Walking through the streets of an unfamiliar country, sophomore Kyleigh Melon could see the stars better than she ever was able to in America.
“It wasn’t as foggy as it was in America so we could see the starts clearer,” she said.
“I enjoyed the differences between America and Europe because in Europe you get to walk a lot and explore more instead of being locked inside of a vehicle the entire time.”
Melon was part of a group of students who traveled to Europe this summer. Every year over the summer a group of students along with teacher Mrs. Carrie Bedwell and Ms. Debbie Monix gets to visit new countries and cultures. Students who go on this trip get the chance to experience places they’ve only been able to through their phone or books.
“The kids have only experienced these places in their textbook, and to see them standing there and experiencing them first hand is pretty amazing,” Mrs Bedwell said.
Last summer from July 24th to August 3rd, they group traveled to Switzerland, Italy, France, and Spain after a brief layover in London. On the way back they had a layover in Germany.
In each of these countries students learned about new cities and saw different things that aren’t here in America.
“Everything in Europe is so much older than here so it just has a lot of character and charm and a lot of history that we don’t have a whole lot of here in the U.S.,” Mrs. Bedwell said.
Highlights of the trip included the Swiss Alps and beautiful Lucerne, a boat ride in Cassis, a picnic near the Roman aqueducts, visiting the leaning Tower of Pisa and Monaco, along with bike riding and a flamenco night in Barcelona, Spain.
Students who went on the trip were able to see in person how people of different countries live their daily lives. Even subtle differences like the air in a different country being different.
“The air in Switzerland was really fresh, it was a literal breath of fresh air,” Mellon said. “It wasn’t as foggy as it was in America so we could see the starts clearer.”
After seeing so many takes on how to live life in different countries, some of the students even decided to take parts of different countries back into their own daily lives.
“It inspired me to take a little bit of Europe with me back at home. For example, I began walking every day after school and prioritized slowing down in life, taking everything in, and discovering beauty in everyone and everything around me,” sophomore Elise Cheatham said.
Mrs. Bedwell is now planning a trip for Summer of 2024 to London and Scotland, and a trip for 2025 to Germany and Hungary, among other countries.
