Help Students with Financial Need Travel to Costa Rica

Dear Friends and Supporters,

¡Saludos! My name is Sara Kitzinger Anton, and I am proud to teach 7th and 8th grade Spanish in Shorewood, Wisconsin. I also lead the Shorewood Intermediate School (SIS) Costa Rica Trip. I’ve volunteered to coordinate and travel with students since joining the Shorewood School District in 2015. Along with me, parent and staff volunteers also donate their time and personal expenses to allow SIS students to experience cultural and linguistic immersion in Costa Rica.

I’ve traveled with four incredible groups of students in 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2023. So far, 110 students have been able to experience this trip. The kids lived with Costa Rican host families, took small-group Spanish lessons, and traveled around the country. We zip-lined in the rainforest and learned how coffee and chocolate are made. We volunteered at daycares, schools, and in community parks. Students took traditional Costa Rican dance and cooking classes. We also took a boat tour of the coast. All of the trips were incredibly successful and memorable. Especially when students are 13 or 14 years old, the ability for them to learn within the culture is especially impactful.

Authentic learning experiences like these shape our kids into empathetic, global citizens throughout their whole lives.

We have our 2025 trip to Costa Rica scheduled, but we need your help to make this experience a reality for our kids with financial need. We are a diverse district in many ways, including socio-economic status. Currently, 22% of the student body at our school is defined as "economically disadvantaged" by the Wisconsin Department of Instruction. This Costa Rica trip, and many others like it, are out of reach for nearly a quarter of our student body. As an educator who values social justice, I proposed this fundraiser to assist students who demonstrate financial need to make this opportunity a reality.

This year, we are hoping to meet our fundraising goal before October 1st. This is because all student families need to submit a non-refundable check to secure their place on the trip. Our families with financial need would have more peace of mind knowing our generous donors will provide a specific dollar amount toward their trip before the first check is due.

Our 9-day trip will cost $3615 per student and includes everything except optional spending money. We would like to award from 50% to 75% of the trip cost to students with financial need, based on individual level of need. Any funds raised beyond our goal will be used to establish a permanent scholarship fund for the same purpose: to help students from lower income families travel to Costa Rica in future years.

¡Muchas gracias, y pura vida!