RHS Students Extend Learning in Costa Rica over Summer Break
Geckos in hotel rooms. Monkeys and sloths in the trees. A hike to the base of a towering waterfall. Planting hundreds of mangrove trees by hand.
For 20 Ritenour High School students and recent alumni, a summer trip to Costa Rica brought learning to life in ways that could never quite be duplicated inside a classroom.
The nine-day adventure in July 2026 was organized by RHS biology and zoology teacher Samantha Bueltmann, who is beginning her 15th year at Ritenour. After visiting Costa Rica several times herself, Bueltmann knew its rainforests, volcanoes, wildlife and culture could offer students an experience they would remember long after returning home.
“I have previously gone to Costa Rica a couple of times and thought that it would be a great experience for our students,” Bueltmann said. I knew that a trip like this would offer students many new cultural and environmental experiences, as well as the opportunity to help make a difference in an ecosystem much different than what they have in St. Louis.
Bueltmann was joined by RHS social studies teacher Katie Davis and art teacher Paul Kennedy, who helped lead the students throughout the trip.
Costa Rica provided a natural classroom at nearly every stop. Students explored landscapes ranging from rainforests and beaches to waterfalls and volcanic areas. Along the way, they encountered wildlife rarely seen back home in Missouri, including monkeys, sloths, crocodiles, red macaws, red-eyed tree frogs, poison dart frogs, iguanas, agoutis and coatimundis.
Some wildlife came a little closer than expected.
There were “geckos, even in our hotel rooms,” Bueltmann said.
One of the most meaningful experiences also required students to get their hands dirty. Together, the group planted 950 mangrove trees, combining service with an up-close lesson about Costa Rica's environment.
The students also kayaked on a lake near a volcano, hiked to the bottom of La Fortuna Waterfall, went on a night hike and swam in the ocean at Manuel Antonio National Park. A ziplining excursion gave them another perspective on the lush landscape.
But Bueltmann wanted the experience to go beyond Costa Rica's natural beauty.
Students visited an elementary school in a Costa Rican village, toured cacao and coffee plantations, and learned more about the country's culture and traditions. They sampled chocolate during a cacao plantation visit and even joined a local dance troupe for traditional dances.
Stephany Lemuz-Ramirez, an RHS junior, said she enjoyed learning a lot about animals she had never encountered before, such as the howler monkey.
"They make a frightening scream when they feel threatened, and that scream gets louder when the predator is really near and/or when they notice it," said Lemuz-Ramirez.
Lemuz-Ramirez also said touring the cacao plantation was another highlight of the trip.
"The history of chocolate and how it developed was also really interesting," she said. "It was intriguing how chocolate was seasoned with many different seasonings, fruit and herbs One example I remember is the use of chili peppers, vanilla and honey by Mesoamericans."
The trip was nearly two years in the making. Bueltmann independently arranged the experience through EF Educational Tours and began planning about 22 months before departure to allow time to fundraise and defray costs.
For Bueltmann, the destination was a natural fit for a teacher whose biology and zoology classes regularly explore ecosystems, animals and the relationships between living things and their environments. For students, however, those lessons suddenly had a much bigger backdrop.
Planning is already underway for an adventure in 2028.
