Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Field Research topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board approves Seeds of Change Costa Rica research trip; program offers university credit and scholarships
Summary
The school board approved a hands-on Costa Rica research trip run with Seeds of Change. The June 11–20 program includes field research, a stated cost of $4,600 with three university credits (or $4,450 without credits), fundraising plans and a target enrollment of 16–20 students.
Monticello Public School District trustees on Nov. 3 approved a proposed Seeds of Change Costa Rica research trip designed to give high school students hands-on field research experience and the opportunity to earn college credit.
Science teachers Courtney Nauman and Brett Christopherson described a June 11–20 itinerary centered at a Costa Rican research facility; activities include student-designed experiments, excursions (canopy tours, river wildlife viewing, night hikes) and a follow-up coastal visit for sea-turtle research. The program offers three university credits (through Augustana) for a stated total cost of $4,600, or $4,450 for students who do not seek credit. Teachers said some fundraising options exist, including selling Costa Rican coffee (about $14 a bag, with half the proceeds credited to students) and planned community events.
Nauman said the program seeks about 16–20 students and that chaperone arrangements would be approximately one chaperone per eight students; the program will place students in on-site cabins and coordinate with the research facility’s staff. The teachers said the district would not pay the trip cost; families pay directly to the program. The motion to approve the trip was moved by Mary Bridal and seconded by Casey Root and carried by voice vote 5-0.
Teachers also noted educational benefits including potential scholarships, early lab internships and a University of Minnesota lab visit for interested students after the trip.
