This summer, six teachers and 23 Hackley students expanded their horizons — literally. After participating in an application process, 15 of the selected students embarked on a trip to Costa Rica through a Hackley program. In addition, eight students also went to Yellowstone National Park on a Casten trip.

The Costa Rica students stayed with host families, which allowed them to become completely immersed in the culture. “The experience allowed me to gain a lot of knowledge of a very different culture in the world,” said junior Andrew Chung. In contrast, the students on the Yellowstone Casten Trip stayed together, which seemed to help the group bond during their time there together. “I would say one of my favorite parts was just being with everyone in the group,” said Carina Burroughs.

While the simple goal of improving their Spanish speaking skills contributed to most of the students’ desire to go on the Costa Rica trip, all of them returned to Hackley with some truly incredible experiences. “I guess my biggest takeaway from the trip was a renewed sense of adventure,” said senior Mike Nelson. “All of these separate events I’ve experienced in Costa Rica made me realize how crucial that thrill of adventure is. Everyone should have that experience at least once in their lives,” he added.

The students on the Costa Rica trip snorkeled, ziplined through canopies, kayaked, and went horseback riding. However, most students said that the experience of living with a host family was one of their favorite parts of the trip.

What began as a rather awkward relationship for junior Tyler Sexton-Holtmeier and his host family became a wonderful one, and by the end of the trip they really enjoyed spending time together. “On the first night I was with them, I went to sleep at 9:30 and we barely spoke. On the last two nights, we stayed up until 1 a.m. hanging out with each other and [my host’s] friends,” Tyler said. Junior Seth Tilliss played card games, Jenga, and soccer with his host family, and said that time spent with them was very memorable.

While in Costa Rica, the trip leaders encouraged students to speak in Spanish not only to their host families, but also to each other, applying their previous knowledge of Spanish and learning more about the language. “My Spanish skills were really put to the test, but communication was pretty manageable,” said Seth. “My host family allowed me use the Spanish I learned in the classroom in real life situations. I was able to try new vocabulary and verb tenses, and this trip was a great opportunity to get exposure to this material before taking the AP course next year,” said senior Molly Harmon.

By the end of the experience, most of the students who attended the Costa Rica trip said they would recommend the trip to their peers. Junior Tyler Sexton-Holtmeier said, “It’s a great balance between enjoying fun activities with the other Hackley students, spending time with the family, and improving your Spanish.”

Seth enjoyed his time in Costa Rica so much that he encouraged people to travel there even if it were not with the same program. “I’ve traveled to numerous places around the globe, and this was surely one of my favorites,” he said.

The students on the Yellowstone trip went white water rafting, and hiked the most prominent peak, Electric Peak, in the northwest corner of the Yellowstone National Park. The students’ reviews for the Yellowstone trip were as overwhelmingly positive as those for the Costa Rica trip.

“The national parks supplied us with an incredible setting for an escape from our usual routines back home, and the individuals on the trip made it all memorable. I had an amazing 10 days and definitely think anyone looking for a fun and exciting experience would enjoy this trip,” said senior Laura Seebacher.

Both trips pushed students outside of their comfort zones to try new things, leaving them with unforgettable memories. The students on both trips encouraged their classmates to follow their example and venture outside of their comfort zones. “Always be open to try something different, because it could leave a positive and long lasting effect on you,” Amari said.

Laura echoed this sentiment. “I was actually a bit hesitant to sign up at first because I’d never done anything like it before, but then I realized Casten trips are probably the perfect time to try something new,” she said.