During Spring Break, Dragons flocked to various parts of the world with various members of the Maggie Walker faculty. Ms. Cross and her Middle East and North Africa Senior Seminar class rode camels in Morocco, Mr. Brown and his AP Comparative Government class ventured to the clifftops of Ireland, and Ms. Sheppard’s Senior Seminar explored the streets of London. In addition to those trips east across the Atlantic, two school trips went south towards Central America: Sra. Bradner’s trip to Costa Rica and Mr. Barnes and Mr. Rotche’s trip to Panama. From zip lining across the Panamanian scenery to white water rafting on Costa Rican rivers, these week-long trips created memories that would last a lifetime.

Around a year and a half ago, advertising began saying that there would be a trip to Panama in Spring of 2024 through EF Tours. “I saw a poster up in the school and thought it would be fun to go with my friends,” said Martin Gable (‘25). On the other hand, Henry Erda (‘26) decided to go on the Panama trip because he thinks “exploring new worlds and traveling is important to understand the world.”

One of the activities the students did in Panama was zip-lining. This was Gable’s favorite part of the trip because it gave him the opportunity to sightsee, but also the thrill of being high up. Carly Sheils’s (‘25) favorite part of the trip, on the other hand, was going to an island filled with iguanas. “We got to see so many animals up close,” remarked Sheils. Klara Salley (‘26) agreed, also saying her favorite place she visited on the Panama trip was the iguana island. “It was a beautiful island with really cool wildlife and underwater snorkeling,” said Salley. Juliette Paoloni (‘26) had similar sentiments to Salley and Sheils, except for the tallest hill in Panama City. “We saw five sloths and a toucan,” reported Paoloni. Apart from enjoying the various attractions that the students got to visit, the trip had other benefits as well. “My favorite part of the trip was the newfound independence I gained from this travel experience without my family,” Salley said. She enjoyed the fact that she was learning about a new place while also learning how to be more independent.

When questioned about where the students would return to if they went to Panama again, a common answer was Boquete. For Paoloni, she enjoyed the zip lining and hanging bridges in the nearby forest. Salley enjoyed surfing because of the good conditions, while Gabl eand Sheils wished to explore more of Panama City. A common goal shared by some of the students who went to Panama was that the trip was Spanish immersion and enjoying Panamanian cuisine.

Just north of Panama in the neighboring country of Costa Rica, Ms. Bradner’s group of students were having their own adventure. Luna Forlano (‘25) is in the Spanish Club and she had won the raffle through the club to go to Costa Rica for free! “I decided to go to Costa Rica to try to improve my Spanish speaking skills and learn more about the culture,” said Forlano. Her favorite part of the trip ended up being the white water rafting and all the beautiful nature. “It was a super cool experience, and my guide taught us local phrases that were said in Costa Rica,” she added. Kate Bowman (‘25) agreed that that was her favorite part of the trip in addition to ziplining and the pineapple farm tour.

The first night in Guanacaste was spent at a local farm. “The property had a lookout to watch the sunrise, and we were surrounded by mountains,” Forlano recalled fondly. Another highlight of the trip was the volcano, which was Bowman’s favorite sightseeing spot. “I would go back to San Jose and explore more of the city,” said Bowman. On the other hand, Forlano hoped that she could have more time to explore more of the Costa Rican coast.

Overall, these trips down south were filled with many unique and unforgettable memories and luckily enough, the high temperatures and sunburns didn’t serve as an impediment to the overall enjoyment of these trips. Taking trips to Central America didn’t end with this Spring Break, though. Ms. Boswell is planning a return to Central America with a school trip to Peru in 2025 to explore Magical Realism, which is sure to be a magical experience.