Class trips offer opportunities for hands-on learning

Class trips are one way that students can be rewarded for all their hard work during the school year. A good class trip can make the intense school efforts of the students seem all the more worthwhile in the end.

Two local schools recently took class trips that blended education with some fun opportunities. A group from Central High School visited Costa Rica and put their Spanish lessons to use, while the eighth-grade class at Trinity Lutheran School visited the nation's capital.

Rough start abroad

Central Spanish teacher Robin Hankinson took eight students to Costa Rica, where they toured various parts of the country, such as Tortuguero, the Arenal Volcano, Monteverde and Guanacaste.

The trip didn't get off to a perfect start. The group missed its connecting flight and lost track of the luggage along the way, arriving in San Jose, Costa Rica, without clothes or toiletry items. However, that turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it made them more mobile to travel around the country.

"At first we were upset about losing our luggage, but once we got it back we quickly saw that it was nothing but a hassle," said student Millie Noel.

Noel thought it was interesting to see how another culture lives. She also learned a lot about Spanish during the visit.

"I was able to experience different foods and see the way the people down there lived," said Noel.

She said other students should take similar trips because "it's a great learning experience."

The students learned about the biology, ecology, and political and social system of Costa Rica from their tour guide.

"The kids really responded to him," Hankinson said. "Our guide was the key to our trip. He was exceedingly knowledgeable and planned our activities exceptionally."

Central students returned from their 11-day trip on June 10.

Checking out the Capitol

Trinity students had the chance to see some of the nation's landmarks in person, instead of just reading or learning about them from a textbook. The eighth-grade class visited Washington, D.C., earlier this year.

The students paid for their trip through fund raisers like car washes and pizza and cookie dough sales. In all, the class raised between $8,000 and $10,000.

Melanie Martens, eighth-grade teacher at Trinity, said her students worked hard for their trip. The class of 16 toured the nation's capital, seeing the newly dedicated World War II memorial, as well as the Washington Monument, the Holocaust Museum and the Capitol Building.

Tyronza Pringle, a parent and chaperone on the trip, was excited about the opportunity for the students to visit the capital. Her daughter, Keara, was among those who went.

"I wanted Keara to see the historical sites of our country, to understand our government and its day-to-day transactions and to have her see the Capitol with her friends," Pringle said.

Keara said she knows more facts about the government after visiting the capital. Some things she learned: Arlington National Cemetery was once the plantation of Robert E. Lee and no building in Washington, D.C., can be taller than Freedom, the statue on the Capitol Building.

The students were not able to meet President Bush or go inside the White House, but they did see it from a distance.

Keara's favorite part was meeting U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, R-Mo. The Cape Girardeau congresswoman spent 45 minutes talking to the students about her job and American politics.

"She's really, really cool," Keara said. "She had a very neat office and talked to us about how she has disagreed and been in the doghouse with the president on some of his bills."

When they got back home, the students put together a scrapbook and wrote their reflections of the trip.