At French Broad River Academy, every student travels to Costa Rica each of the three years they are at the middle school for this incredible immersion experience. Each year’s trip builds on the prior one and is in a different area of the country. Year in and year out, the Costa Rica trip is what FBRA graduates and alumni recall as the most impactful experience of their time at the school.
6th Grade Girls Trip: Sarapiqui & Atenas
Sixth-graders and teachers from our Girls Program have returned from an adventure-filled week in Costa Rica. Students traveled to the Sarapaqui region and Atenas, and stayed with host families for a truly authentic cultural experience. For eight days, they practiced their Spanish language skills, learned about their communities, and lived the Costa Rican life. They also hiked to a volcano, ziplined through the tree canopy, planted trees, visited schools, worked at a recycling center, played games with local children, learned to cook traditional dishes, shared meals with new friends, shopped at local markets, visited farms and a banana plantation, indulged in a chocolate tour, learned Latin dances, chased waterfalls, took a dip in the ocean, and discovered some of the country’s amazing flora and fauna. It was an amazing week!
7th Grade Girls Trip: Uvita & Bahia Ballena
In 7th grade, the school’s Costa Rica International Field Experience is all about surfing and exploring the ecology of the Costa Ballena. FBRA Girls Program students and staff spent the past week in the beautiful village of Uvita, immersing themselves in the culture, exploring the natural wonders of the region, and connecting with the community and their host families. Highlights included surfing in the Pacific, plunging into pools and waterfalls, cracking and cooking with coconuts, snorkeling and restoring the coral reef, soaking up the tropical scenery, practicing Spanish skills, and greeting old friends and making new ones too. Pura vida, for sure.
8th Grade: Mountain Farmstays, Rio Pacuare
By the 8th grade, FBRA students are ready to give the skills they’ve been building for three years the ultimate test on their final Costa Rica International Field Experience. Girls Program students and staff are just back from a trip to the rural mountain villages of Mollejones and Pacayitas, where they spent four days living with host families and learning about their communities. During their stay, students processed sugar cane for traditional artisan-made candies, roasted and sipped coffee, helped with gardening and farm chores, celebrated World Water Day by planting trees in the forest reserve of the community aqueduct, learned about butterfly production and improved their habitats, visited local schools to share dance, culture and games, and practiced their Spanish language skills. Following the homestays, students and staff headed to Río Pacuare, one of the top rivers in the world for whitewater. Over the next three days and with the expert guides at Amazing Vacations Costa Rica, the group explored life in the remote jungle and paddled nearly 30 miles and more than 60 Class III and IV rapids. What a week, Salamanders!
