Students from Grand Junction High School went on a trip to Costa Rica over spring break of 2026.
The group of 50 people flew out to Costa Rica on March 12 and arrived back in Grand Junction on March 21. The school partnered with Colorado Mesa University to allow students to earn a college biology credit.
“It was fun to watch all the students discover things and find things they’ve never seen before,” said GJHS science teacher Matthew Garhart.
CMU professor Dr. Denita Weeks accompanied students for activities such as night hikes, a canopy tour on the Selvatura hanging bridges in Monteverde, horseback riding, and rafting.
“My friend is Costa Rican, and I wanted to experience some of her culture. I really wanted to see the biodiversity there and go rafting, it sounded like a lot of fun,” said GJHS freshman Rachel Hughes.
The activities the group participated in were focused on biodiversity and learning about the local ecosystems. They also traveled to San José and other cultural locations, and saw some of the food markets in the city.
“Getting students out and letting them experience how other cultures live and do things in their culture, and how their priorities might differ from ours, is really eye-opening for students,” said GJHS Spanish teacher Sarah Henao.
GJHS has a trip to China planned for spring break of 2027. They will be partnering with CMU again to provide participants with a political credit for the college.
Editor’s Note: Amelia Breedlove is a freshman at GJHS currently enrolled in a Reporting class.
