Saline Students Experience Costa Rica

Costa Rica, Saline Area Schools, Saline High School

Whether on a tour of a pineapple plantation or sitting down for a conversation with their host family, a group of AP Spanish students from Saline High School (SHS) thoroughly enjoyed their recent trip to Costa Rica, where they mixed fun with learning.

The visit to this Central American country was a school trip with 24 students going along with their chaperones, including their Spanish teachers. A recap of the trip was given at the March 11 Saline school board meeting. SHS Spanish Teacher Astrid Leese went before the board along with Saline senior Ethan Hornberger and junior Lizzie White.

Leese said the trip was a great one for the group, in which they learned a lot by immersing them in the culture. She said one reason they were there in front of the board was to thank them and the school district for making the trip happen.

Each day of the trip was spent visiting a unique place, such as a school, coffee plantation and market. The students stayed with different host families as well. Wherever they went they used their language education from SHS.

Hornberger said the visit to the school was a good one because they were speaking with younger students at a similar level. Another part of that day was spent in the city, where he said they visited different places such as a gardening store, where they purchased plants to take to the school.

One day White noted was when they zip lining over Volcán Arenal and a visit to Baldi Hotsprings. Because this day had them traveling by bus, she said this gave them a chance to see different parts of Costa Rica and life there.

The home stays were huge part of the trip, White said. From the language, food and everyday interactions, she said it was really helpful in experiencing the real life of Costa Ricans. Hornberger said seeing home life gave them some insight they could not get from a book or computer.

Both students said the trip was truly a mix of fun and learning. They described it as a first-hand cultural experience.

“This was an experience like no other,” White said.