By Jolene Farley
Twenty Hills-Beaver Creek High School students have signed up for an educational adventure to Costa Rica, Central America, in June.
Spanish teacher Teri Richards and science teacher Janette VandenHoek planned the trip and will chaperone, along with Janette’s husband Rick.
Students will see endangered rain forests, the Arenal Volcano and wildlife reserves with populations of rare wildlife. Costa Rica, a stable, democratic country, is home to one-tenth of the world’s bird species and one-tenth of the world’s butterflies.
VandenHoek wants her students to see the diverse plants, insects and animals in Costa Rica.
"They are going to get to see a lot of different landscapes," said Richards.
Richards hopes the trip will show students more about the world.
"I think it will be a really good experience for them to get out of the United States and see how the rest of the world lives," she said.
Students began working last spring to raise money for the $1,600 trip (spending money not included). Students hosted a burger and brat feed, sold various products, ran the concession stand for sporting events and washed cars for three days at a car dealership in Sioux Falls.
"Oh, my gosh," said Richards. "That was a lot of work. But that was a good little fund-raiser, we made a lot of money off that."
The next fund-raiser is a babysitting service for the Holiday Tour of Homes on Saturday, Dec. 7.
Students have the option to participate in fund-raisers and can earn as much or as little as they want to defray the cost of the trip.
"Some people have really been fund raising a lot," said Richards. "We are really leaving it up to them. We just wanted to create the opportunity."
Richards is looking forward to the trip to Costa Rica. She has visited Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Mexico.
"I really love the culture, the food, the people," she said. "Any of the time I’ve spent down there I just really, really like it."
VandenHoek finds the rain forest interesting and wants to see monkeys in their natural habitat.
If all goes well, Richards and VandenHoek hope to plan another student trip in two years.