Students Fly South for the Spring

For the first time since the pandemic, Sanford offered a trip to Central America. Four teachers and 26 students departed from Sanford’s campus at 2:45 am on March 11 to Costa Rica for a nine-day trip.

According to lead chaperone, Abbi Smith, the destination was chosen in order to revitalize a trip to Costa Rica that was scheduled for 2020 and derailed by the onset of Covid-19. Smith expresses that she hopes this trip will push students to be adventurous.

“I think it’s really good for teens to be pushed a little out of their comfort zone,” Smith said, “and so, there are definitely things like ziplines, horseback riding, and other adventure pieces.”

One student on the trip, senior Andrew Bebbington, said that students could return to the ground after ziplining a few thousand feet in the air by doing a free fall with bungee cords.

“That was probably the scariest moment of my life,” Bebbington expressed. He reaffirms Smith’s point by saying that this adventurous endeavor “was probably the best thing we did on the trip.

Students were also given the opportunity to experience the local food and culture.

“The local food was the best food,” Bebbington commented, “the dishes they make for dinner are very different from America, but it was very good.”

Another way they got to experience Costa Rican culture was through the wildlife they encountered. On the second day, one of the trip’s chaperones, William Petterson, led a group of students to go bird watching at 5:30 AM.

“We saw a lot of good things,” Petterson said. “There was this really adorable parrot that kept saying ‘hola’ and waving at us when we would go by.” Students were able to spot a variety of wildlife, including a variety of exotic birds, sloths, and capuchin monkeys.

Aside from adventure, students had numerous opportunities to relax, as several of the days involved excursions to beaches, lakes, and pools.

After many adventure-filled days, Petterson describes how much he enjoyed the trip.

“It was exhausting, but it was really, really fun,” he recounted, “both from a wildlife perspective and a relaxation perspective.” Petterson said the trip was “overall, a really fun experience.”