RHMS students gain appreciation for culture of Costa Rica
Rocky Heights Middle School seventh and eighth grade students who traveled to Costa Rica made new friends and learned a great deal about the culture. The seventh and eighth grade students had the opportunity to aid in the protection and conservation of the area by planting a tree.
By Amy Shanahan, photo courtesy of Kay Kaul
Rocky Heights Middle School (RHMS) students had a wonderful opportunity to travel to Costa Rica this past June, where they immersed themselves into this amazing culture.
Fifteen students, along with seven chaperones and two RHMS staff members utilized their Spanish speaking skills and participated in several memorable experiences. The group brought much needed school supplies to a small village of only 35 families, located in the Monteverde region near Santa Elena. The kids even attempted to adopt and bring home a stray dog named Tico that they found in the village.
The local school has only one employee who serves as the principal, teacher of grades K-6,
janitor, grounds-keeper, counselor, cook and much more. Eighth grade student Sam Martin was inspired by his visit to the school: “I was surprised that there were only about 10 kids at the school. The ages were varied and they were all in one classroom. I was also surprised they had a computer,” said Martin.
The students learned about biodiversity in the Costa Rican rain forest. They worked with the Santa Elena Wildlife Reserve and planted a tree as part of the 765 acre-reforestation project in conjunction with the Santa Elena High School.
The trip to Costa Rica is an annual event sponsored by RHMS, and next June will be the fifth year that the school has offered this opportunity to seventh and eighth grade students.
