The beloved Costa Rica trip and the U.S-Mexico Border trips are just two examples of the various opportunities that the Service Learning Center (SLC) offers. The SLC partners with Social Voyagers, an organization that specializes in service-based travel programs, to provide annual trips to different locations. The SLC meets every other Monday in P-5 to discuss upcoming service opportunities and how rewarding they can be. This year, the SLC expanded into a class called Community Service Leadership, which aims to further M-A’s community service participation. One of the most notable opportunities to get involved is the international service trips students can take part in.
Costa Rica
The Costa Rica trip takes place during mid-winter break in February. The trip is an opportunity for M-A students to participate in service projects, meet Costa Rican students, and explore Costa Rican culture. “[During mid-winter break] it’s cold here, and it’s warm over there [in Costa Rica], and we have a cool plan where we do some service and paint the inside and outside of the school,” SLC Staff Director and Economics teacher Andrew Stuart said.
Participating students learn many lessons from their experiences on the trip. “[The Costa Rica trip] was really fun, and I feel like we impacted the kids a lot. Most of all, I think we learned a lot of lessons about humility and that everyone has something to teach us,” freshman Anton Schroedl said.
“It was super fun. We would go to the beach almost every single day,” senior Arielle Steinmetz said. “It taught me that service and contributing to a community is really important and can teach you a lot of things.”
The Costa Rica trip will return next mid-winter break and spring break.
U.S.-Mexico Border
The U.S.-Mexico Border trip is a service trip that allows students to get firsthand experience at the Mexico U.S. border. The trip is run by freshman BB Bohmann Farrell* and was originally started by her sister, Ella Bohmann Farrell.
As a part of the trip, attendees bring bags of school supplies to the border town of Calexico. These school supplies are given to children of the Calexico Unified School District. This effort is a partnership between B. Bohmann Farrell’s family and the Calexico Unified School District. “[We’ve run the trip for] somewhere between four and six years,” B. Bohmann Farrell said. “My sister started it because she cared about the cause.”
The trip goes beyond a vacation for many. “It’s a really eye-opening experience to go to the border firsthand and talk and connect with kids about normal things,” B. Bohmann Farrell said.
“These trips are student-led and activated, and they have also connected with the nonprofits. They do a really great job of going on that trip with humility and reciprocity,” Stuart said.
*BB Bohmann Farrell is a journalist for the M-A Chronicle.
