Groveland Twp.- Joe Haase has been doing some unique homework.
The fifth-grader at Brandon Fletcher Intermediate School recently was assigned to learn how to wash clothes by hand in a tub. He has also been learning about how bushfires create more carbon dioxide.
The homework is part of Haase’s preparation for a 19-day trip to Australia as a People-to-People student ambassador. People-to-People was begun in the 1950s by President Eisenhower.
‘It’s an organization trying to make world peace by sending kids to other countries so we can make friends and prevent war,? says Haase, 10, who is also studying the effects of global warming as a current events project in the program.
Last fall, an unknown person nominated Haase for the program. He was interviewed by representatives from People-to-People and was one of 40 students selected to be an ambassador from Oakland and Livingston counties.
‘I’m kind of nervous and excited,? he says.
Haase will leave June 23 and fly an estimated 16-20 hours to the land down under. During the trip, he will visit New South Wales, Queensland and Melbourne, and will be busy making friends. His itinerary includes going to a research station that studies penguins; snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef; and going to the Outback to spend time with Aborigines. He also plans to pet animals and will be able to hold a koala.
The student ambassadors will stay in hotels and also with host families and will be accompanied by four chaperones/teachers and two Australians- a driver and a main escort.
Bottles and cans are being collected to help Haase raise funds for his trip. For more information, call Joe’s parents, Tracy and Bob Haase, at (248) 627-6906.