The Costa Rica Adventure

For pictures go to

www.hilltopprep.org/photos

Hill Top Preparatory School Students Travel to  Costa Rica

 Radnor, PA, March 2008 – Hill Top Prep students recently traveled to Costa Rica for an international learning adventure.  “It’s important for students to learn about other cultures and what better way to do it than take them there,” said Mr. David Van Dyke, Co-Coordinator of the trip.  Since the beginning of the school year, students prepared for the seven day educational adventure meeting twice weekly to research the geography, ecology, history and political climate of the country.  “We went in knowing a lot about Costa Rica and it really helped.  We even learned some basic language, but they spoke too fast for me to understand,” said Sophomore A.J. Kiec. 

As a part of the trip, Co-Coordinator Mrs. Marion Kassab thought the group should give back in some way and do something for the poverty stricken country.  “We are lucky enough to live in a country where so much is provided for us.  I think these kids need to know how important it is to give back when you can,” she said.  Through their liaison in Costa Rica, Hill Top Prep students were scheduled to visit one of the government sponsored (PANI) orphanages in San Jose.  To prepare for their visit, students spent months raising money through various means to bring the orphans something special.  “We couldn’t wait to show them the t-shirts, toys, candy, stuffed animals and all the other stuff we purchased with the money we raised.  You should have seen the orphans’ faces, they were all so happy,” said Senior Aryeh Halevy.  The group spent most of the first day at the orphanage making new friends and seeing the result of all the fund raising they had done.  Then came the bittersweet moment when they had to leave as there was much more to experience on their week long journey.

Costa Rica boasts some of the most beautiful scenery and an amazing array of wildlife.  The students were amazed at all the sights and sounds as they traveled the countryside.  “There were iguanas everywhere during one of our hikes.  To Costa Ricans, iguanas are like squirrels, you see them all over our area but you don’t think twice about it," said Junior Corey Adams, he continued, “You could hear the birds and monkeys, it was almost deafening at times, but you got used to it.”  While some might call the trip an educational vacation, students were encouraged to push themselves and try new things.  From “flying” through the canopy on a zip line to paddling down remote jungle rivers, everyone tried something new and had a story to tell when they returned home.  Once back at school, students created power point presentations where they shared what they learned, prior to and during the trip, answered questions from the crowd and treated us all to some authentic Costa Rican cuisine.