Fun Fun were going to be cooking a Costa Rican meal for our school, i cannot wait!! some of the Costa Rican dishes.--->C LICK HERE<---
come back and check!!

Thank You!!

First of all I want to say thank you so much Bryan, for everything. You have helped me see what I can accomplish when I really try and work hard for it. Bryan you are the first teacher that has ever really pushed me to where and what I am today. Before this Costa Rica class I just thought, cool a classs thats gonna go all the way to Central America, I also didnt really have any motivation to actually do good, and get good grades, and actually do something to better my own life. Bryan you have showed me that there is so much more than going to high school, and graduate just to get the school, part over. I am going to be the first in my WHOLE family to graduate high school. You helped me see how and what I am going to do to finish high school, and actually have my own life. This class is so much more than a just a cool trip, myself, all of these students, Bryan and a lot of other teachers have worked our butts off. We didnt just sit in front of Walmart, or Market Basket and ask for money, we went out somedays raining, hot, cold, and raked ALOT! I can honestly say each and everyone of the students and Bryan have earned our way to Costa Rica! God Job everyone!

Thank you so much everyone.

AMAZING Lister Leaf Busters!

The Lister Leaf Busters are now out of business, its getting cold, about to snow, and we raised around $3,800 dollars. We have raked about 25 yards, in about 20 days, with roughly 10 students and 2 teachers. I have to say we are the best rakers there are around here. Our class has WORKED OUR BUTTS OFF, to be where we are right now. We went from saying "if we go" to "When we go." Its so amazing to think that we started off with nothing, and we have fund raised all the way up to $11,600 dollars. That's more than half way to our goal!

But we still need help, we will always accept a little help from everyone. Our overall goal is $15,000, but if we raise more we will be able to do more excursions while in Costa Rica. Our sources of fundraising are
1.) Anonymous donation = $5,000
2.) Lister Leaf Busters =$3,800
3.) car wash, raffles, etc= $2,200
4.) individual donations=$600

Overall our class has done a phenomenal job! Thank you so much to Bryan for making this class possible, as well as Kristi for the fundraising, all the staff at school and all of the students . If it wasnt for all of us, Costa Rica wouldnt be in our minds. Thank you everyone
Please help with donations =)

Wolf and I

Well first of all my school Robert J. Lister Academy is a school to help students that have a difficult time learning, and have a hard time staying on task. This week I read in Walking With Wolf , that Wolf and I have some stuff in common. First is the bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is characterized by extreme changes in mood. Its really hard to try and explain things like this to other people, because I'm always scared on what others will say about me. Also like Wolf I have lost someone very close to me, her name is Chelsea. I really like being able to connect to different kinds of books, it makes me feel kinda of unique.

Wolf is a very inspiring man, he has been taking care of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve since day one of going to Costa Rica. He always used hard work and determination much like we are to get to Costa Rica. Our class has already raised more than half of what we need to get there. We are doing leaf raking, we charge $100.00 per yard. Our class does have experience in raking and i have to say were pretty darn good. If you would like to have us come rake your yard please contact me via e-mail mshattuck.student@gmail.com. we also have a facebook page as well, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lister-Academy-Costa-Rica-Class/124033450983550?ref=share. Please come back for more anytime.

YES!! WERE ONLINE!!!

Our Facebook account is up and running and our PayPal account is accepting online donations. Look for our article in the Portsmouth Herald/ Seacoast Online over the weekend. We are hiring out for leaf raking October 23rd - November 7th. Please consider supporting us and check us out at http://sites.google.com/site/listeracademycostaricaclass. Thank you have a good weekend.

☮ ♥ =) ..Peace Not War.. (= ♥ ☮

While reading Walking With Wolf this week i got very interested in why and how Costa Rica was founded. In 1949 4 Alabama Quakers got arrested for refusing the Korean war draft. One of the men was Wolf Guidon. The reasoning to refuse the draft was because their religion beliefs are peace not war,no killing, no fighting. Peace and love not war.
After getting out of jail their family wanted to go to a country free of army. So when Wolf's mother got sick they left her back home while they all went to Costa Rica, undeveloped, quiet, and far away. Costa Rica is war free, peaceful, undeveloped, and the colder climate was good for his fathers dairy farming.The Quakers farmed a large amount of land, which they eventually set aside for conservation.This land was eventually a safe reserve, which was named the Reserva Biológica Bosque Nuboso Monteverde (Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve), has become a major tourist attraction.

Chapter 5

On page 55 I saw that since the 1990's A.T.Vs, horses, bicycles, even motorcycles took over the roads. Kids were walking to school instead of getting driven, they just didn't really use cars for transportation as much in that terrain, due to cautions. There are cautions because parts of the roads fall apart, and most of the roads are dirt. I think it would be strange for people to just start using A.T.Vs and such because we don't have a bad terrain or all dirt roads , cracked and just parts of roads missing. I work at the Haunted Acres NH, next to New England Dragway, and they have a motocross track, my brother was thinking about going riding there. There are so many tracks, clubs, and trails for motocross and just to ride around on.

Ever since I was around 9 years old I have been riding dirt bikes, four wheelers, three wheelers, and just going out and having fun. I feel like its just so exhilarating to be out in a field just bombing around not really worrying about school and other stressful stuff. I also love the rain, and it rains a lot in Costa Rica. The rain also makes it a harder terrain for people to drive cars and trucks on the roads because of the narrowness on the mountains. In Costa Rica there is no technical summer and winter, because summer just means that its when it rains more, and winter is the dry season(somewhat). I was doing some research about volunteers that go Costa Rica like Wolf. I found this ----->CLICK HERE<------




If you would like to help and donate money to myself, or our class please contact me (Mariah) at mshattuck.student@gmail.com or my teacher Bryan Mascio at bmascio@portsmouth.k12.nh.us
Thank you for checking out my blog! please come back soon!!!!

