Valley View School
North Brookfield, MA

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Valley View School Trip

In March, a group of Valley View School students spent 10 days exploring, trekking, and zip lining across Costa Rica. Valley View has been doing exotic, foreign travel for over 30 years with their students, though this is the first time they have visited Central America. These trips combine elements of true cultural immersion, visiting national heritage sites and adventurous pursuits. From spending the day with high school students in Nepal and touring the Taj Mahal in India, to playing soccer with teens in Ecuador and waling the Great Wall of China and seeing the endangered white lions while on safari in South Africa, Valley View students are able to get incredible, real life experiences most people never get to experience.

We believe learning cannot take place in a vacuum, and must be lived as an experience, so we continue to explore the parameters of travel. Over the years, we have visited over twenty very culturally different countries, each offering a unique experience that boys don't soon forget. We often see VVS students who have long-since graduated, finished college, and have families of their own visit our campus and recount their own memories of VVS travel, 15, 20 and 30 years ago. Without a doubt, these experiences make memories that last a lifetime.

In addition to the hikes and zip lining in Costa Rica, boys experienced the thrill of rappelling down 250 foot waterfalls, seeing the countryside on ATVs, kayaking and snorkeling in the warm waters of the Pacific, observing the various monkeys, sloths, tropical birds, and even crocodiles in their natural habitat, and rafting on the Savegre River. All in all, it was an exciting and active trip, and boys are already asking where Valley View School is off to next year! While we have not decided that yet, one can be sure it will have its share of fun and excitement.