Scott City teens explore Central America

Courtney Graff and Ellie Potter of Scott City got a chance over the summer to use Spanish language skills learned at home when they traveled to Costa Rica in June.

For 10 days the teens, accompanied by their Spanish instructor, Amy Coffey, joined other student groups from Illinois, Tennessee and California to see Costa Rica firsthand. Students also learned the history of the land development in Costa Rica and about the country's failures and successes in becoming a global competitor in agricultural products, visited an elementary school for a comparative look with American schools and attended a folklore dinner and dance show.

Coffey said travel benefits students because they can learn "things that can never be taught from a textbook."