lucky to have him on the team. ¡Feliz cumpleaños Smitty!  

Hasta mañana and Go Bucs!

The Santa Maria team.

Smitty and the Jocotenango team riding the bus to the worksite.

Mr. Madison prepping pavers.

Mr. Krise and Mr. Roth laying pavers.

Smitty’s 81st.