Welcome

Last year's trip to Costa Rica showed us that education can, and should, be a life-altering experience. This year, a largely new group of students, have decided to learn about and travel to Puerto Rico. With this new topic and destination in mind, we have developed a year-long interdisciplinary class that is based on the same three core principles:

1) Travel to expand students' horizons
2) An explicit connection between the classroom and real world
3) The use of sweat equity for students to see that their efforts can make a difference

During the early fall, the curriculum was largely focused on developing the 21st Century Skills of problem solving, critical thinking, decision-making, and collaboration. This was initially done using group challenges in the classroom, but then became vitally important once we started raking lawns. In addition to being our major fundraiser, this hard work put students in positions that required group problem solving, as well as perseverance and responsibility – traits that we all know are central to changing the trajectory of their lives.

During the winter and spring, each student will be developing an independent research project on a chosen aspect of Puerto Rico.
We hope that you will keep checking back as we share our learning, growth and adventures.

Monday, June 11, 2012

Highlights

We did a lot on the trip this year. We did things I would never have experienced if it wasn't for this class. We went zip-lining, caving, cave tubing, horseback riding, hiking, to the old forts, to the Indian reservation, and kayaking through the biolumessent bay. These are things that I will never forget and probably never experience again in my life. When we went I didn't think it was going to be anything like what it was. When we started the tours on Monday I thought it was going to be boring. But I was proved wrong I had the best time of my life. My favorite part was probably the cave tubing because that's what my projects on is caves not only did we get to walk over the cave but we got to go inside the cave and look up as we were paddling through the like mile long cave. I would reccomend if anyone who reads this goes to Puerto Rico in their lives make sure you do every thing you can do down there. Make sure to stay with the tour guides, that is how you will have the most fun. our guide was amazing I am very glad we got to meet him he helped us soooooo much. Not only with the driving around part he helped us with food because everything was in Spanish. He would read the menu to us and translate it into English. He also took care of all of our needs and didn't say anything bad. We all had fun but out of everyone I think I had the most fun. I would like to thank our teachers for making this possible for us.

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