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Experience of a lifetime: WHS Educational Travel Club visits London and Paris; Plans new trip in '08
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Photo courtesy of Doug Miller By Doug Miller/FOR THE Arizona Range NewsThe Willcox High School Educational Travel Club recently returned from a fun filled, action packed nine-day trip to London, England and Paris, France. Twenty-two students accompanied by six adults participated on this inaugural adventure of a lifetime.
The "E.T." Club was established this past school year by Lee Ann Miller, head-sponsor and WHS teacher, to broaden student awareness of world cultures and their histories with the hope of enhancing the students' world history knowledge by applying first-hand experiences. Our student participants this year included: Adrian Biniewski, Michelle Biniewski, Brooke Bowyer, Nestor Cantu, Caitlin Carter, Cameron Carter, Jacy Crockett, Cyrena Crockett, Collen Donovan, Judson Doss, Britinie Hardine, Kyle Hardine, Justin McGarry, Samantha Miller, Tomi Mooney, Kristi Perez, Merel Rodenburg, Justin Snyder, Joanna Titus, Jessie Towle, Robbie Walsh, and Christa van der Lelij. Our adventure began with a 10-hour non-stop flight from Phoenix to London, Europe's largest city. We checked into our hotel and went for a traditional English Dinner of fish and chips. Afterwards we took a walking tour of the Covent Garden (market) area, famous from the epic "My Fair Lady", where street performers amused the crowds. Our group had their first experience on the "Tube", London's underground train, and then departed for the hotel to rest from our first day's adventures. We spent a total of four and a half days in London where we saw and toured many of London's well-known historical sights such as Grosvenor Square, site of the U.S. embassy and the house where Eisenhower once lived; Hyde Park, London's largest park; Piccadilly Circus, an intersection of five busy streets similar to New York's Time Square; House of Parliament and Big Ben; London Bridge and Tower Bridge; St. Paul's Cathedral; Windsor Castle, built on the site where King Arthur sat with his Knights of the Round Table; the Tower of London, where the crown jewels are kept; the British Museum; and the Imperial War Museum. The students rode a red Double-Decker Bus, used the symbolic red Phone Booth, visited the original Hard Rock Café, saw the play "Wicked", and traced the path of Jack the Ripper. We also traveled and toured the oldest university in the English-speaking world, Oxford University, then proceeded on to Stratford where William Shakespeare was born, raised, and buried as well as toured Anne Hathaway's Cottage, a picturesque thatched farmhouse where Shakespeare's wife spent her childhood. As our group prepared to depart England, we visited Canterbury, the destination city of Chaucer's pilgrims in the legendary Canterbury Tales, and the magnificent Canterbury Cathedral, the seat of the Church of England. Next we boarded a ferry in Dover, with the famous White Cliffs looming in the background, and crossed the English Channel to France. We stayed a total of two and a half days in Paris where we saw and toured Paris's most historical and famous sights such as: Arc de Triomphe, commemorating Napoleon's Grande Armée; the Eiffel Tower, the 6,000 ton centerpiece of the 1889 World's Fair; the famous Opéra House; Notre Dame Cathedral, where our group saw a Sunday morning service and communion; and the Louvre museum, where the students saw the "Mona Lisa" painting and Winged Victory statue. The students experienced the "Metro" (Paris's underground train), visited a French perfume factory, rode to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower, took a evening boat trip down the Seine River, as well as dined on an enjoyable three-course meal where our group ate frog legs, snails, and warm goat cheese salad which are favorite French appetizers. Our adventure concluded with the return flight to London and then a 10 hour non-stop flight back to Phoenix. The E.T. Club would like thank the participating students for demonstrating well mannered behaviors, showing an advanced maturity level, cooperation, and the ability to adapt with spur-of-the-moment changes in plans and most of all having a wonderful time. This reflects their nurtured up-bringing, shows community pride in our next generation, and leaves a positive impact on others that the students from Willcox, Arizona, are "OK." Our European Tour Director, Nikki Pritchard, said it would be her pleasure to accompany a group from Willcox on our next adventure. We would like to also thank the adult participants: Stuart Carter, Kathy Carter, Sherry Hardine, Doug Miller, Lee Ann Miller, and Victoria Singer for all their support, help, and endurance during the trip. Also thanks to the Willcox Unified School District. We are already in the process of planning our next exciting educational adventure which will probably be either to Egypt, Italy and Greece, Ireland and Scotland, or Germany and the Swiss Alps. And so, the adventure continues.
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