School of the World
photos courtesy of Zach McDuffie
by Marlise Kast
posted 2006-11-05

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Imagine a school that schedules classes around high tide and swells. Picture taking an exam against the backdrop of chattering monkeys and cawing toucans. Envision a school uniform of bikinis and board shorts. At Costa Rica's School of the World, these images are more than just a fantasy - they are a reality.

The brainchild of Zach McDuffie, School of the World (STW) takes a creative approach to learning by combining aspects of a language school, surf camp, art workshop and photo lab, all on one campus. Based in Playa Jaco on Costa Rica's Pacific Coast, STW offers a unique, short term travelers education.

It all began when McDuffie spent six months traveling throughout Costa Rica, immediately after graduating from the University of Georgia. "Back then, I had several different dreams," says McDuffie. "I wasn't sure if I wanted to become an art professor, start my own business, travel or become an artist. While trying to figure it out, I lived a simple, healthy lifestyle in Costa Rica, surfing, making art, taking photos and learning Spanish."

McDuffie discovered that most of the language schools were located near the capital city of San Jose, far from the natural beauty for which the country is famous. He also learned that, although language schools and surf camps already existed in Costa Rica, no one had ever before combined the two. Slowly, a larger vision began to take shape that would enable McDuffie to realize all four of his career goals.

"As a surfer, artist, photographer and Spanish student," says McDuffie, "these four areas of interest all had personal relevance to me. I had to find a way to combine all of my individual dreams into one big dream."

Big dreams generally demand big budgets. Finances would present McDuffie's first major challenge. With no outside investors and only three thousand dollars left in personal savings, McDuffie bought a laptop computer and paid the deposit on a set of cabinas that would comprise the infant campus. It was an inauspicious beginning.

"I was flat broke the day I received the keys to the cabinas," recalls McDuffie. "I rode my bicycle to the bus stop and waited for backpackers to arrive, hoping I could get someone to stay at my 'hostel.' There were only two students that first year and seventeen by the second year. Those first two years, I was the secretary, the maintenance man, the gardener, the pool boy and the teacher."

McDuffie's initial investment has had a high rate of return. Today, the school employs twelve year-round staff members supplemented by additional employees during peak season. The school attracts between twelve and thirty students per month and is in operation year round. Since its inception in 1997, the school has hosted international students from eighteen countries on five continents.

Designed as learning vacations, STW offers customized study programs lasting from one to four weeks. Students can either specialize in a specific area or can combine any two of the four subjects offered. Tuition varies from $500 to $2,000 depending on the duration and package selected. Included in the price is lodging, classes and fieldtrips. For an additional fee, those enrolled in the four-week Spanish course can also obtain college credit. STW's language program is equivalent to university level curriculum with an emphasis on verbal and conversational skills.

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