In 2012, The Show Me Costa Rica Project (SMCRP) was founded at Vashon High School in the heart of north St. Louis, Missouri after a school swap with a nearby suburban school highlighted the inequity in educational opportunities.
This left the students at Vashon wanting equal access to international learning experiences. These students went on to name the first chapter “The Show Me Costa Rica Project”, because it started in Missouri, The Show Me State, and the biological wonders of Costa Rica allowed for the alignment of the biology state standards with an experiential learning trip. Through the joint fundraising efforts of the students, community, high school, parents and other family members, Vashon High School was able to take their first ever student group on an international trip.
In 2016 we expanded to create an entrepreneurial arm, creating specialty merchandise, to help raise funds for future student participation. The venture was a huge success. With one entrepreneurial win under our belt, our leadership team and students looked for other targeted fundraising opportunities. After learning some of the best coffee in the world is grown on farms near volcanoes in Costa Rica, we landed on Costa Rican coffee, which is available for purchase, along with our other roasts, here . The coffee venture serves as both an experiential opportunity for the students to learn about maintaining a business, and a way to help sustain the organization for future students.
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