OHS Biology Club Reaches Funding Goal for Costa Rica

The Olney High School Biology & Conservation Club reached its fundraising goal for a 2025 trip to Costa Rica, OHS biology teacher Will Stewart said.

The club has been fundraising since last September and had to make the final payment for the trip by March 23. The trip, set for June 2 to June 9, costs about $4,000 per student, for a total of $38,950 for the whole group, including Mr. Stewart and chaperone Calli Simmons.

The students participating are: Jojo Acuna, Morgan Simmons, Isaac Rios, Sawyer Edgington, Adrian Gonzalez, Lily Thames, Cameron Mc-Comack, Seth Nash, and Aidyn Bitner.

The Olney group will travel to Costa Rica’s Pacuare Reserve on the Caribbean Sea to work alongside researchers monitoring and helping ensure survival of Leatherback Sea Turtle nests and eggs. They also will spend time at one of several rainforest lodges where they will explore and learn about the rainforest ecology of Costa

Rica.

The club traveled to Belize for its first overseas conservation trip in 2023.

The OHS Biology & Conservation Club “works to bring awareness to students and our community of the importance of biodiversity, ecologically sound practices, and conservation methods that we can all use in our daily lives,” Mr. Stewart said. “While doing this we hope to give students a path to explore careers in biology, education, and conservation.”