On Saturday, Jan. 25, sophomores returned from their service trip in Costa Rica. The purpose of the one-week long trip was to allow students a restful setting to bond, get to know each other better, and an opportunity to provide service to the local community.
“I was most looking forward to bonding with my classmates and stepping out of my comfort zone,” sophomore Leila Sawicki said. “I heard rumors of the night hike and I was so excited to participate in that activity.”
Upon arriving in San Jose on Jan. 19, the sophomores took a four hour long bus ride to Villas Rio Mar, located in the small town of Dominical. Along the way, they caught sight of a bridge that overlooked a river full of crocodiles and picked up food and smoothies at a rest stop. The next few days consisted of a rotation of three days full of activities like horseback riding, hiking, and white-water rafting. Students also had the option to participate in snorkeling, surfing, and the night hike.
“My favorite part of the trip was the snorkeling trip because we visited this beautiful lagoon and we saw a pod of dolphins swim by us,” sophomore Charlotte Mcginty said. “We also went to an island to snorkel and the teal color of the water was beautiful.”
As part of the rotation of activities, students spent a morning helping out at an elementary school in El Silencio, a small cooperative community near Dominical. Students did a variety of services including painting a mural, digging ditches, and playing with preschool children.
Every morning and night students would gather in an air-conditioned community room to debrief about the day’s plan and participate in community building activities like singing, a talent show, and salsa dancing. Different staff members would take turns sharing inspirational stories about their backgrounds and students could take time for stretching and silence.
“We live our lives already within stories that other people have post expectations on about what it means to be a good student, so we at least take the chance and space to investigate where our stories come from to help us realize that we have some power over our story,” ethics teacher Michael Campos said. “The reason why the kinds of stories that we share talked about decision making was because the fact is that the sophomores are now at that point in their lives where they have to take control of their own stories; to what extent can you become an agent of your own narrative so that you can develop this kind of autonomy for the future that you hope to build for yourself?”
Many of the experiences were new to students, whether it be the adventure-based activities that pushed students out of their comfort zones or the act of travelling to another country without their families. Students were encouraged to face their fears and live up to this year’s theme of discovery.
“Originally I was afraid to horseback ride because I knew I’d feel out of control of the situation and there’s a lot of risk involved,” sophomore Alexandra Herrmann said. “Afterwards, I discovered that I had the ability to face my fears and try new things, even if they were scary.”
The Costa Rica trip was a good opportunity for students to meet new friends and see their friends in a non-professional setting. This annual tradition lived up to its wondrous reputation, according to Sawicki.
“I had so much fun on the night hike, which I had really been looking forward to,” Sawicki said. “It was great to meet new people and connect deeper with those I already knew.”
