Convent & Stuart Hall sophomores attended one of their final travel meetings on Tuesday night before flying to San Jose, Costa Rica on Jan. 18 for a week of ziplining, horseback riding and snorkeling. 

Students were separated into 12 pod groups to prepare for the flights next week. 

“The pod groups are meant to provide the adults a smaller number of students to take roll for and to make sure are where they need to be,” Grade Chair Devin DeMartini Cooke said. “The groups help us organize and get to where we need to be in a timely way.”

The pod organization is not meant to separate groups from other students but to make the travel journey as smooth as possible, especially since the anticipation of the trip can be distracting, according to DeMartini Cooke. 

“I’m looking forward to experiencing new activities,” Takouhi Asdorian said. “I am most excited for snorkeling.” 

Each pod leader collected their students’ passports and responded to any travel questions as the students enter the final week of preparation for the trip. 

“We make sure that all the passports are present at the airport and that students don’t need to remember them when they were in the excitement of getting packed and ready and at the airport on time, ” DeMartini Cooke said. 

Aside from the action activities that include river rafting, sophomores will have time to socialize with their classmates playing card games and billiards, listen to live music by local artists, and lounge at the hotel pool. 

“I’m excited to make new friends and grow as a person,” Kelly Cronan said. 

Family and friends can follow the sophomores’ Costa Rica adventures through daily blog posts by faculty at sacredsf.org. 

“The students always come back a little bit different, a little more grown-up, a little bit closer and ready for what the next few years of high school brings,” DeMartini Cooke said.