"7"

Anne Hall

The wonders of the ancient world, from Babylon to Rhodes,

The colors of the rainbow, the multiplying loaves,

Bright menorah candles on dark December nights

The stars of Ursa Major, those familiar twinkling lights,

The spots of lucky lady bugs, munching on the lawn,

And perhaps most famous of them all…the dashing Mr. Bond.

These things I’ve listed share a trait, a fascinating tie

Within the mind of humankind, and in nature earth and sky

For seven is their hallmark; seven stands apart because

Seven is a magic number, if ever one there was.

And so I think it’s fitting, even if it makes us blue

That I’ve had seven splendid years at Trident and with you.

Years one through three were tough ones; I taught a lot of boys,

Only Matt remembers the classrooms and the noise.

They say what doesn’t kill you only makes you strong

And thus my teaching skills improved as those years passed along.

6^th grade ancient studies was what changed everything

And many students here still know their rivers, maps, and kings.

Years four though six were seamless, I taught, I learned, I laughed

We did yoga in the lunch room, made masks and other crafts,

Ate fruits with Esperanza, built castles for Crispin

I’ve heard them say they wish that they could do it all again!

The food, the fun, the field trips, the contests, and the games,

We learned so much that none of us will ever be the same.

Yes, myself included, you’ve taught me all I know

My cup is running over, and now it’s time to go.

We’ve had seven back to school nights, seven Mardi Gras parades

Seven times I’ve made you read your poems up here upon this stage

Seven years of watching as you change before my eyes

As you learn new things and try new wings and then take off and fly.

I don’t know how to thank you; I’m not sure what to say

So I’ll dedicate this poem instead to all of you today

To all your perseverance to all your grit and drive

To all you bring to every day you come to school and try.

You are amazing students, and I’m lucky to have been

For seven years, your teacher, your leader and your friend.

An Unexpected Wonder

     I was asked to go on the Upper School trip to Costa Rica, and of course, said yes. My rationale was that with my own child starting off as a college freshman next year, trips for me would be far and few between. Yes, I knew that Costa Rica was made up of rain forests and cloud forests and had volcanoes, but I truly was not prepared for the incredible number of birds and the variety of wildlife that lived in and around these locals. To see leaves that an adult human could use as a place to curl up and read a book, or flowers that you and I pay good money for each spring growing wild along the roadside, should have been my first clue, but it took waking up to the sound of howler monkeys and the sight of steam coming out of an active volcano to really drive it home.

     It was hysterical to watch the students react to certain situations: unknown foods, “wildlife” such as spiders or lizards in their rooms (hello, this is a rain forest!), and doing without a lot of technology. It was gratifying to watch some of them overcome some real fears to participate in some of the activities and to have them force me to do the same. I was not big on going down that zip line and I KNEW a shark was waiting just for me when we went snorkeling, but if they could do it, I had to do it too. And it was great!  

     Many of the students were glad to pay the $8.00 bill for an American hamburger and fries when we got to the airport to come home, but I was already missing the plantains and the wonderful coffee. All of the people that went on this trip experienced things that we had not seen, heard, tasted, or experienced before from seeing cacao beans processed into chocolate (one of my personal favorites) to riding horseback along a ridgeline or deserted beach; bathing in pools heated by volcanic heat or having a science lesson in a tidal pool on a beach with tapir tracks; eating fresh coconuts or watching iguanas come tumbling from trees and ceilings to steal bananas from each other. These and so many other experiences truly made this an incredible trip. Not to mention the variety of planes, buses, and boats we took to reach our destinations.

     So, the next time you come by the school, talk to some of the students that went on the trip and check out some of the photos on the wall. Then try to figure out which student won a rodeo contest, “screamed like a girl” when he saw a spider, caught a blue sailfish, fell into a tilapia pond, lost his shoes in the river, went jet skiing three times, landed on a dirt road in a small plane, carried his luggage to a boat to be loaded from the beach, swam in a rainforest waterfall pool……You get the picture. It was wonderful and surpassed anything I was expecting. I would go back in a heartbeat, but just in case it doesn’t happen; I brought back as much coffee as I could fit in my suitcase.

Lalla G. Boatwright

Costa Rica Blog

By Frankie Holmes

Costa Rica was beautiful. There were so many things to do and places to see that I want to go back! When we arrived in San Jose, Costa Rica, I could tell there were a lot of differences in “here” and “there”. In Costa Rica, the traffic is crazy or maybe it was just the drivers. Costa Ricans are very good drivers, but their methods of driving consist of swerving, texting while driving motorcycles, and letting ten year-olds drive a motorcycle with younger kids on the back! When we got to our first hotel and we were assigned to our rooms, I noticed how big this hotel really is. It has little apartments spread out over a lot of land, and it took a good bit of time to walk from the lobby to our room.

            The first night, we had our first Costa Rica meal while watching a horseshow and some of us got to participate in it. Although I did not participate, I had a bunch of fun watching and eating. The next morning, we headed to the Arenal volcano where our next hotel was located. The volcano was awesome and you had a great view from almost every room in the hotel. The trips we went on in Arenal were very fun and amazing. We went on two hikes, zip lining, and to a hot springs resort that is heated by a volcano. My favorite thing in Arenal was the hot springs because it was the most relaxing and fun! There were slides into the hot spring pool, and they were rough. On one slide you would hit your head on the inside of the slide and it hurt, but it was still fun though.

            Our next hotel was far away from Arenal, and we had to take a small passenger plane to a place called Drake Bay, Costa Rica. It was beautiful. There was a great view of the Pacific Ocean and every afternoon there were tons of blue butterflies flying around the hotel. In Drake Bay, we went on a hike, snorkeling and whale watching. My favorite thing in Drake Bay was snorkeling and waiting to see if we were going to see some of the tsunami that hit Japan. We waited on the shoreline, waiting to see the reported 6 foot wave coming from Japan that was supposed to come around 4:00, but it never came. The next day, we found out that it did come around ten that night. It had sunk the tour boats we were supposed to use that day, but luckily, they had replacements. Our next stop was also on the coast called Manuel Antonio. We got to hang out on the beach, go jet skiing, and walk around the town, and that meant a lot of sunburns! My favorite activity was jet skiing of course! It was so fun, and we saw some beautiful beaches and a great view of the sun (which even our sunscreen couldn’t protect us from). Sadly, like every trip you have to come home eventually, but I will never forget the things I did and saw in Costa Rica. I hope to go back some time in the future!