Top 10 Costa Rica

Students travel to Costa Rica

Costa Rican trip teaches about science, culture

Twenty D.C. middle school students took the trip of a lifetime this month to Costa Rica, thanks to an educational travel program offered by Global Explorers, a nonprofit group, and the Travel Channel.

The students from KIPP DC: AIM Academy, a public charter school for grades 5 to 8, spent the last semester of the school year studying Costa Rica. On the trip, the kids learned about the local culture, science and how to be a good global citizen. They met students in Costa Rica and learned about the Central American country’s rain forest, plants and animals. For all of them, it was the first trip out of the country; as part of the project, they’ll also do community service at home.

“I have learned that others live differently than we do in D.C.,” said Johnice Patterson, 13, about her trip. “We need to go places to see and experience how they live.”