WESTOVER — Twenty-one students — 11 from Washington High School and 10 from Crisfield High School — will be traveling to Costa Rica from Feb. 13 through Feb. 21 as an overseas extension of their Spanish language classes.

Foreign language teachers Anna Breland (CHS) and Andrea Jaggers (WHS) along with WHS art teacher Scott Smith will serve as chaperones. Breland and Jaggers, both Teachers of the Year at their respective schools and Breland a state finalist for the title, have been involved with excursions like this since 2011. In 2013 they took a group to Puerto Rico. This trip was approved by the school board in February 2014.

According to Mrs. Breland, students will explore San Jose (the capital of the country), will visit Manuel Antonio National Park, Arenal Region, Monteverde Carara, Central Pacific Coast and Sarchi, Additionally, students will plant a tree in the rainforest, be active participants of the folklore each evening, visit local schools, write reports, prepare video logs (diaries) in the target language, try unique foods and explore the country’s flora and fauna.

CHS students participating are Arielle Tesoriero, Naomi Barnes, Belgica Serrano, Quintaya Forchion, Patricia Perez, Arielle Johnston, Hailie Brumley, Elaina Cvetko, Allyson McCullough and Chris Ford. The WHS are Chandler Heller, Stefan Disharoon, Jocelyn Elmore, Hunter Holland, Leslie White, Katie Leighton, Courtney Riley, Nemus Lund, Laura Malendoski, Jillian Gossard, and Lauren Gossard.

“We believe that benefits of these trips are almost endless,” Mrs. Breland said. “They help mold our young generation of learners into a workforce that can easily communicate with people of diverse backgrounds and cultures. Experiencing foreign cultures and practicing the target language in the country where it is spoken will be a strong motivation for learning this language in depth.”