Friday, April 17
This is the seventh time I’ve taken my high school students to the rainforest. Certain things always give me satisfaction. One is the kids’ reaction to seeing wildlife which is unexpected and unusual. Monkeys are normally the highlight for kids. Seeing monkeys in the wild is so different from the experience of seeing them in zoos. You quickly realize that these are wild animals who are sometimes just as interested in you as you are in them. But this year I was surprised by the kids’ reactions to the ant lions at Santa Rosa National Park. Ant lions are actually fly larvae which live in a hole dug into the sand. They trap ants and other small insects which fall into their hole and devour them. Our kids couldn’t get over how this worked. Imagine the sight of 8 or 10 kids on their hands and knees feeding ants to the ant lions and cheering and screaming when the ant lions fed. Almost as exciting as monkeys!

-Marty Stickle.

Friday, April 17
Like the students, this was also my first trip to Costa Rica. I, myself, was amazed by the incredible beauty and splendor of the country. As a teacher, I was so thrilled to see the kids’ reaction to the different wildlife present. When the kids first saw the white faced capuchin monkeys in Santa Rosa National Park, they were filled with awe and excitement. As the monkeys moved through the trees, the kids would point, scream, run and giggle at the sight before them. The monkeys seemed interested in us as well and put on quite a show! The students thought they were cute and were so surprised by how close the monkeys were.

During our stay here in Costa Rica, I was enthralled by how mesmerized the kids were by the sheer beauty of this ecological haven. Not only did they enjoy seeing the monkeys, the iguanas and the coatimundis but they revelled in the biodiversity and environmental variety visible as we hiked. As we hiked up Rincon de la Vieja the students were interested in the ecological changes experienced as we walked from tropical wet forest into dry savannah. They were stunned at the realization that actual volcanic activity had altered the landscape. It was so rewarding to see their interest not only in the experience but also in their sheer inquisitiveness and desire to learn.

-Shannon Tice.