Every year over spring break at Meridian, the senior class gets to go on the long-awaited senior trip. For all the seniors participating, this trip is a break from the stress of senior year, a mental reset before IB exams, and one last “hoorah” before graduation in two months.
There are many different places to go, like Rome, Athens, Brazil, and Spain, but for the class of 2025, their choice landed on Costa Rica. The senior trip is a wonderful opportunity for students to practice their language skills, especially DP Spanish students, in a fully immersive Spanish-speaking environment.
The trip to Costa Rica is a nine-day adventure where students participate in whitewater rafting, zip-lining, relaxing on beaches with their friends, and many more activities. But many students have plans of their own to add some extra fun to their senior trip.
Kate Kellog, a senior at Meridian, said, “I’m going to prom pose to my friends on the senior trip, but they don’t know yet, so it’s going to be super fun to do that in a different country. It’s going to add to our whole experience and create a really fun memory for our senior year.”
At many schools across the country, the senior trip is a widely known tradition, helping students gain a better understanding of the world and other cultures. Zoe Rothenburger, the senior class sponsor and chaperone, stated, “It’s an incredible experience for students to be exposed to different cultures and perspectives, especially when thinking about the IB core values of international mindedness.”
The senior trip is an experience that the students of Meridian look forward to throughout their high school careers. EriAnn Cruz, a sophomore at Meridian, shared, “The senior trip is something that I have looked forward to ever since I started high school. It will give me the opportunity to experience new cultures with friends, some that I have known since kindergarten. This trip will really mark the end of an amazing school experience.”
Traveling to a different country with classmates may be intimidating for some, but Meridian does a wonderful job of keeping students safe. They have many precautions to ensure the students’ safety, such as conducting constant head counts and splitting into smaller groups, each with an assigned chaperone to ensure no one gets left behind.
Zoe Rothenburger shared, “Students will always have an adult around them to ensure they make safe decisions and have a trusted person nearby. Also, the excursion activities involve safety training, and students can take a self-defense class sponsored by the Vallejo family (although Costa Rica is a very safe place to travel). This helps to keep parents of the seniors at ease when their children are in a different country.”
Overall, it’s clear that the senior trip to Costa Rica is going to be one of the best, thanks to all the exciting activities and excursions students will experience. The class of 2025 is going to gain new experiences and knowledge from being in an unfamiliar environment in a new country. We can’t wait to see what memories they make!
