Langley Students Connect to EARTH

Langley Students Connect to EARTH

September 25, 2013 News 0

For the 3rd year in a row, GYLI worked with the 8th grade class at Langley School in McLean, VA on their Eco-Experience in Costa Rica. This year we facilitated the experience for 44 students and 11 teachers. Before the 7-day program, Matt Nink, and GYLI coordinator, Shanti Freitas also conducted a parent information night on the Langley Campus. The Langley students and teachers were able to engage in many amazing learning opportunities on and near the campus of EARTH University. First students tour parts of EARTHs 8,000 acre campus: The dairy farm, waste management/recycling facility, the banana plantation, and the innovative experimental urban garden demonstrations. These tours were conducted and facilitated by EARTH students from Ecuador, Nigeria, Uganda, Costa Rica, and Panama.
The Langley students and teachers were also able to visit local farms near the campus and see where the EARTH students seek to apply their classroom learning to real-world applications. The farms serve as living laboratories of better, organic agriculture on a small scale to improve the health of individuals and communities.

GYLI also facilitated a service project with a local school – The Collegio Bilingual Francisco Asissi.  Here the students assisted in tree planting and green-house repair.  But this trip was not only for work and service as Langley students also got to experience the fun of white-water rafting, cultural dancing, and the joy of interacting with a host of students, teachers, peers, and guides from the beautiful country of Costa Rica.  “This was by far the best trip we have experienced,” said Langley Upper Head, Ryan Jefferson.  Ryan McKinney, a science teacher and avid environmentalist said, “It is hard to imagine a better learning opportunity for our students.”

You can learn more about GYLI’s customized leadership and learning programs here.