Costa Rica & Paris Trip

Central High School has been blessed with the opportunity to take students abroad to foreign countries who are in the two main language courses, Spanish and French; however, there is no rule about anyone outside of the classes going on the trips as well. Spanish students go to any part of Central or Latin America, while the French students normally go to France.

Costa Rica

Every other year the Spanish department goes on a trip during spring break, typically to a Latin American country, with Central students. They usually go to Costa Rica but have once gone to Spain. However, students would rather be in Costa Rica because there would be no chance of snow and they could be in a tropical environment. The Spanish department takes students every other year so that they can be in a true Spanish-speaking environment and because it is an amazing learning experience for the students and it helps boost their confidence to actually speak Spanish. This trip is 10 days long and open to all grades and almost every student.

The trip will start in the capital San Jose, Costa Rica where students will go to national museums, national theaters, visit the central market, have the option to go to the gold museum, national fortress, and visit the University of Illinois’s study abroad school that was formed in 2002 - 2003. They also visit La Fortuna which is known for its volcanoes and hiking with other activities such as ziplining, going into thermal waters, and other water activities. The last few days of the trip students will travel a little more south to Mono Azul which has more waterfalls and natural resorts. Then they will go back to San Jose to fly back to Champaign.

To go on the trip, students and their families will have to pay a fee of $3,000. This will cover the flight to and back, insurance to make sure they are covered in case anything does happen, all of the activities, all of the museums and national parks, and breakfast and most lunches and dinners (students will be on their own a few times to encourage them to go out and speak with some people ).

Señora Thompson, who teaches Spanish 2 and AP and is in charge of the Costa Rica trip, suggests that students get an ATM card to be able to buy things in Costa Rica because there is a currency change. There are many ways you can get money for the trip. You can go to the bank and have a couple of hundred dollars converted into Colones (the currency in Costa Rica) beforehand just so you have some cash on you. You can also always go to the ATM in Costa Rica with a little bit of charge.

All Unit 4 rules must be followed when out of the country on the trip. “It’s no different than if the basketball team was going to a tournament and staying in hotels,” says Señora Thompson. The school rules must be followed at all times like when on the bus, on the plane, and in the hotels.

There isn't really a limit to how much luggage you can carry on the trip. Senora Thompson suggests that you pack light, after all, you are going to Costa Rica and will be out in warm weather around nature. Everyone MUST have a passport. Unfortunately, Costa Rica does not allow people to use visas to get into the country.

The school is mandating vaccinations for the trip. All students/teachers/chaperones MUST be fully vaccinated. It is a rule put in place by Explorica, the company that will support the group of people going on the trip. All students that are attending have been given this information months in advance. Booster shots may be required in the next few weeks too. Everyone must take a COVID-19 test 24 hours before they leave. Those who come back positive will not be allowed to attend the trip and will be refunded their money. Masks are still mandatory and will be worn the entire time unless outside.

Not many teachers or chaperones are needed for the trip. To every one adult, there are 12 children. 20 students and 3 teachers are going in total this year. There are multiple ways you can pay for the trip. The sooner the planning starts, the sooner people can start paying monthly fees for the trip. The teachers usually plan a year and a half in advance to make it an option to pay monthly. You can also always pay in full.

Paris

Usually, the French department goes on a school trip to France every other year just like the Spanish department but due to COVID -19 have had to postpone their trip 3 years in a row (2020, 2021, 2022).

In France, there is an additional Covid certification called a health pass. It is not your vaccination card. You need these passes to get into the museums, certain restaurants, and certain businesses. It is not actually available for Americans to obtain, but you can get your vaccine card converted into a health pass once in France or get tested every 2-3 days.

The trip will be in the Normandy region which is the more country feel of France. They will visit beaches, the American cemetery, and museums. Then they will move into Paris via the TGV and spend a few days there to go sightseeing. Then later will move down to Nice, France. The trip is also open to all grades.

To attend the trip students and their families pay anywhere between $3,000 - $3,500. This covers hotels, museum trips, the majority of their food, transportation, etc. Madame Schrader suggests that students and their families order Euros through their bank so that they have some money on them and aren't carrying too much cash on them and risk it getting stolen. Once you arrive in France you can just go to an ATM.

There isn't really a limit to how much luggage you can bring. There is a weight limit that you'll have to pay for if you go over. Students are suggested to pack lighter because they will be moving around a lot to different hotels with their luggage and some hotels may not have elevators.

Very strict COVID guidelines will have to be followed for the possible 2023 France trip. Every rule that is followed here in Champaign will be followed in France to respect their COVID laws. Not many teachers or chaperones are needed to go on the trip. Usually for the France trip parents volunteer to go with their children which fills in for the chaperone placement.

Students that are attending the trip will receive a packet of expectations they must follow while on the trip. The students must also be respectful not only to the tour guide and the chaperones but also to the French culture. Students are expected to stay in groups of three at all times while out in markets, shops, etc.