News & Views
Country School Students Explore the Galapagos Islands
On the heels of Closing Exercises, 18 recent Country School graduates boarded a plane for the Galapagos Islands for the experience of a lifetime. They traveled to the volcanic archipelago in the Pacific Ocean to view some the world’s most amazing wildlife, practice their Spanish and to immerse themselves in a different culture.
“This year, we planned a Spanish and biology co-curricular trip,” said Spanish teacher Liz Pepe who, along with science teacher Scott Lilley and math teacher Barbara Latimer, organized and chaperoned the eight-day trip. “It really was the best of both subjects.”
Students landed in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, where they learned about the bio-geography and natural history of the islands. The next morning, they flew five hours over the Andes mountains to arrive on Isabela Island. For the next few days, the students snorkeled, hiked, enjoyed hot springs and explored volcanic craters and lava formations. All the while, they kept their eyes peeled for indigenous giant tortoises, manta rays, sea lions, iguanas, penguins, finches and tropical fish.
“I swam with sea turtles and actually stared down a sea otter,” said ninth grader Austin Andersen. “One of my favorite moments was taking a six-hour hike up a volcano. When we reached the edge, we all just stood there for 15 minutes of silence. I’ll never forget that.”
One of the days was completely dedicated to service. While on Santa Cruz Island, the group worked with small scale farmers to make organic fertilizer. Working alongside the farmers gave them another opportunity to speak Spanish with people who live on the remote island.
“It was amazing to be able to communicate with the farmers about something that would help them,” said Austin. “I put all my Spanish into use – I even used the past perfect tense!”
In preparation for the trip, students studied Charles Darwin’s theories of evolution in biology class, in particular his study of finches based on his observations in the Galapagos. In Spanish class, they role played going through customs at an airport practicing the necessary vocabulary and phraseology. “I tried to make it as realistic as possible, asking them about the purpose of their trip, their residence in the country, if they had fruits and vegetables,” said Ms. Pepe.
Aside from all that the students learned, the trip was special in other ways. “It was their last hurrah before they all head off to high school,” said Ms. Pepe. “They realized how truly unique everything around them was and how incredible it was to be there.”
“It was my last Country School experience with my friends,” said Austin.
New Canaan Country School
New Canaan Country School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin and are afforded all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry, or disability in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, financial aid policies or any other school-administered programs.
