Caedmon Conservationists

It is common to see Caedmon alumni living out the school mission as they matriculate through their remaining school years and into their professional and personal adult lives. In particular, “the natural curiosity of each child, which is the foundation of academic achievement” is frequently exemplified in the pursuits taken up by Caedmon alumni as they follow their passions.

When they were students at Caedmon, Class of 2016’s Terrence and Alexandra Fuller became fascinated by the science lab’s pet lizard. Their early interest in biodiversity and environmental conservation later blossomed through their high school’s Global and Environmental Certificate Program, culminating in a service trip to Costa Rica.

The current 12th graders, who will both attend Boston College this fall, recapped their Costa Rica adventure to

The Steps of Caedmon and highlighted the thread that ties Caedmon’s approach to learning to the amazing achievements that lay ahead of them.

The Steps of Caedmon: When did this trip take place?

Terrence and Alex: Last summer, in 2022, we traveled with Smithsonian Student Travel to Costa Rica for an environmental studies trip. We went to multiple locations, such as Escazu, Tortuguero National Park, La Selva Research Station, and San Jose. Our favorite location was Tortuguero, where we spent the longest time during our trip.

How and why did you get involved?

At our current boarding school, Loomis Chaffee, there is a program called the Global and Environmental Studies

Certificate Program (GESC). For the GESC, we undergo many assignments, projects, and courses related to global and environmental factors. We completed the class work, but we still had to do an experiential educational experience. We chose to help with turtle and wildlife conservation in Costa Rica. We always loved turtles, so it was a huge interest of ours. Also, there is a huge issue with turtle egg poaching and this was something that we wanted to learn more about, as well as ways to combat the problem.

What were your two or three biggest takeaways from the experience? What did you learn most? What surprised you?

The trip was amazing, and we learned so many valuable lessons that we will continue to implement in our lives. The first major takeaway from this trip would be the importance of wildlife conservation and how this is an issue that concerns everyone worldwide and not just people with nature in their backyards. Even though we live in New York City, these issues are pressing and very important. Another takeaway would be to immerse yourself in new communities and cultures. When we were in Tortuguero, we taught 1st through 3rd graders about wildlife conservation. We had an amazing time, and it was rewarding to teach others this important information. In return, we had a great cultural exchange, and the children taught us some of their games, showed us their work, and also gave us suggestions on where to go in their town.

How did your Caedmon elementary experience influence your interest in travel and world cultures?

Caedmon alumni have a love of traveling, trying new things, and bettering the world around us. Growing up, one of our favorite classes was Science, where we learned about animals, the environment, and much more. We remember how we had a class bearded dragon that we were mesmerized by. The hands-on learning approach cultivated at Caedmon became a strength in Costa Rica when we got to help with the turtle egg laying process. We actually got to hold the turtle eggs while counting them to keep track of the total eggs on the beach to make sure the turtle conservation center was aware when eggs were being poached. The self-directed activities and interests that Caedmon allowed us to partake in grew our love for turtles at the time. We asked our science teacher if he could teach us more about turtles and he explained the difference between the various species and more. This interest continued from Caedmon and is probably the reason why we ended up going on this amazing trip and learning experience. Moving forward, we plan to continue using these skills that Caedmon taught us to continue to explore the world [and] different cultures, and examine environmental and global issues.