Gilbert students experience Costa Rica

Fourteen students from The Gilbert School enjoyed supreme weather, extreme sports and intense language courses during a trip to Costa Rica last month.Between zip-lining, surfing, kayaking, horseback riding, hiking and swimming in waterfalls, the students participated in numerous community and educational activities throughout their 10-day excursion to four different Costa Rican communities, including Tamarindo, a beach community bordering active volcanoes and jungle terrain.A number of the students who participated in the trip spoke after class Tuesday afternoon, calling the trip an experience they will remember for the rest of their lives.“For me, it was my first time out of the country,” said Brock Flieger, who teachers said showed his leadership skills during the trip. “We drove for hours, through pineapple fields and rainforests. The land is so different. And we took special-interest classes on famous people of Costa Rica.”Students immersed themselves in the Spanish language during classes, but rounded out each day with a variety of exciting activities. Exotic birds, lizards and monkeys were always in view, and there were opportunities to prepare local foods and learn a few salsa and meringue dance moves.Students said they were struck by the poverty among local children, and the Gilbert group donated a dozen soccer balls to one school, where they were able to develop their language fluency with sixth-graders. The students also participated in a beach cleanup and some are working to raise money to buy a slide for their new Costa Rican friends.Students also saw the tourism side of Costa Rica and noticed that the country is growing quickly. “I was surprised,” said Ethan Parsons. “I was expecting it to be really underdeveloped, but it’s rapidly developing.” Briana Brady said she was also surprised by how quickly she was able begin speaking more fluently. “It kind of made me realize how much I would like to spend a summer abroad,” she said. Students on previous Gilbert trips to South America have gone on to travel internationally and even join the Peace Corps.Gilbert teachers Wendy Sultaire, Cynthia Geiger and Don Goetz said students on this trip got along extremely well and were fine representatives of their country and community. Another excursion will be planned in the next two or three years.

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