![Cape Cod is a popular tourist destination for Massachusetts residents and enjoy the scenery that the coastal area has to offer. Unfortunately, Cape Cod is being faced with consequences of climate change such as rising sea levels, erosion and a loss of biodiversity. “[My family and I] have been going there since 1984, so we really watched the Cape shrink every year,” lifelong Cape Cod visitor Mary Hicks said.](https://waylandstudentpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Screenshot-2025-03-13-at-1.35.03 PM.png)
![After the Raider's first goal of the game, scored by senior captain Luke Galizio, the players pile onto the glass by the student section to celebrate, igniting the crowd into a roar. "The atmosphere was incredible, having two towns that both come to support us is amazing," Galizio said. "When [the crowd] started chanting 'Raider nation' it made [the game] feel like it wasn't just one team against another, we had a whole building of fans supporting us."](https://waylandstudentpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/06FBB04E-4C03-408A-B554-FE6C06CE8C08_1_105_c.jpeg)
Departing on Feb. 11 and returning on Feb. 23, Wayland Middle School (WMS) teachers Kelly Naughton, Brian Reddington and Daniel Fernandez-Davila ventured to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. In May of 2023, Fernandez-Davila had made it a personal goal to hike the mountain in Tanzania, Africa. Over the course of a year, he gathered 15 of his family and friends to join him on the adventure.
Reaching the summit, which stands at 19,341 feet tall, was no easy feat. Due to the high altitude and low oxygen levels, several hikers fell ill during the ascend. The group hiked with porters, who are individuals who help carry gear and other supplies during the hike.
“We suffered from exhaustion,” Fernandez-Davila said. “Everybody was shaking [and] was like, ‘I don’t feel well’. [We had] headaches, and we just drank a little bit of water but you tested the limit of your body.”
The group of 15 was not alone in their journey. Along with them was a crew of 70 climbers from a professional company in Tanzania , who helped carry medical necessities and other equipment. When they did feel ill, the porters were trained on what to do in those certain situations.
“The company that we went with, I talked to the owner, and they hire their own porters,” Fernandez-Davila said. “They treat them well, and they weigh everything so nobody can carry more than 20 kilograms.”
After eight and a half hours of continuous hiking, reaching the summit brought about emotions from the climbers.
“We were emotional, to say the least,” Naughton said. “There was a fair amount of hugging, there were also other groups up there trying to get their photos at the summit, so it was kind of hectic.”
The trip was not just about reaching the summit, but a mission to help a community near the mountain. This is not Fernandez-Davila’s first trip across seas to help the less fortunate – almost every year he travels to Peru with a group of high school students to assist some schools and communities there.
“We were buying projectors, things that they needed, so that we would have time to meet up with these local schools,” Reddington said. “From all of the work he’s done in Peru, I knew that [helping the community] would be another part of this climb, that we weren’t just going to hike Mount Kilimanjaro, but there would be some outreach program to the community around it because that’s kind of the way he builds all his trips.”
For the kids at the Naluti Primary School, located on the outskirts of the national park in Tanzania, getting something as simple as a soccer ball was very appreciated. The group brought projectors and other school supplies that could enrich the kids’ education.
“When they got soccer balls, I thought they were gonna lose their minds,” Reddington said. “The fact that each one of them got their own soccer ball, they were just looking at us like ‘please pump it.’”
The people the hikers met during their journey had an impact on them beyond the trip. Though they are now back in Wayland, they continue to reminisce about the experience.
“We’ve been saying this, but mentally, my heart is still there,” Naughton said. “I’m still thinking about the people that took care of us. I loved coming home to my family, but the kids, and all the people that fed us three meals a day and set up our tents. We were very well taken care of and I’ll never forget that.”
The trip provided another, very practical benefit for the teachers, who can now use their experiences during the trip within their curriculum. Reddington teaches science, while Fernandez-Davila and Naughton teach social studies.
“I always take any advantage I can to bring actual interactions with animals and things that we study into my room,” Reddington said. “I got to go to the Galapagos and I use that in my lessons to teach evolution. Because, I think it’s different when you’re showing them actual animals and things you have witnessed, and you filmed yourself versus a YouTube video.”
After the long hike, the porters and hikers all gathered to sing and dance to a traditional Swahili song. Post-summit songs can be viewed here.
