It is tradition for graduating high school seniors to take a senior trip to celebrate the end of their academic journey. Most students frequent the beaches of Destin, Cancun, or Los Angeles but a small group of seniors at the University Lab School opted for a non-traditional location: Costa Rica.

The 13 students and two teachers made the journey to learn about the culture and diverse environments of Costa Rica. The students chose to visit Costa Rica to get first-hand experience on global topics that are part of Costa Rican culture.

Participants in this program included Rudy Aguilar, Brandon Bourgeois, Keri Bryan, Cody Dardeau, Matt Gilmer, Laura Guillot, Amy Heard, Katie Humphreys, Lauren Nyman, Kaitlin Short, Chase Smithburg, Jerry Stovall, and Austin Winslow.

Lab School Biology Teacher Marty Loupe assisted by Baton Rouge High School teacher and College of Education alumna Tiffany Hingle led the students on tours of a wide range of locations and themes, including biodiversity conservation, the geology of the Arenal Volcano, the unique education system of Costa Rica, the conservation of sea turtles and rainforests, the development of sustainable living, and the impact of ecotourism.

Loupe was selected as one of 20 teachers to serve as educational Ambassadors to Costa Rica in March 2007 through the Toyota International Teacher Program. One pilot project of the program includes annual visits by American students to Costa Rica to study its quickly changing ecosystems and the balance between environmental conservation with community development. The Lab School students were the first group to visit Costa Rica as part of this program.

While Costa Rica has only about 0.1 percent of the world’s landmass, it contains five percent of the world’s biodiversity. More than 25 percent of Costa Rica is composed of protected forests and reserves.

“One of our hotels was a three-hour trip form San Jose. There was a huge waterfall where our tour guide told us to go ahead and swim, it was amazing,” said Kaitlin Short.

The students hiked almost everywhere they went providing an opportunity to tour the mountainous terrain and interact with different kinds of species.

Senior Keri Bryan, who is a devoted bird watcher especially enjoyed the animal life.

“My grandmother urged me to start bird watching and in Costa Rica. I was able to see over 50 species of birds including a Shining Honeycreeper, an Emerald Toucanet, and lots of macaws,” she said. Although this is Loupe’s second year teaching at the Lab School, this was his first trip outside of the country with his students.

“It was amazing to be able to see my students be so culturally involved and to know that they care about the environment,” said Loupe.

Senior Katie Humphreys said her favorite part of the trip was the food.

“The food was awesome and it was totally different from typical American food,” said Humphreys. “The food is the culture there.”

Costa Rica is known for its high reliance of fresh fruits and vegetables. The main staple, known as gallo pinto, consists of rice and black beans, which in many households is eaten at all three meals during the day.

“I felt so healthy when I returned to the states,” said Short. “I had no desire to drink soft drinks or eat sugary foods.”

The students said everywhere they went people were shouting “Pura Vida!” which literally translates to pure life but contextually means full of life or this is living.

“The locals are really close to nature and they have so much respect for it,” said Humphreys.

All of the students agreed that their favorite activities were swimming in the open volcano and zip lining above the forest.

“You were above the clouds and you could see the entire forest, it is almost inexplicable,” said Laura Gulliot.

The Costa Rican adventure was an opportunity for the Lab School students to become familiar with a country that emphasized an eco-friendly environment and healthy living.

“This will be an annual trip to incorporate the IB project,” said Loupe. “We may visit other countries in the future, such as Peru, Ecuador, Panama, and the Galapagos Islands.