James Hayhurst, Ben Haley and Klayton Kovatch making concrete in Costa Rica.
Students Hattie Bathelder, Klayton Kovatch, Kyla Conley, and Cora Stone painting the exterior of the elementary school in Orasi, Costa Rica as part of the Destinations of Education travel program. Photo contributed.
James Hayhurst, Hattie Batchelder, and Klayton Kovatch in their first day of Spanish class in Orosi. Photo contributed.
Ben Haley and Kyla Conley taking notes in their Spanish class in Orosi
Students Cora Stone, James Hayhurst and chaperone Trace Stone Mixing cement for the picnic table area
The group heading out for their jungle hike on the National Park
Students giving goodbye speeches to their host families on their last night in Orosi
On Thursday, March 30th, students and chaperones set off for the airport to begin their adventure to Costa Rica as part of the seventh annual Destinations for Education cohort from Seeley-Swan High School.
Students Kyla Conley, Cora Stone, Klayton Kovatch, Ben Haley, Conner Chadwick, Hattie Batchelder, Wesley Stevenson, and James Hayhurst, along with their two chaperones, Bridget Laird and Trace Stone, who are both teachers at the school traveled from Montana ready for whatever Costa Rica had to offer.
They started their trip in the small beachside town of Manuel Antonio, where they spent two days enjoying the beach, taking surfing lessons, snorkeling in the ocean, and sea kayaking on a guided tour.
Laird explained, "even the first two days at the coast, which seem like fun vacation time, are exposing the kids to foreign travel. They learn to use different currency, public transportation, and practice Spanish when asking directions and ordering food. Each part of these trips is a significant learning experience."
When beach time came to an end, the students had their fair share of basic Spanish and sunburns.
The group hit the road for their main destination of Orosi, a small city located in the mountains surrounded by coffee and banana farms.
The students spent five days in Orosi bonding with their local host families, taking Spanish classes, and completing work on the local elementary school, which was this year's service project.
They painted the school walls, created murals, and planted an orchard of fruit trees.
The students learned to mix and lay concrete to build benches and a picnic table area.
They spent three days at the school, and four days in Spanish classes. In the evenings, the group also got a chance to play soccer against a local team, take a dance class, a cooking class, and spend time with their host families.
On the final day in Orosi, they ventured into a nearby national park where they swam in a river, and hiked through the jungle where they learned about the cloud forest ecosystem of Costa Rica.
The students were sad to leave, but were beyond pleased with the experience they gained.
"It was an amazing opportunity to entirely immerse ourselves in another culture," said Senior Cora Stone.
For many students, the trip left them with a travel bug, excited for what other destinations may be in their future.
"I think this project is the perfect way to begin one's experience with different parts of the world. I'm so glad I was able to be a part of something like this and I extend my gratitude to all who helped donate to our cause," Sophomore Wesley Stevenson said.
Overall, the trip was rewarding, with happy and satisfied chaperones and students.
Chaperone and founder of the program, Trace Stone, was particularly happy with the group, stating that "each trip has been gratifying, but this group of students was particularly impressive; every one of them was curious, positive, hard-working, resilient, and a pleasure to travel with from the first minute to the last. They represented our school admirably and we are very proud of them!"
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