Covid has, unfortunately, put a screeching halt to many travel opportunities in the past two years. As travel restrictions have been lifted and things are slowly heading back to “normal,” I wanted to share a few opportunities our school offers for students to experience different cultures. Trips are an excellent way to gain more knowledge about the world around us and educate ourselves outside of the classroom. As an added bonus, having the opportunity to take a trip with several of your peers is a great way to not only immerse yourself in the culture but also become closer to your classmates! We have two very exciting trips on the upcoming schedule. Thankfully, the two will not take place at the same time, so there will be no reason you can’t do both! Ms. Knox and Ms. O’Brien are both excellent trip planners, and you are sure to have a good time with them in charge. This week I wanted to highlight Ms. Knox’s trip. (For information on Ms. O’Brien’s trip to France, see last week’s issue of the Examiner.)

English teacher Ms. Knox plans student trips to the British Isles–England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Ms. Knox is well-qualified in her abilities to plan this trip, as she has visited seven times before and feels as though the excitement and beauty “never get old.” This past summer she decided to take her students to Scotland and England with stops in Durham (a medieval town with a castle that J.K. Rowling modeled Hogwarts after), Stratford-upon-Avon (Shakespeare’s picturesque hometown), Oxford (home to the famous university), and London. A few of Ms. Knox’s favorite activities include seeing plays in London–both in the West End (which is like England’s Broadway) and at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre–walking along the rivers in Stratford and London, and enjoying tea time in Bath (an English resort town once occupied by the Romans). She is always looking to add new and exciting attractions to the long list of activities and hopes to do a ghost tour in Scotland or Ireland on the next trip!

 Ms. Knox has actually planned this trip three times, but due to Covid, she was only able to take two out of the three groups overseas… but a fourth trip is already in the works! The next trip Ms. Knox is planning is tentatively set for the spring or summer of 2024 and will hopefully include Ireland as well as England. (See here for sample itineraries.)There are many wonderful places to travel to and explore. However, Ms. Knox feels as though this trip is “a great way to introduce travel abroad” since you will not have to overcome a language barrier, which gives many students peace of mind during what’s most likely their first time traveling without their parents! If you are at all interested in signing up for this trip or have any further questions, please contact Ms. Knox at [email protected]. You don’t want to miss out on this incredible opportunity!