On Monday, Greeley West students returned from their 10-day trip to Ecuador. A mix of students, led by Ms. Corrine Calhoon and Ms. Susan Eastin went to explore places like the Amazon Forest, the Galapagos Islands, and the Andes Mountains and did different activities such as rafting and hiking.
Sophomore Tagen Becher was one of the students who went on board the trip. This was the first time Becher had traveled outside of the country, and he met the difficulties of traveling as according to him the flight from Miami to Ecuador was bad. But overall Becher had a good experience on this trip, like going to all the beaches. This trip left him wanting to go on another one, maybe his senior year. “It was fun, it was a good experience I’ve never been out of the country,” Becher said.
Sophomore Cali Tryan was another student who went on the trip. Tryan liked the fact that she had to step outside her comfort zone and go on a trip with people she didn’t know. She enjoyed connecting with people she didn’t know or talk to. But for her, that was also the most difficult part of the trip as she had to talk to strangers. Like Becher, this trip left her wanting more, and might go on the Paris trip that is coming up. “I like experiencing it with people I don’t hang out with,” Tryan said.
Calhoon, a science teacher at West, was one of the teachers in charge of the trip. Calhoon believes what went well about the trip was seeing kids explore new places and see friendships being made as no one knew each other. Some struggles they faced were altitude sickness as well as motion sickness, as almost everyone on the trip got sick.
As a science teacher, Calhoon enjoyed seeing the Amazon Forest and seeing the Charles Darwin Research Center in the Galapagos, where he made the theory of evolution. She enjoyed seeing the biodiversity and for students to see it as well. Calhoon believes that students should go on trips like these because it makes them more independent and risk takers. It’s also a treat to be able to see new cultures and get a hands-on experience. “I think the friendships that were made, none of the kids knew each other so they made really good friends,” Calhoon said.
Students should be excited about the upcoming trips, as it will be two back-to-back Europe trips. In the summer of 2025, they will go to the Swiss Alps and the Mediterranean, the French Riviera, and mostly the European countryside. Then after that trip, they will go to Scottland.
