SHS Grad Henry McKain Visits Ghana

During his January break from college, Henry McKain, a 2017 Scituate High School graduate, took an eye-opening trip to Ghana, a small country on the West coast of Africa. As a freshman attending Wheaton College in Norton, MA, McKain said he “wanted to get involved right off the bat,” so when he received an email in early September from the president of the college, Dennis Hanno, about the opportunity to go to Ghana, he was immediately interested.

The twelve-day trip gave McKain the opportunity to teach entrepreneurship to students. The program is run by President Hanno, and it strives to create innovative solutions for economic problems in the area. McKain taught at Tadisco, a semi-private high school located thirty minutes away from the church where he stayed.

According to McKain, students from eleven different co-ed high schools in Ghana were eager to learn. McKain loved their enthusiasm, commenting, “The students were all amazing–it was such a cool experience to teach something and see the students get so excited–even more amazing was that the students ranged from 14-20.” McKain explain that although there was a language barrier it “did not inhibit or distract from the learning.” He said most of the miscommunication was caused by the “American slang” because the students were not familiar with it.  

McKain was fascinated by the stark similarities and differences of the culture in Ghana compared to America. One difference, according to McKain, is “the better schools are public and the weaker schools are private.” McKain said students don’t drive to school–most either walk or take the bus. The people in Ghana look up to American fashion and even name different haircuts after American celebrities.

During the program, pairs of Wheaton students were sent off to different local schools. McKain and his partner took a taxi ride to their school every day. When asked about a typical day, he said, “We taught from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m., then an hour lunch break, then taught from 12:30 to 3:00 p.m.” McKain said lunch was different than American cafeteria fare, as they drank out of canteens and sat under a hay roof.  A typical lunch was “whole small chicken, spicy rice and beans, and a bottle of soda.” McKain appreciated the differences in culture, saying he saw “people carrying piles of fish on their heads, and the smell–oh the smell.” McKain said the area was “bustling with action and myriad colors.” “The clothing style in Ghana is fantastic–it is very vibrant and jolly, much different from our style,” he said.

McKain was so impressed with the culture, he may have been overly enthusiastic about capturing images with his iPhone: “As Americans in a new environment, pictures were taken, maybe too much. I realized this only because a lady reported our group to the immigration officer for the region and he threatened to take all of our phones.”

As a parting gift, each Wheaton student was given a school uniform with the school crest in varying colors. Each color represented the school where they taught; McKain’s was green and gold. The uniforms were also professionally tailored to fit each student.

McKain said the experience in Ghana gave him a new perspective. He learned that “although the majority of the people we met had very little, they were still willing to give what little they had.” According to McKain, the people of Ghana are very proud of their country.  

SHS sophomore Lucy McKain, Henry McKain’s younger sister, said her brother inspires her to participate in service trips in the future, but she said, “Maybe not to Ghana.”

While attending SHS, Henry McKain was involved in Model United Nations and even went on two service trips to Mexico. Heather Willinger, a faculty advisor for Model UN, believes Model UN promotes “being involved in talking to different nations,” which helped McKain “navigate other cultures.” Willinger taught McKain in AP Government and Politics, and she was “not surprised that he is doing good work and putting himself out there.”

McKain described the overall experience as “so rewarding.”  He was impressed with the ideas the students came up with for the business competition that was sponsored by Wheaton College. He said the students were split into four groups, and each group created their own product designed to solve a problem in their community. One group crafted a pair of sandals out of car tires and beads made from seeds. Another group created a prototype for trash bags made out of trash and recycled plastic. Another group created a board game similar to “Sorry,” which was made from fabric and wood. The final group made book covers out of beads and rope from a plant. McKain said, “All the ideas were extremely inventive; however, as a class, we decided to have the group that made the sandals to represent us at the business competition.”

Although McKain enjoyed his time in Ghana, if he ever returns to Africa, he said he would “probably choose to visit Tanzania or a country on the East Coast.” Offering advice to students who would like to visit the region, McKain promoted bug spray. He said students should be prepared for bugs “because they’re everywhere.”