This one goes out to all the students
Dear district 215 students,
Traveling with you all to Costa Rica to take Spanish classes and live with families in Heredia was a great honor for me, and it was exciting for me to see how each of you grew during the two weeks that we were there. Every day, I felt proud of you all for stepping out of your comfort zone of the English speaking midwestern region of the United States of America to live with a Spanish speaking family in central Costa Rica.
I loved seeing our district united.
I loved seeing North students and South students walk each other home, play soccer together, sing karaoke together, dance together, and play cards together.
I loved hearing you talk about your host families.
I loved hearing about the conversations you had with them, the delicious food they made, the places you went with them, and the games you played with them.
I loved hearing about how these families embraced you and welcomed you and how you relaxed into the embrace and allowed these families to penetrate your heart.
I loved hearing you speaking Spanish, making mistakes, improving, and using new words that you learned.
I loved watching you experience the discomfort of being in a new culture, yet eager to learn more and to experience more. Instead of shying away from the discomfort, you leaned into it and got a taste of the richness of sharing life across national, ethnic, and liguistic boundaries.
I loved hearing how your experiences have changed your perspectives and challanged your thinking.
I loved hearing that this beautiful country and its people have found their way into your heart.
Thank you. Thank you for taking these risks. A school district can provide international experiences, but without students who are willing to board planes and land in a different place with a different language and a different culture, these trips would be pointless. Thank you for making this possible in our district.
Miss Berridge
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