HUNTINGTON -- Seventeen area high schools students are preparing rigorously for a weeklong field expedition in Costa Rica through the Upward Bound program at Marshall University.
The 36-year-old summer program is designed to prepare and motivate high school students for college. The program, Director Jackie Hersman said, is free and for students from low-income families or those who would be the first in their family to attend post-secondary schooling.
Fifty-five students from Cabell Midland, Huntington, Tolsia and Wayne high schools are in the six-week program. Students take core classes in math, science, communications and literature in addition to a study skills and career planning class.
"The students really do well after they leave the program," Hersman said. "Ninety percent go on to some post-secondary education, and that's extremely high for low-income families and the first-generation population."
The 17 students heading to Costa Rica are going at no cost thanks to a grant from the National Science Foundation. The money, Hersman said, is hard to come by, so the students had to complete two years of Upward Bound and are taking two hours of science this summer instead of one.
Science teacher Ron King and meteorologist and Marshall professor Tina Cartwright have been working extensively with the Costa Rica students. King, who also teaches physics and chemistry at Fairland High School, said students have taken water quality samples from local water sources and mapped out their locations using global positioning satellite equipment.
This week, they are transferring their data onto a computer program and working on PowerPoint presentations to present the work they've done. There's a lot to learn, King said, but students don't seem to mind.
"They told me there was a chance to go to Costa Rica and learn science, and I said, 'I'm in,'" said Cabell Midland senior April Adkins. "I've liked science since elementary school, but this has put it into perspective for me. I could do this for a living."
The students going to Costa Rica will explore Arenal Volcano National Park, learn about Costa Rica's geology and volcanic history, explore the rainforests of Selva Verde Lodge's Rainforest Reserve and take scientific measurements.
First-year students in the GLOBE class weren't eligible for the Costa Rica trip, so counselor Jake Bolen is taking them whitewater rafting next week. Those students also will do some water sampling and compare it to readings they found locally.
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