‘SWITALY’ OFFERS WIZARDS THE TRIP OF A LIFETIME

By MIKAYLA CHAIT

Washingtonville High School offers many opportunities outside of school. Throughout high school, there are multiple trips students can take with their classmates chaperoned by their teachers.  The most recent excursion was to Switzerland and Italy, known by participants as the ‘Switaly Trip’.  Visiting Zurich, The Swiss Alps, Lucerne, Lake Como, Venice, and Florence, this trip was overflowing with culture and unbelievable views. Each individual had his or her own experience and memories to take away from their time spent across the world.

Throughout the week, students were able to immerse themselves into a new culture through sight seeing and different cultural experiences.  Senior Bridget Kavanagh explained, “My favorite was seeing the culture in Switzerland; we saw them do this dance/karate thing in the park. When I first saw it, it looked kinda crazy but to them it was just a part of their culture and it was really awesome to experience that.” 

ROBERT LEONARD FOR WIZARD WEEKLY

Traveling to another country allows students to encounter different people than they would normally meet in their small towns.  Senior Danielle Warn realized, “It's amazing.  The people are so different and they're so nice.  The scenery is absolutely stunning and I find that there's just more history and culture in Europe.”  The Switaly trip contributed to students’ learning along with exposure to sights beyond belief. Not only did these students come in contact with new people, the travelers became an extremely tight knit group.

Since this was not a school affiliated trip, families were also able to join. Due to this, Mr. Bacher brought his daughter, Kayla. He claimed to be only slightly nervous about bringing her but ultimately felt relieved. “Having Kayla there was one of the highlights of the trip -- especially seeing how well the Wizards brought her into the family.  The students (both mine and those who I have not taught) became my family for the week.” 

Along with family members, students were able to create new friendships with other students and form a close bond with their chaperones. Mr. Bacher continued, “From fixing a dislocated toe, to coming up with (an acceptable) group name, to videoing exhausted and sleeping students -- every minute of this trip was a joy. To have shared this life-experience with so many people is beyond words.” One cannot be prepared for the enjoyment of traveling and the cherished memories that can made. 

On these tours, not only is one having the adventure of a lifetime, education places a role in an entertaining environment. “With EF tours it's education first, so we learned about the culture of each city we visited and the history of the country. It's nice to know the background of some of these places because you’re able to understand more,” stated Danielle Warn. One would think that a vacation would mean a break from learning, yet that was not the case. Tour guides constantly lead the large group to historical sights and educated everyone on the deep rooted history.

Everyone should definitely look into going on a EF tour, whether it is run through the school or not. Traveling is a unique learning experience where one is thrust into a new culture and is surrounded by different customs. Daily, Mr. Bacher teaches students while confined in the classroom, but he believes, “seeing teenagers outside of the classroom in a foreign country experiencing new cultures is especially rewarding.” 

Certain lessons are unable to be taught through a curriculum. Although there might be a hefty price to pay depending on the tour, the memories are well worth it. Having the opportunity to go to another country is extremely beneficial because most students rarely spend time outside of Washingtonville. Therefore, why not take a trip across the world with your closest friends and favorite teachers?