As a way to further explore interlingual and cultural ideas, the language department takes a group of students on a trip to Europe each year. Spanish teacher Marla Vaughn organizes the trip each year as a way to offer students a valuable learning experience during their high school career. She views the trip as a way for students to dive into European culture and visit historical sites that not many American students get to experience. “Living in it [Europe] and living in the moment helps students to broaden their horizons and their perspectives on the world.” The trip saw the students and chaperones travel across Italy, France and Spain. Along the way they got to experience different cultures and explore historical sites such as the Colosseum, the Tower of Pisa, and the City-states of Monaco and the Vatican City.
Junior Jace Williams viewed the trip as a way to explore different cultures and learn about the people in European states. He shared his two main reasons were, “to explore all of Europe and to shop.” The trip not only gave him insight on European culture but also allowed him to explore his personal interests in traveling and shopping. He claimed that the way that people in Italy behaved was quite different from how people behaved in France, sharing that Italian people were more strict, whereas the French were more laid back and friendly. One of his biggest observations was noticing the tipping culture in Europe. If the students on the trip were to tip the waiter at a restaurant, they would be treated with extra food, which is not a regular occurrence at American restaurants.
Sophomore Jordan Pagel shared that her favorite place on the trip was Florence, Italy. She shared, “I think the music and the art was really beautiful.” Getting to experience the culture in Italy was a big part of the trip for her and it allowed her personal interests to thrive in Europe. She also explained what it was like to travel out of the country “It was cool because everywhere we went was a different language and it was cool to see how people interacted with each other and just knowing that people do completely different things than we do in America.” One of the biggest things for a lot of students on the trip was noticing how differently European people behaved compared to Americans.
The Europe trip allowed all 30 students and the chaperones on the trip to experience a completely different world and helped them to explore new cultures in France, Italy, and Spain. Every year the trip takes a completely different route and Vaughn chooses a new location for students to visit. Last school year, the trip saw students exploring Costa Rica and a more tropical environment. Next spring break, the trip will take students to England, France, and Spain. Vaughn hopes to continue the important trip so that as many students as possible can experience different worldly cultures.
