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EDGE Trip to Costa Rica
A core piece of Shawnigan’s experiential learning program, EDGE (Engagement, Development, Gratitude and Experience) has been taking Shawnigan students off the beaten path and out of their comfort zones on outdoor adventures that combine service, experiential education, community-building, reflection, and leadership for nearly 20 years.
EDGE started as a humanitarian response to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Students travelled to Thailand for several years to work in isolated communities. Since then, they have visited other countries, such as China, Zimbabwe, Argentina, South Africa and Ecuador. Over Spring Break, 12 students travelled to Costa Rica along with staff members Ms. Katrina Cholack and Mr. Galen Loiselle, for the first EDGE trip since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The contingent left the School on March 10 for the Guanacaste province in northwestern Costa Rica, an area replete of contrasts as the local residents deal with poverty while living near posh resorts that elevate the cost of living. Unlike previous EDGE trips to Costa Rica, which saw the students visit multiple locations, they spent most of their time in one location, leading to a deeper, more immersive experience.
In Guanacaste, the students took on two major projects that they had fundraised for: painting a remote school deep in the Costa Rican jungle, and building barbecue grills for a campground in a national park.
“This was most definitely not a vacation,” Grade 12 student Max C. pointed out during Wednesday’s gathering in Chapel. “We had a few projects, but one of our main projects was painting a remote school which was basically in the middle of the jungle. And there was one teacher there who also was the principal, and the reason she wanted the school to be painted was so that the students could take pride in where they were going, and the community had something to be proud of.”
The school — Escuela Agua Caliente — serves 26 students between the ages of three and 11. In the mornings, the Shawnigan students played games with the Costa Rican students and taught them English words — with a special focus on manners — and in the afternoon they painted the school buildings.
Following that project, they moved on to Junquillal Bay Wildlife Refuge, a national park owned by the government but managed by the community as a way to generate funds. There, the students camped for three days while they built 12 brick grills for the campground, cutting rebar, breaking bricks, and mixing concrete in 38 C heat.
In Wednesday’s gathering, Grade 11 student Grace Z. talked of what she brought home from Costa Rica, both literally and figuratively.
“Of course I would bring the stuffed animals I got from the animal centre, the friendship bracelet I made on the beach, and the shells I collected on our snorkelling day,” she said. “There are so many more things I want to bring with me, but I know for sure that I would bring back the phrase ‘pura vida.’ In Costa Rica, everyone seems to go with the flow and live in the moment, making it easy for them to spot the pure life and small moments. It was as if life were a plate of rice and beans, and my goal has always been to finish the plate as quickly as possible so that I could move on to the next plate. Costa Ricans, on the other hand, would be slowly chewing on the rice and beans in front of them, taking in all the flavours of every single bite.
“The meaning of an EDGE trip, in my opinion, is being willing to open your arms to anything. It could be a warm hug for the students after teaching them ‘please’ and ‘thank you.’ It could be Ben the monkey jumping onto your shoulders while you make barbecue grills that will generate income for the community. It could be the ocean breeze swaying through your arms.”
Max talked about the value of the EDGE trip as a way of changing his worldview.
“This whole EDGE experience was just super inspiring in the sense that I witnessed and lived a lifestyle that was just so different from anything I’ve ever experienced,” he said. “I can’t say that I’ve enjoyed doing a service or a labour more than I did on the EDGE Costa Rican experience. Knowing that what I was doing was making an immediate impact was just so fulfilling and made me super happy.”
We acknowledge with respect the Coast Salish Peoples on whose traditional lands and waterways we live, learn and play. We are grateful for the opportunity to share in this beautiful region, and we aspire to healthy and respectful relationships with those who have lived on and cared for these lands for millennia.
Shawnigan Lake School is an independent co-educational boarding school for ages 13 –18 on Canada’s beautiful West Coast. Our diverse, interdisciplinary and innovative programming helps shape the next generation of global leaders.
