On Saturday, February 24, 2007, students
and teachers from the Randolph School left on an eight day
adventure to the wonderful country of Costa Rica. The students
had prepared for the trip throughout the entire year. They
had focused their studies on the history, culture and ecology
of Costa Rica. They participated in Spanish language intensives
with several Randolph School teachers. Even with all of
their preparation, none of the students or teachers was
fully ready for the wonders and magic of the experience.
The genesis of the trip came from our own
Alisa Algava. A former student, teacher and administrator
and current board member, Alisa had visited Rancho Mastatal
herself in the spring of 2006. While there, she was instantly
struck with the valuable and rich possibilities for the
students of Randolph School. Upon her return she met with
school administrators and Upper School teachers to begin
their plans for a trip into the rainforests of Costa Rica.
In February of 2007 these plans became
a reality. The students (including one Randolph School alum)
and teachers landed at San Jose Airport in Alajuela, Costa
Rica. They were met at the airport by their guide, Tom McDonald,
aka Tiburon. Tom's company, Tropical Adventures in Education,
specializes in guiding school groups around Costa Rica.
He took the Randolph group to Rancho Mastatal,
an environmental learning and sustainable living center.
There, the students and teachers worked side by side with
the volunteers and interns at the Ranch. They did carpentry,
wattle and daub construction, reforestation and a wide variety
of other experiences. They ate mangos, bananas, papayas
and coconuts that were growing all around them. Some of
the students stayed with local families who welcomed the
students into their homes.
On their return trip the students swam
in the Pacific Ocean, watched over by a beautiful mermaid.
They stopped at a bridge that ran over the Tercolas River
and saw many 20' crocodiles swimming below them. They slept
in a simple little hotel that felt more luxurious than any
five star hotel in the world. When the students and teachers
stepped out of the cars back at Randolph School, their smiles
lit up the night sky. They all were glowing and charged,
and even changed, by their Costa Rican adventure.
