BCA Press Release

Press Release September 10, 2007

BRADFORD CHRISTIAN ACADEMY ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR SENIOR HIGH MISSION TRIP TO DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

BRADFORD, MA, Sept. 10, 2007 – Bradford Christian Academy (BCA) announced plans to offer a short-term mission trip experience to its senior high school students this upcoming winter, during the February 2008 Winter Break.

The BCA team will travel to the community of Batey Angelina, a small neighborhood located on the northern edge of the city of San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic. The team will be hosted by a local church that operates a student center for the community, and will work in the center with the children.

This student center provides tutoring, vocational training and a small meal to approximately 155 local children each day. Student centers are designed to supplement the marginal public education and provide job skills to help the students find future employment. The children who attend are sponsored by Compassion International, a Christian child sponsorship program based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. During their stay, the BCA team will also help with construction of a school building needed for additional classroom space, which will, in turn, allow for more children to be sponsored there.

The trip will be organized and led by two of BCA’s teachers – Sharon Ziegler, who teaches Spanish, French and Latin, and Margaret Cottrell, who teaches science and Spanish. In addition, Mrs. Cottrell’s husband Mark will work with the team on the trip.

All three have extensive experience in mission work. Mrs. Ziegler participated in a mission trip to the Dominican Republic as a college student at Gordon College. Since that time she has led trips to Washington, D.C., Guatemala, and Honduras conducting training in language acquisition, cultural awareness and team building.

Before teaching at BCA, Margaret Cottrell worked with a Swedish relief and development organization in East Africa providing services to Sudanese, Rwandan, and Somali refugees. Later, after traveling to the Dominican Republic with a local church to help at a clinic, she began working with Bridge Builders, an organization that facilitates short-term service experiences for groups interested in assisting with projects in the Developing World. She has worked with Bridge Builders on projects in Peru, Ecuador, Guatemala, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic and also participated in trips to Haiti and Zimbabwe.

Mark Cottrell has also worked for Bridge Builders, leading more than 100 mission trips to Latin America for youth groups, churches, colleges and universities since 1993. In addition, he set up and facilitated construction projects in Guatemala, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador and has been on assignments in Haiti, Argentina and Columbia.

Students interested in participating and their parents are invited to attend an informational meeting on September 12th at BCA at 3:00. Interested students will need to apply, and space is limited.

About BCA
Bradford Christian Academy is a college preparatory middle- and high-school institution, dedicated to academic excellence and the integration of faith and learning. Located in Bradford, Massachusetts, the school is currently accepting applications for grades 6-12. It serves communities on the North Shore, Merrimack Valley, and southeastern New Hampshire and is conveniently located at the junction of Route 133 / I-495 / Route 125 and Route 97. For additional information about the school and its programs, families can call 978-373-7900 or visit the website, www.bradfordchristianacademy.org.