It was more than just some field trip. It was a class trip deeply focused on service and learning and diversity.

With the power to alter existences, it was the trip of a lifetime.

Recently, 43 sophomores, juniors and seniors from Manheim Township High School completed a special journey to the South American continent. From March 15 to 22, the students traveled to Ecuador to explore regions of the Amazon River and Andes Mountains as part of a global student exchange program.

While there, the students received firsthand instruction on environmental science and conservation. For most, it was an eye-opening experience, but perhaps the most important lessons were the ones they learned about themselves.

"Our students were inspired by what they saw abroad, enough to apply what they learned when they came back home," said Tammy Sweeney, a Manheim Township social studies teacher and a chaperone for the trip. "If we learn this knowledge and don't apply it, it loses some value. This is the type of trip that changes our students' worldview and their place in it. It helps them realize the effect they have on it."

In Ecuador, the students engaged in service activities like sustainable farming, restoration projects and planting trees. It was the type of hands-on learning that simply can't be replicated in a classroom.

"Spending time in Ecuador shifted my perspective on life in many ways," said Manheim Township senior Alison Penner. "Hiking into the crater of Quilotoa reminded me of the vastness of nature and my place in it, something I often forget after spending months in the classroom. Visiting the Guayusa Runa people, an indigenous group, encouraged me to prioritize introspection and connection with others, practices that tend to be dismissed in the day-to-day business of high school. Seeing the pride the artisans at the market took in their work inspired me to take pride in and put more time into what I do."

There are just as many ways to teach as there are to learn. But perhaps the most effective is the one that combines methods that support one another.

"It was interesting to see how the Guayusa Runa people used many different parts of the forest to build their houses, set their tables, and many other things that we presume can only be done with modern technology," said Manheim Township junior Owen Mark Shelton. "It got me thinking of small changes I can make here that can have large impacts and on how I can educate others to make those same environmentally friendly choices."

Sweeney said that before the onset of the pandemic Manheim Township had sponsored similar international service excursions.

"This was definitely hands-on learning and experimental learning," said Sweeney. "As educators, we teach our kids in classrooms. But when they get opportunities to apply what they're learning and immediately see its impact, it's special. The classroom is somewhat passive. This type of learning is active."