Twenty-five students are boarding a plane in June 2018 and heading overseas to Europe.

French teacher Ms. Margaret Gender planned the week-long trip to France, Germany, and the Alps in Switzerland. Spanish teacher Mr. Steven Shaw is going as well.

“They have never been to France before. Mr. Shaw and I decided that it would be a great way to get more students involved,” she said. “We made the trip over different areas so it goes to Germany, Switzerland, and France.”

The trip is not school-sponsored, so it isn’t exactly an educational trip, but Gender hopes that students will speak a little of the languages spoken. For example, ordering their own food at restaurants. She also wishes that this trip will open students up to traveling on their own, and to open their eyes to other cultures.

Students are going to a variety of tourist sites, most of which they learned in their French and German classes. Some of the sites include the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre in Paris, and even the Dachau Concentration Camp in Munich.

“I think they’re excited to see a lot of the things they talk about in class. Tasting new foods [is] exciting as well,” Gender said. “I think they’re just excited to see something new.”

Junior Josie O’Dell is one of the students going, and she is very excited to be able to go to a different country.

“[I’m most excited for] being able to hear people speak French as their native language.”