This week, volunteers landed in the Dominican Republic to kick off the 2011 Memory Mission, a collaboration among NAESP, Lifetouch, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, and the American Association of School Administrators.

After months of preparations—from fundraising to brushing up on Spanish to collecting children’s books and extra supplies to bring along—these 46 educators and Lifetouch employees will now begin building a school in the village of Costanza.

“Leading through service is the best example we can give our students,” said Mark Terry, principal of Eubanks Intermediate School in Southlake, Texas, who enlisted his school community to donate toothbrushes and clothes for students in Costanza.

To bring the Memory Mission home to communities here in the US, Terry and the other volunteers will be reporting on their journey via live video feed. Tune in to the Memory Mission website from Thursday, Dec. 1 through Monday, Dec. 5 for the team’s latest video updates.

Click here for the complete live feed schedule and for the 2011 volunteer roster.