Middle Schoolers Return with a PR Glow

This spring, our Bridge Years students traded classroom walls for the cobblestone streets of Old San Juan, the rainforest canopy of El Yunque, and the bioluminescent bays of Vieques. They came home glowing — literally and figuratively.

A trip years in the making

For months, students studied Puerto Rican history, geography, and literature. They read Julia de Burgos, mapped the island's ecosystems, and interviewed family members with roots in the Caribbean. By the time they boarded the plane, this was not sightseeing — it was homecoming for some, discovery for others, and immersion for all.

What they did

• Toured El Morro and traced 500 years of colonial history in Spanish
• Hiked to La Mina waterfall and cataloged endemic species
• Cooked mofongo with a local chef who explained the African, Taíno, and Spanish roots of every ingredient
• Kayaked Mosquito Bay after dark, watching the water light up with every paddle stroke

What they brought back

"I speak Spanish every day at school, but there I lived in it. I dreamed in Spanish for the first time." — 7th grader

The students returned with journals full of new vocabulary, cameras full of photos, and hearts full of a place they now call part of themselves. This is what bilingual, multicultural learning looks like when it steps off the page.