O'Neal School Students Visit Costa Rica
On March 12, 2014, thirteen North Carolinians (five adults and eight students) from The O’Neal School got off a plane in the beautiful country of Costa Rica. There in San José began eleven days of the most incomparable field trip of the students’ lives.
“We went to be immersed in the cultural and natural wonders of Costa Rica,” said Mr. David Williamson, the leader and organizer of the trip as well as the students’ science teacher. Education First Tours (EF Tours) set the trip up, and a guide named Mario met the group at the airport. He and a bus driver, Miguel, waited for the other participants; there was one group from Chandler, Arizona, with seventeen students and two teachers, and another from St. Louis, Missouri, with four students and one teacher. Once they arrived, the unforgettable learning experience began.
The trip began with experiencing the natural wonder by touring the various ecosystems and hiking up Volcano Poás. We then experienced the culture through visiting a market and having a traditional Costa Rican meal. “There was a mass abundance of rice and beans,” admitted Charles Bell, a seventh grade O’Neal student. The next day was spent kayaking, enjoying scenic waterfalls, and relaxing in natural hot spring pools. The students enjoyed a day at Monteverde, where a small school performed a traditional dance. The following day was savored by flying on the longest zip line in Latin America, 1 mile long, zip lining through the cloud forest. A day was also spent at a Costa Rican beach in Manual Antonio, a national park with an abundance of monkeys and other wildlife. The other groups left to go home the next day, after an evening learning traditional Costa Rican dance moves and a walk through Carara National Park.
The trip began with experiencing the natural wonder by touring the various ecosystems and hiking up Volcano Poás. We then experienced the culture through visiting a market and having a traditional Costa Rican meal. “There was a mass abundance of rice and beans,” admitted Charles Bell, a seventh grade O’Neal student. The next day was spent kayaking, enjoying scenic waterfalls, and relaxing in natural hot spring pools. The students enjoyed a day at Monteverde, where a small school performed a traditional dance. The following day was savored by flying on the longest zip line in Latin America, 1 mile long, zip lining through the cloud forest. A day was also spent at a Costa Rican beach in Manual Antonio, a national park with an abundance of monkeys and other wildlife. The other groups left to go home the next day, after an evening learning traditional Costa Rican dance moves and a walk through Carara National Park.
The O’Neal School stayed for two more days, one of which they spent at an international school, The Country Day School, shadowing other students and learning what it was like to be a teenager in another country. The final day was spent at La Paz Waterfall Garden. There the students saw and even touched some of the native animals and hiked along Costa Rican waterfalls, close enough to feel the spray of the rushing water. Then they went home to the ordinary lifestyle of North Carolina.
“Since returning to school, cultural discussions we have in Spanish class make more sense because I actually experienced them in Costa Rica,” said Elizabeth Moore, an eighth grade student at O’Neal. It was a true feeling for all the students. Ever since the experience they can relate the trip to school. As well as educational expansion, they have also extended their social horizons. “Before the trip I hardly knew the adults or kids that weren’t in my grade. Now I’ve made friends with everyone on the trip including the parents and teachers,” said Jenna Elliott, an eighth grader on the trip. “I’ve even made friends with the people from Chandler and St. Louis.”
In the end everyone agreed it had been a phenomenal opportunity to learn about Costa Rican culture. They were all glad they went and would do it all over again in a heartbeat. Costa Rica, a mountainous country, had many literal ups and downs, “but it was a great experience and I’m glad I went,” said Zoie Howes, a seventh grade student at O’Neal.
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