Chapter 4

There is a main point in chapter 4, about how the community built the Monteverde Friends School in the year 1957. Because the Quakers needed a place to educate their children, they founded the Monteverde Friends School soon after their arrival and it has operated ever since. The first settlers wrote, “We believe we should try to create an atmosphere for our children in which real values, as we see them are given first place. As part of this, a school is maintained in which we try to help our children grow strong spiritually and mentally.”


The way the community helps remind me how our class also needs help by our community on our mission. it was great to have the news paper highlight our story to the community. Our teacher Kristi has already gotten many phone calls and e-mails from people who want to help us on our journey. Over the next few weeks we will be looking at ways to raise the money we need, one of which is equal exchange.








There was a really cool connection from the book to myself on page 39 where Lucky and Wolf were making a water repellent for their tent. They were doing this because they lived in a tent with their kids and it was leaking. The next day they were trying to put the water repellent on the tent when the tent caught fire. They tried pouring water on the fire but instead it made the flame bigger. They lost nearly everything they owned. Lucky had to take pieces of towels and blankets and sewed them together to make them bigger. About a year ago I was camping with friends, when a hot ember came out of the camp fire and flew into the tent. The tent caught on fire along with my blankets a radio and some person belongings. we tried to put out the fire but nothing really worked. So just like Lucky and Wolf my friends and I lost our belongings as well.

About Myself..

My name is Mariah,
I go to school in Portsmouth, NH at The Robert J. Lister Academy, I have a mission to go to Costa Rica! The reason for this mission is first of all I decided to take a class all about Costa Rica and believe me it's no walk in the park on a sunny day. I have to fund raise $1800.00 for myself. I am currently studying tourism for when I get to Costa Rica. Everything about Costa Rica is so amazing to me, I love animals, nature, adventure, and the travel. For myself this trip is a once in a life time chance. The reason the trip is a once in a life time chance for me is because I don't come from a wealthy family at all so it really cuts what I get to do.

This trip could even be life changing to myself as well as others in my class. I have always loved the outdoors and animals so its amazing that I get to do something like this and pursue my dreams. Before this year i have always been a slacker in school, this year really changed me and my teachers really showed me to be mature and do what I want to do. I really want to have more knowledge on the Costa Rican culture, lifestyle, and just live the life of the Costa Rican for 10 days. As of right now we have already started to fund raise by having a car wash, gardening at our school, held a booth at the Stratham fair(and met Gov. John Lynch), and we are currently raffling a laptop until October 7, 2010. If you would like to donate to our class, or myself please contact my email. mshattuck.student@gmail.com
Thank You so much for taking the time to read my blog.
Sincerely Mariah Shattuck

Chapter 3

About a week ago our whole school went on a hike to Mt. Major. During that hike I just couldn't stop talking or even just thinking about Costa Rica. I was thinking how exhilarating its going to be just because the way Wolf describes this paradise. Not only this chapter but all the chapters so far have me very convinced that Costa Rica is going to be absolutely amazing. My issue is I just need to be able to get enough money to actually experience this. Some people think that were just taking a class, but its so much more than that, this class is a once in a life time chance, maybe even life changing for a lot of people.

I was shocked when i could make a life relation to this chapter because of the fact that I didn't know about zoo's or museums, or movies

Chapter 2

In chapter two I got lost and confused a lot due to the historical references. I was never really good with history so it was very easy for me to get lost. Besides all of this I did make a couple of self connection to Wolf's words. The first connection I made to this whole chapter was Wolf's school Organic was a hands on school like my school Robert J. Lister Academy. Another connection to myself was I love my parents and family more than ANYTHING in the whole universe. When I read the part about how his mother died, then soon after his father died from a hemorrhage in the brain I cried. I cried because I thought 'what if' and when that day does come, which I wish would NEVER come I just don't know what I would ever do!

Back in the day is not as similar as now a days. Back then guys would be polite when asking a girl on a date. "I decided to send Lucky a note to see if we could get together at some social do." In the 21st century its a whole lot different. Now when guys ask girls out on a date it more like ''Hey baby your cute lets' go get something to eat and watch a movie." It just seems like there isn't as much respect for one another like there use to be, there is more and more disrespect for both men and women. Wolf mentioned how he got imprisoned for his self opinion basically because the laws use to be when you turn 18 you have to sign up to be in the military and there was a possible chance to get drafted to war. Since Wolf and his family are Quakers they do not believe in war and violence.

CHAPTER 1

My name is Mariah. I currently attend school at Robert J. Lister Academy. I decided to sign up for a year long class that is studying Costa Rica! Our first assignment was to read a chapter and post a blog, so here it goes. In chapter one of Walking With Wolf it was interesting to know how many people Wolf has inspired. Wolf's real name is Wilford Francis Guindon.

As I read more and more I also found on page 2, that "Wolf and his wife Lucky had lived in Monteverde since arriving in 1951 as part of a small group of American Quakers."
Even though I don't know this Wolf gentleman or ever met him for that note, this man is an older,gentle, big hearted and VERY dedicated man. On page 2 it states that Wolf and others have been cutting and maintaining the trails through the Penas Blancas valley that follows throughout the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve.

Wilford Francis Guindon literally amazes me. Ever since Wolf moved to Costa Rica the rain forest has been his life. The fact that someone could commit their whole lives to a bunch of trees' and animals is absolutely incredible. I just wish when my class and I go to Costa Rica we get that chance to talk to Wolf about his stories and adventures first and.

More posts to come soon..