This past summer, multiple students from D128 had the opportunity to travel to various countries to broaden their cultural perspective.

Climbing the Great Wall:

A total of 10 students from Libertyville High School and Vernon Hills High School, along with multiple administration members, embarked on a trip to China from June 7-21. The trip started in Beijing and then progressed to three other big cities including Changchun, Xian, and Shanghai.

There were three main chaperones on the trip: AP macroeconomics teacher Mr. Brian Voss and language department supervisor Mrs. Jennifer Goettsche, and english teacher Mrs. Wendy Meister from Vernon Hills. Along with the teachers were some administration members, including Principal Dr. Marina Scott from LHS and Principal Jon Guillaume from VHHS.

After five days in Beijing, the group took an overnight high-speed train to Changchun. Once in Changchun, students on the trip were able to immerse themselves in the Chinese culture through home stays and different excursions. Students stayed with host families and visited a high school attached to Northeast Normal University.

“Being on that overnight train where we were hanging out together, but then we were also with native Chinese kids, was memorable because this is their day-to-day life,” shared AP macroeconomics teacher Mr. Voss. “We weren’t on some sort of separate coach bus to travel.”

Some of the highlights of the trip included seeing the Great Wall in Beijing and the Terra Cotta Warriors in Xian. Students also ate traditional Chinese food like roast duck and explored local markets.

“I loved staying with my host family because they had all of their family and friends over and we made dumplings together and it was a really cool experience,” shared senior Mady Novak, one of the students on the trip.

Familiarizing with the Sagrada Familia:

The art department also took a trip around the same time this summer, from June 8-17 to Spain. The chaperones of this trip included Mrs. Julie Johnson, Mr. Ray Gossel, Mrs. Stefanie Dahlstrom, Ms. Allison Molloy, and Mrs. Michelle Jozwiak. The trip was open to any students who participate in the art department and their friends; a total of 30 students went on the trip.

The group arrived in Madrid on June 8, where they took part in a tapas tour around the city. They also visited a local market, the Mercado de San Miguel, and had the chance to view the Royal Palace.

After Madrid, they traveled to Spain’s main cities: Toledo, Cordoba, Seville, Granada, and Barcelona. In these cities, they took in the breathtaking views of local cathedrals including the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona and had a chance to visit Alcazar, the palace where they filmed part of Game of Thrones. They also had another brush of fame at the Plaza De Espana in Seville, which is where part of Star Wars was filmed.

“At the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, literally so many people were overwhelmed by its beauty that they were brought to tears,” shared Mrs. Johnson.

Halfway through the trip, they stopped in the small town of Alfarnatejo, where they were hosted for a traditional Spanish meal by local families.

The art department takes a trip every other year and is still deciding where they will visit in 2017.

10 years of Amitié:

French students also had the opportunity this summer to travel abroad. The group traveled to France from June 9-29 with their three chaperones, Mr. Christophe Guiard, Ms. Kathryn Hyla, and Ms. Carrie Niemet. There were 24 students on the trip in total: 18 from LHS and 6 from VHHS.

The first part of the visit consisted of a family stay for two weeks with the French program’s host school, Lyceé Renoir in Angers. This school has served as a host school for D128 since 2005 and this year will be the two schools’ 10th anniversary of hosting each other.

During this part of the trip, the students were able to experience varied activities including the Mont St. Michel, Guérande, a medieval city, and the Puy du Fou theme park.

After the two-week stay, the group moved on to Paris where they tried to see all that the city has to offer. The sites they saw included the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs Elysées, the Louvre museum, the palace of Versailles, Notre Dame cathedral, the Sacré Coeur basilica, the Musee d’Orsay museum, and the Palais Royal among other sites.

“My favorite experience was probably being up on top of the Eiffel Tower when all the lights were blinking, it was really cool,” shared junior Kien Tran.

Even though many students were upset to have to leave the French families that they bonded so tightly with, they will be seeing them soon, on October 10, since the French students will be coming to America for their stay with D128.

“The thing I like the best is seeing the interaction between two people who didn’t know each other and then after two weeks have become great friends,” shared Mr. Guiard.

Playing a melody in Germany:

This summer the orchestra program also made their way around the world to give performances in foreign locations. The orchestra trip ran from June 8-16 and contained 46 total people.

The group flew into Paris and then proceeded to drive to Brussels, Belgium, where they also took a day trip to Bruges. From there, they ended their trip in Bonn, Germany.

While in Paris, the group visited sites including the Eiffel Tower, Versaille, the Louvre, and also had the chance to take a boat tour on the breathtaking Seine River.

“I had so much fun eating iconic foods in the different countries: I had a waffle in Belgium, I had snails in Paris, and sausage in Germany,” stated senior Katherine Liu.

In all three countries, the group of students gave performances at gorgeous venues, including a school in Germany where they performed the school’s final spring concert.

“We had great crowds at all of our venues, like at a beautiful church in Bruges, I wasn’t sure who was going to show up for the performance and the place was packed,” shared orchestra director Mr. Jeremy Marino. “And then our final performances at the school were also packed.”

Adventures in Belgium included seeing Waterloo and a museum of instruments.

LHS students Carpe Diem:

Any interested LHS student could also join the Latin trip to Italy this summer that ran from June 8-17. The trip included visits to cities like Venice, Florence, San Gimignano, Naples, Vesuvius, and Rome.

In Venice, the group was led through the city by a local guide and during their tour, they were able to see St. Mark’s and the Grand Canal, along with experiencing a Gondola ride and visiting the Guggenheim museum. They were also able to enjoy the scenic beauty of the country when they visited San Gimignano and Naples.

“At one point we ended up going to Sorrento and then we took a boat ride that was like 30 minutes long over to the island of Capri, and it was just really nice and pretty to be on a little island,” shared senior Kristina Borowiec. “Being by the water and the beach was just really different than being in Chicago.”

Other landmarks that the students visited included Pompeii, the Vatican in Rome, and the Sistine Chapel.