Eleven Cotter students will be making memories as they take the trip of a lifetime to Costa Rica.

It’s been four years since Cotter students have visited Costa Rica as an organized trip. Departing on March 28th and returning a week later, eleven Cotter students and two chaperoning are currently preparing for their voyage.

Cotter students have been part of a previous trip to Costa Rica, and Spain.

The first step to getting involved in this process was enrolling online at the EPI website. While on this trip, students will earn half of a science credits. Students are not required to be enrolled in a Spanish class at the time of the trip.

Next, students attended meeting that discussed fundraising, what to pack, and what adventures to expect while traveling Costa Rica.

The cost to go on the trip is about $3000, and most students have been working to help pay their way. “I have been very impressed by individual efforts to raise funds to make this trip a reality” teacher Anne Conway says.

While in Costa Rica, students will have a daily schedule to follow throughout their trip. First, they’ll head to the Pacuare Reserve and observe sea turtle’s habits and collect data as they swim to shore to lay their eggs.

After spending a few days on the Pacuare Reserve, students will travel inland and study the biodiversity of local rainforests and spend a day whitewater rafting. Following these activities, students will spend time with locals and explore cultural differences.

During Cotter’s visit, students will be able to experience first hand  the local traditions of la Semana Santa (Holy Week).

“I am excited to have another travel adventure!” Conways says “I can’t wait to see many of the students explore a new environment and culture for the first time, and to observe them try out their language skills.”

There are challenges while traveling with any organized group of students. It’s difficult to get everyone excited about all the activities offered, and dealing with individual expectations. Planning is done by the EPI.

According to Conway, “All students ought to think about what travel experiences they would like to have during their high school years. Dream, make plans, and work to save the necessary resources in order to make these opportunities a reality for you!”

The project is a follow-up to Mrs. Drazkowski’s trip to Costa Rica with a group of teachers last year, where they also studied turtles habitats.

Eleven students and two chaperones are enrolled on the program: Ms. Conway, Mrs. Drazkowski, Mary Schwend (11), Kirsten Weifenbach (11), Alex Schell (11), Kaleb Pozanc (10), Conner Hagarty (10), Mikaela Livingstone (10), Maddie Walters (9), Kylie Modjeski (9), Sophie Nance (9), Miriam Ellis (9), and Arielle Nance (8).