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Learning on the road

Subhead
LHS Spanish students spend 10 days in Puerto Rico
Lead Summary
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By
Jason Berghorst

Thirty-six Luverne High School students and four chaperones returned Friday from a 10-day trip to Puerto Rico.
The trip was organized by Luverne High School Spanish teacher Caroline Thorson as an extension of the lessons learned in her Spanish classes.
“The students get to see and use the things they learn in class in an authentic situation,” Thorson said.
The students had ample opportunity to practice using the language they have been learning in the Spanish-speaking U.S. territory.
“To be fully immersed into a culture and a lifestyle that is different from our own is very educational,” Thorson added.
The students, all sophomores or older who had completed at least two years of Spanish study, enjoyed a wide variety of experiences while touring the island.
The Luverne group stayed in three different cities in the northern, eastern and southern parts of Puerto Rico while having the chance to swim in both the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.
“We really got to do, see and learn a lot of things and the kids were just great about trying new foods and new experiences,” Thorson said.
Experiences such as snorkeling, kayaking, zip-lining, cave exploring and salsa dance lessons were popular with the students.
The group also toured a number of sites, including a coffee plantation, an art museum, an observatory and other locales while learning about the climate, ecosystems and history of Puerto Rico.
The itinerary was a mixture of touring and learning, with some down time as well, according to Thorson.
For many of the young travelers, the trip was their first major excursion away from home on their own.
“A big part of the educational experience of trips like these is traveling without your parents and having to be responsible for your own money and belongings,” Thorson said.
“That in itself is a learning experience, let alone doing it in a different language and culture.”  
The Luverne foreign language trips, which occur every other year, provide students the opportunity to learn these lessons while still in a relatively safe, chaperoned environment, according to Thorson.
In addition to Thorson, other chaperones for the trip included Todd Oye, Kathy Sommers and Dr. Josh Crabtree.
On the last night of the trip, the LHS group happened to be in San Juan for a local holiday that commemorates the birth of St. John the Baptist, for whom the city of San Juan is named.
Known as la Noche de San Juan Bautista, it’s a celebration that is as popular as New Year’s Eve in Puerto Rico.
“What a great way to end our trip,” Thorson said.

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