Students will have the chance to travel to Balneario, Panama with Global Student Embassy (GSE) in the spring. The April 1-10 trip will include planting crops, working alongside youth activists, and visiting some of the last rain forests in Central America.

In Panama, students will help break ground on GSE’s school garden program in Balneario. Students will build gardens, plant food forests, and wrap up with a day trip to Panama City. “The trips are a way for students to see how people in other countries live, how they use resources, and work together with young students from other countries to come up with creative solutions to environmental issues,” said G.S.E. liason Chrissy Orangio. “Then they come back here and want to get more involved with our local program by working in the school garden every week.”

Campolindo’s past trips with G.S.E. to Ecuador and Nicaragua have been successful, according to science teacher and chaperone Roxanna Jackman. “I think what I’m most excited about is seeing the wildlife in Panama,” said Jackman. “I’ve never been to a place where real jaguars live.”

Preparation is minimal, though the challenges will be quite physical. “It’ll be physically demanding. We’ll be hiking two or three miles at a time, and sleeping under mosquito nets. But other than that, students don’t need to prepare in any specific ways,” said Jackman.

The $2889 trip fee covers all expenses, and sign ups are on a first come, first serve basis, with only 20 spots available. The deadline to sign up is November 1, and the first $1000 deposit is due December 11.

More information on the trip can be found on G.S.E.’s website.