SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA - More than two dozen middle and high school students from the Dougherty County School System arrived in Costa Rica Sunday, the first stop in a seven-day learning expedition to the Central American nation.
Part of the district's new Global Learning Initiative, students from Dougherty Comprehensive High School, Monroe Comprehensive High School, Westover Comprehensive High School, Robert A. Cross Middle Magnet School and Radium Springs Middle School left Albany by charter bus for Atlanta's Hartsfield Jackson International Airport around 10 p.m. Saturday night.
After catching a connecting flight in Miami, the students and teachers arrived in San José, the Costa Rican capital, Sunday morning.
Over the next seven days, the students will visit everything from coffee plantations to volcanoes as they learn about the Central American country and its impact on the global economy and its cultural significance in world history.
It's a first-of-its-kind venture for the district who decided to develop its Global Learning Initiative last year to help expose students to unique learning opportunities around the world.
Superintendent Kenneth Dyer said when the program launched that the trips are designed to compliment the district's push to provide students with a rigorous but relevant educational experience.
"Going abroad is an investment in the future. It can open doors of opportunity and expose students to different cultures, perspectives and experiences that can help shape their future," Dyer said. "Middle and high school is an especially important time to explore the world and learn more about oneself while preparing to take the next big steps in life. International travel can give teens a greater sense of independence and connection to the global community."
The trips are being facilitated by EF Tours, a company who specializes in unique, global, educational tours for schools. The tours include immersive experiences in the culture and history of foreign countries across the globe but also a deep dive into the inner workings of foreign economies, governments and more.
You can follow the DCSS social media pages on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter using the hashtag #DCSSCostaRica over the next seven days to follow what the students are doing. The next trip is planned for the summer of 2024 when students will head to Greece and Italy. Anyone interested in signing up for that trip can email the district's Academic Services Department at academicservices@docoschools.org.