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Date: 5/16/2022
MONSON – The Monson School Committee approved the fundraising portion for a potential Spanish class field trip to Costa Rica, during their May 12 meeting.
Paula Garces, Spanish teacher at Monson High School, said she would like to offer this field trip to Spanish students of all levels, Grades 9-12, in 2023.
She explained that the students would be taken to EF, an international language campus that has been around for over 50 years. Garces said that EF is “very successful” in educating students and providing tours that make for a different experience than studying abroad.
“Why Costa Rica? Because it’s the safest place that I can think of where Spanish is very well spoken,” said Garces. Based on the activities offered there, Garces believes these are the type of activities that students would be interested in. Additionally, she said their curriculum aligns with the activities being offered by EF.
Garces said if the trip is approved, it will take place during the week of April vacation in 2023. She selected this date because a lot of students that have expressed interest in going will be graduating in 2023. Although the trip hasn’t officially been offered to students yet, Garces said she has mentioned it.
The cost of the trip is $3,165 per student. If they start by the end of this month, families could begin making payments of $300. By hosting fundraisers, this will also assist in the overall cost.
As of now, Garces said they are looking to take a small group of students, along with school staff to serve as chaperones. For every six students, one chaperon will be assigned.
“It’s a great experience that I think we should be able to offer,” said Garces. She believes that students learn best by traveling and experiencing a culture and language firsthand.
Superintendent Cheryl Clarke said they would need to approve the fundraising part of the trip first, then Garces would need to come back before the School Committee and provide more details before the trip is approved.
Now that the School Committee has approved the fundraising efforts, Garces wants to get the ball rolling to see how many students are interested, establish fundraising efforts and begin the overall process.