With cell phones and other electronics left in the Bay Area for an unplugged experience, 109 students and 12 chaperones are spending the week of January 18–25 in a small town about three hours from Costa Rica's capital, San Jose. 

Select the images below to read daily blog posts and student journal entries.

    
    

The combination of service projects, adventure activities, cultural immersion and the opportunity for sophomores to grow as a class has made the Costa Rica trip, now in its seventh year, a cornerstone of the high school experience at Convent & Stuart Hall. Inaugurated by President Ann Marie Krejcarek in 2014, the coed trip calls on students to stretch beyond their comfort zone while becoming familiar with daily life in a new cultural setting.  

Divided into small groups, students rotate through various daily activities, the most memorable of which is often meeting and working alongside local children at three schools where students spearhead maintenance projects, deliver much-needed supplies and play games with elementary children. Other activities include digging sand pits to promote sea turtle conservation, ziplining, horseback riding, whitewater rafting, surfing, snorkeling and yoga.

Read daily blog posts and student journal entries on the Costa Rica travel blog. You can also follow the trip by browsing the photo album below, where photos will be added as they come in.

Hover on the cover photo and use the arrows to scroll through photos or view the full album.