Missoula International School

School’s out, memories made, smiles shared. That’s a wrap! 🎓☀️🎉

Congratulations to our 8th graders on their outstanding Community Project presentations and well-deserved news coverage! We are incredibly proud of the compassion, leadership, initiative, and hard work they demonstrated as they worked to make a meaningful impact in our community.

Thank you to the Missoulian and KPAX for highlighting our students and their inspiring work!

Big imaginations, growing minds, and a love of books 📚✨ Our students love exploring stories and discovering new worlds in the MIS library.

Middle school at MIS extends beyond the classroom! We love seeing our student-athletes learn, grow, and support one another both on and off the field.⚽🏃🏻⛹🏻‍♀️🏀

Yesterday we said goodbye to the ocean and made the long trek back to San Jose. After some exploration in Cahuita National Park, and more sloth sightings, we spent some awesome time diving beneath waves and swimming in the Caribbean. After one last massive Costa Rican lunch, we arrived at the hotel with enough time to swim, hang out and have a final reflection circle. Our guides told the kids that they were one of the best groups they’ve ever had and that their Spanish, willingness to connect with people and nature and overall confidence was super impressive. Jon and I are so proud and grateful to have shared this incredible adventure with such fabulous kids!

Today was for ocean and sand, for snorkeling explorations and sneaky monkeys chasing in treetops and stealing watermelon. It was for turmeric roots and cinnamon bark, poison dart frogs and cacao — from fruit to flame to chocolate. It was for storytelling from the shaman’s seat and learning about the indigenous ways of the BriBri community. We sit in the dark tipi and listen, a soft tendril of smoke snaking towards the sky. Today was immersive, authentic, connective experiential learning at its finest. Tomorrow we get to explore Cahuita National Park in the morning and then begin the long trip home!

Leaving our homestay families was bittersweet but adventure beckoned! We spent a glorious morning rafting the Pacuare river, blue Morpho butterflies flitted over our heads while we roared down the rapids. We stopped at a lush green swimming hole, where we felt the pulse of a small waterfall and were able to hang from branches and embrace our wild selves. Later in the day we hiked up to the zipline course and conquered our anxieties by whooshing through the treetops! After a delicious lunch at the outdoor center, and some games of Uno, we loaded up the bus for the coast. Stay tuned for more adventures from this fearless crew!

Our 6th & 7th graders are having an amazing time at MOSA! 🌲

From creating topo maps and learning wildlife tracking through telemetry to building shelters and navigating with map and compass, students are fully immersed in hands-on learning. They also explored fire on the landscape—and even enjoyed a delicious Dutch oven dessert to top it all off!

We’ve had a remarkable two days! From sharing and working in two different schools, to Costa Rican dance class, to jumping in a cool waterfall pool and, sadly, our farewell dinner to our homestay families, our days have been rich and impactful. So thankful for the lovely time we had in Sitio de Mata.