On June 4, 2024, 32 East students left for an 11-day trip to Costa Rica under the guidance of social studies teacher and instructional support coach Tracie Truax, world language department chair and Spanish teacher Meghan Mitchell, instructional support coach and English teacher Jacob Stewart, Assistant Principal of Instructional Programs Matthew Jeffrey and various parent chaperones.
The trip was hosted through the tour company Explorica and consisted of visits to many spots around the country, including San José, Arenal, Sarapiqui, Puerto Viejo and Manuel Antonio.
Throughout the trip, students and chaperones participated in various activities including a coffee plantation visit, a hot springs swim, a pineapple tasting experience, a yoga class, river kayaking, a bat tour, an Indigenous reserve and chocolate making tour, a sloth rescue center, a Caribbean cooking class, national parks, beach visits, a Caribbean dance class, sightseeing tours, a zipline tour and a butterfly canopy. Students also had ample time to explore whatever area they were in, such as souvenir shopping or watching the sunrise.
When asked about the planning for the trip, Mitchell and Truax revealed that they had been wanting to do this trip since COVID. Though they both had experience with student travel before, this was the first trip they had done together. They wanted a trip that would encompass both of their content areas, being a Spanish-speaking country with strong cultural immersion. After looking at various destinations, they decided on Costa Rica.
While Truax and Mitchell had activities they personally enjoyed the best, they said that watching students immerse themselves in the culture was their favorite part. Mitchell especially enjoyed watching students apply their Spanish skills in various situations, from talking to guides at plantations to bargaining with vendors.
When asked about their highlights from the trip, students talked about the good and the bad. “I think my highlight was the hotel in Arenal,” said senior Natalia Gagala. “All the bugs in there and everybody just screaming in the house… it was kinda gross, but it was definitely a highlight.”
“Learning about another culture was really cool,” said senior Alex Celeste-Wade. “I got to talk a lot with the locals. Like the lady in the coffee plantation, I got to have a whole conversation with her about how much I liked her tattoos and hair […] all in Spanish.”
However, something all students could agree on was the benefit of gaining new friends throughout the trip. From eating meals together to bonding when the hotel’s power went out, there were many opportunities for students to form connections throughout the trip.
When asked about the benefits of student travel, Truax talked about the personal growth one can go through with travel. “I think travel changes a person,” said Truax. “When you experience another culture, you just don’t come back the same. It does make you think differently and expand your worldview in such a way that makes you more compassionate and empathetic, more willing to try new things and take risks, […] and I think you carry that with you for the rest of your life.”
Mitchell highlighted the benefit of making connections back to what students learn in class. “Whether it was [geography] or a language class, seeing it in real life with your own eyes and making that connection of, ‘Oh, I know this now!’ I like that part.”
Both emphasized how student travel used to be a central part of St. Charles East’s culture, but it was unfortunately halted by COVID. They hope that with this experience, they can slowly build that culture back so students can have more options to see the world around them.
