On July 9, over 40 parents and students from Hayes and Buckeye Valley attended a trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands.

The trip lasted 10 days and ended on July 19. During that time, they went through Quito, the Amazon Rain forest, Santa Cruz, and Isabela Island. 

“My favorite part of the trip was just being able to go out of the country and being able to see a whole new culture that I’ve never been exposed to before,” junior Maria Schul who attended the trip says.

The students got the opportunity to do many activities in Ecuador. “My [favorite part] was swimming with thirty sharks,” junior Grace Martin says. “That was literally the best time of my entire life.”

By going on the trip, students learned how to interact with people who have different cultures and lifestyles.

Junior Ainsley Tatman says she learned that “They dress differently, wear colorful outfits and hats [but their outfits] also depend on the weather because there are so many different regions of Ecuador.” 

Along with the educational lessons they learned there, they also took a lot of life lessons back with them. “The main thing I probably took from the trip is just to appreciate all of the things that we have In the world,” Tatman explained.