Service + Leadership Trip 2025: Puerto Rico
By: Gwen, Libby, Lyla + Sydney
Every year, the 8th grade embarks on a service trip that also incorporates parts of our academic curriculum.
This year, we went to Puerto Rico, which, according to Aly, was “an immersive experience full of fun events and activities that really brought our class together.” We wanted to share some of the magic, so we made this trip journal and short video to show what our trip was about and how much it meant to us all.
TRIP JOURNAL
Day 1: Old San Juan Adventures
We kicked off our trip with a tour through the colorful and historic streets of Old San Juan, and from the moment we arrived, we were immersed in Puerto Rican culture—soaking in the vibrant landscape, admiring monuments, and sneaking in a little shopping. One of the highlights was walking along the centuries old Paseo de la Princesa, which honors the historical figure the surrounding structures were built for. Early on, we came across a beautiful fountain symbolizing some of Puerto Rico’s most important cultural pillars like music and agriculture, and there was a crafts market full of people enjoying the day.
As we wandered through the city, we learned about the life of Juan Ponce de León and his family, getting a deeper appreciation for the island's rich history. To top it all off, we cooled down with some delicious pasteles and had time to explore one of the main shopping streets of the city on our own. After the tour, we made our way to our home base for the next three nights—The Big Yellow House. We went over community expectations, enjoyed an incredible Puerto Rican dinner, and settled in for the evening. Hanging out together at the house and diving into local life was the perfect way to kick off our adventure, but as Cubby said, “San Juan was very different compared to the community that we worked in. San Juan was almost like a mask for tourists.”
Day 2: Getting to Work
We started the day with a delicious breakfast, a little nervous the work wouldn’t be fun as we headed out for our first full service day. At the work site, we learned how to be quick on our feet, stay resourceful, and support each other. Everyone had a specific role, and together we worked like a well-oiled machine.“I learned that working together can make a job a lot easier and more fun,” said Charlotte. We took a break midday to enjoy a fantastic lunch made by María, one of the local community members. After refueling, we returned to the site to finish up the day’s work, proud of our work as a team. As importantly, as Penny said, we learned that, “anything can be fun if you are with the right people. Boom.”
Later, back at The Big Yellow House, we took a fun trip to the beach, relaxed until dinner, and then we gathered to check in on our group goals and expectations before wrapping up the night by watching a documentary about Puerto Rico. It was a full day of learning, teamwork, and sunshine—definitely another one to remember.
Day 3: Concrete, Community, and a Birthday Bash
Today was extra special—it was Graham’s cumpleaños! We kicked things off with a delicious pancake breakfast, and then we packed up our bags and headed out to the construction site for another day of service. After a quick safety demo, we were split into groups, and we jumped straight into the work—some shoveling, some hauling buckets of sand and rocks, and others pouring concrete to help build the walls. Everyone had a role, and the teamwork was strong.
A few hours (and a lot of sweat) later, we made our way to María’s house for another delicious lunch. She served up an amazing meal of chicken, rice, and beans—so good! After eating, we had a meaningful community conversation and took time to thank community members María, William, Angel, and Eggy for their warmth, support, and hospitality. Saying goodbye wasn’t easy! “My experience on the work site taught me to be more grateful for what I have” said Charlie and Sera felt, “It was a lot of fun to have new experiences with my classmates and to learn by working with new people in a different community.”
Back at The Big Yellow House, we headed for the beach to cool off and enjoy a swim in the beautiful ocean. Once we returned, it was time to pack for our next destination and then we had a special dinner followed by ice cream to celebrate Graham’s birthday. We closed out the night with a group reflection. As Richie observed, Puerto Rico and our work there gave us, “a new perspective on how sometimes things can seem so far away but once you see it, you really understand more, and it puts it into perspective for you.” It was a day full of hard work, connection, celebration and new awareness.
Day Four
Today we made our way from The Big Yellow House to Luquillo and jumped right into action. Our first task was clearing the paths near the beach—snipping back overgrown plants with shears and raking up fallen palm fronds to make the trails more welcoming. After a well-earned lunch, we headed back out to tidy up a shady spot on the beach, picking up trash and doing our part to keep the coastline clean. Owen observed, “It’s terrible how fast we filled up four bags of trash during our beach clean up,” and we were glad to help.
In the afternoon, we swapped tools for paddles and set off on an educational river adventure through a beautiful mangrove forest. We stopped by the beach to learn about local sea turtles and their habitat, standing near a nest where a mother had laid her eggs—super cool! We ended the day with a delicious dinner, then made our way to the town square for a lively and laughter-filled salsa lesson. Another busy but unforgettable day on the trip!
Day Five: The Grand Finale
We kicked off our final day at Casa Coral with a delicious breakfast—fluffy pancakes, crispy bacon, fresh fruit, and more. Fueled up and ready to go, we took a quick walk to meet our bus, which brought us into the mountains to a gorgeous swimming hole in the El Yunque Rainforest. There, we soaked in the sun, splashed around, and let out plenty of joyful screams as we swam in the cool mountain water.
After drying off and hiking back to the bus, we made our way to the Luquillo kiosks for lunch and a bit of souvenir shopping. Next, it was off to the beach, where we spent an hour relaxing, tanning, and playing games under the Puerto Rican sun.
Back at Casa Coral, we wound down with a chill hangout session—music, card games, and great vibes all around. Dinner brought us a feast of scrumptious pizza, and to top it all off, we ended the night with a magical bioluminescent kayak tour—an unforgettable way to close out an amazing trip. As Charlie said, “we got a lot closer as a class,” which was the best part of all.