NRHEG students travel to Costa Rica
ONE OF MANY — NRHEG student Samantha Pettey in front of one of many waterfalls to be found in Costa Rica. (Submitted photo)
Memories of a lifetime were made for NRHEG students who traveled to Costa Rica. There were six adults and 42 students who traveled to the beautiful country located in Central America between Nicaragua and Panama. It is home to many different plants and animals and is known for its variety of ecosystems.
The group spent nine days touring various parts of the country. Each day was packed with activities that provided adventure, education and personal growth. During every moment of the trip students were surrounded by the energy and cultural richness of Costa Rica.
The adventure started in the central valley region of Costa Rica where the capital, San Jose, is located and continued into the Alajuela province known for its lush vegetation and cloud forest and finally ended with a stop in the tropical province of Puntarenas. The group visited an elementary school, a coffee plantation, INBIOparque, Poas Volcano, the cloud forest of Monteverde as well as Arenal Volcano and Manuel Antonio National park. In addition they were able to swim in the hot springs, La Fortuna waterfall, and the Pacific Ocean. They also enjoyed kayaking, horseback riding, ziplining in the rain forest, playing soccer on the beach with some locals and the school children, a river boat tour to see crocodiles, and shopping in the local villages and towns. On the last day they enjoyed a cultural folklore evening that took place high on a mountain ridge overlooking the lights of San Jose. The evening was full of dancing, good food, and great conversation.
The group was able to see a variety of lizards and iguanas, macaws, toucans, howler monkeys, capuchin monkeys, coati mundi, sloths, crocodiles, tarantulas and a variety of other birds, snakes, spiders and frogs. The students were engaged in a real-world experience where they gained knowledge of the country’s biodiversity, animals, plants, history, economics and politics. The chaperones along on the trip are certain the experience and knowledge gained from this trip will benefit the students for the rest of lives.
Student comments about the trip:
“We had the chance to do potentially once in a lifetime things such as visit an active volcano and go on a crocodile tour.” (Sam Prigge -10th grade)
“I loved getting the chance to interact with people of a different culture.” (Rachel Collins – 10th grade)
“Costa Rica was one of the most exciting and educational trips I’ve been fortunate to go on. I learned so many different things about the various wildlife and vegetation.” (Anna Bailey – 11th grade)
“I feel very blessed to have had the experience to travel to Costa Rica and to learn all about their culture and lifestyle.” (Kaylee Hanson – 12th grade)
“The scenery was breath-taking and I loved every tour we went on. One of my favorite parts of the trip was the short time we got to spend with the school children.” (Jennifer McKay – 10th grade)
“We saw a whole different life style and it was neat that we actually got to experience it for 9 days.” (Frank Altrichter -12th grade)
“I loved planting the trees to help expand the biological corridor that would prevent animals from dying as they moved from one forest to another.” (Whittney McCamish -11th grade)
“I felt as if I was on an adventure every day.” (Nicole Wallin – 12th grade)
“We learned so much about the culture, their major exports, favorite foods, dress and ecosystems.” (Cordell Peterson – 11th grade)
“This trip has really sparked my interest of this language and makes me want to be able to speak fluently.” (Lizzy Hagen – 11th grade)
“It wasn’t just a vacation, it was all about how the journey of their history and way of life.” (Jorey Fischer – 11th grade)