Twelve years ago, in Trace Stone’s Spanish class, an idea was formed that would bring opportunities to Seeley-Swan High School (SSHS) students for years to come. This idea became Destinations for Education (D4E), an international travel group for SSHS students. It provides the opportunity to become immersed in foreign cultures, languages, and community service.
In 2009, Trace Stone took students on the first D4E international trip to Ecuador, where students participated in homestays with local families. Since then, Stone has taken students to Guatemala, Panama, and Costa Rica. In 2014, the group traveled to the small, coffee-farming town of Orosi, Costa Rica. The students participated in extensive Spanish classes, stayed with host families, and helped build a playground for the local school as a service project. The group connected so well with the community and hosts that Stone decided to return in 2016, 2018 and planned to return in 2020. In what would have been the ten-year anniversary of D4E, the group planned to go back, but the trip was unfortunately canceled due to the pandemic. This year, a new group of students has been fundraising and preparing to travel once again to Orosi. The current D4E group consists of nine SSHS students: Kyla Conley, Cora Stone, Ben Haley, Klayton Kovatch, Hattie Batchelder, Cadence Mauldin, Conner Chadwick, James Hayhurst and Wesley Stevenson. They will be accompanied by supervisors Bridget Laird, along with Stone. They will depart March 30 and spend two days in Manuel Antonio National Park before traveling back to Orosi to stay with local families, take Spanish classes, and work on a service project to benefit the local community.
“We really want to thank the D4E parents and families, SSHS, local businesses, and communities for all the generous support and well-wishes,” says Laird.
The Lodges on Seeley Lake will host a Valentine's evening “Thank You” event with complimentary light Latin fare and a dessert auction starting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 14. Everyone is welcome to attend. Student travelers will be serving food and visiting with the public about the upcoming trip.
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