Magdalena students reach new heights in Peru

Five students from Magdalena recently returned from the experience of a lifetime: a 12-day educational tour through the breathtaking landscapes and deep cultural roots of Peru. Guided by EF Tours, an organization that specializes in immersive educational travel, the students, accompanied by school nurse and teacher Holly Hagy, ventured through the Andean highlands, explored ancient civilizations, and embraced a world far beyond their small New Mexico town. Hagy described the experience as “absolutely fantastic, marvelous, any word you can think of.”

The trip, titled “The Heights of Peru,” lived up to its name. The group reached altitudes as high as 16,200 feet, spending several days at elevations of 10,000–12,000 feet. “At the end of our trip, we learned why it was called that,” Hagy said. Alongside groups from Cloudcroft and Indiana, the Magdalena students formed part of a 27-person tour, including their guide, creating opportunities for connection across state lines.

The journey took them to some of Peru’s most iconic and remote destinations: Machu Picchu, the mystical Incan tower perched among the clouds; Lake Titicaca, the world’s highest navigable lake; and the famous floating reed islands of the Uros people.

“We were literally walking on reeds,” Hagy recounted, describing how five families inhabit an island the size of half a football field. The students saw how these islands are constructed, anchored to the lakebed with intact reeds and tied together to remain stable, and learned how island children commute by boat to attend school on neighboring reed islands.

For many, Machu Picchu was a transformative highlight.

“I just started crying because it was so amazing, gorgeous, huge, you just can’t tell the scale of it from photos,” Hagy said.

The experience sparked powerful conversations about Incan philosophy and community, where everyone’s contribution, whether as a farmer, runner, or record keeper, was deeply valued.

“Everybody was valued. It was such a wonderful conversation,” Hagy said.

Hagy hopes that the children are able to bring these philosophies back with them and share with others.

The students also immersed themselves in Peruvian culture, trying local delicacies including sweet potato ice cream, alpaca burgers, and even guinea pig, a traditional dish served on special occasions. With over 4,000 varieties of potatoes in Peru, the students sampled the diversity of the country’s agriculture and saw ancient Incan methods of food preservation still in practice, witnessing a farmer flattening potatoes with their feet, using an ancient form of “freeze-drying,” by leaving the potatoes open to the cold nights and warm days, on the side of the road.

Each day brought new adventures, from learning salsa dancing to encounters with llamas, alpacas and even the elusive vicuña, an undomesticated camelid prized for its luxurious fiber. The students also learned words from ancient Peruvian languages, like wawa for baby, a name derived from the sound infants make.

Despite a rocky start with missed flights in Dallas and Miami, the group turned setbacks into memories. They made the most of their unexpected layover by swimming in the ocean and enjoying pizza on Miami Beach, turning “lemons into lemonade,” as Hagy described it.

For the students, the trip was more than sightseeing, it was a coming-of-age experience. Ranging from rising sophomores to seniors, all five students bonded over shared meals, bus rides, and cultural surprises. Four of the five even bought traditional ponchos and wore them proudly during the trip. One of the students bought a red poncho and a pan flute and serenaded the group, learning the instrument as they walked through towns.

“They made great friends and met some incredible people,” Hagy said. “Our kids from Magdalena were so respectful of the community and culture.”

Hagy, who teaches health and CTE (career and technical education) classes at Magdalena, first learned of EF Tours while attending a CTE convention in Phoenix. The inspiration struck from her own 8th-grade memory of traveling to Paris. “I remember that trip so clearly,” she said. “When I found the EF Tours booth, I thought, ‘this would be great for our kids.’”

With help from the school board, the trip became a reality. Now, Hagy and her students plan to share their experience during the September school board meeting.

“I want the board to see how successful it was.” Hagy said.

Looking ahead, the travel bug hasn’t faded. Plans are already in the works for a trip to Costa Rica next June, a new adventure for a new group of students to spread their wings.

From ancient ruins to cultural revelations, the five students from Magdalena didn’t just visit Peru—they grew through it. As Hagy put it: “This is the kind of learning that changes lives.”