Hi, my name is Christine Scholl and I had the unique opportunity to go on the Woodcrest Europe trip two summers ago. My first reaction when I officially found out I was going to Europe was “Cool, I have always wanted to go.” I did not really get the full picture that I was about to fly over 6,000 miles away from my home and experience things I would have never imagined. This all changed when we arrived in Rome. The bus with all 33 of us was driving downtown, when all the sudden the Roman Coliseum popped into view. At this moment I realized that I was in Rome, Italy, a city with thousands of years of history and I was about to see it all like it just happened yesterday! I was truly blown away with the fact that I could be standing in the middle of it.
The entire rest of the trip was like this as we continued to travel to the Vatican, Switzerland, France and England and saw sculptures by Michelangelo, wondered around the streets of Venice, walked on the beach where so many people serving their countries died, and so much more. I would have to say my personal favorite was driving up to Switzerland, taking a cog train to get to our hotel in a town so small it had no cars, and venturing up to the Jungfraujoch, the “Top of Europe”, Not to mention hiking a path in the Swiss Alps!! It was breathtaking seeing all of the Lord’s beautiful creation. At the end of our 19 days, that is what stood out the most: God created the world and everything in it; He must be one amazing God!
The strangest thing about me going was I only just graduated eighth grade and did not yet take Mr. Keys’ World History Course. To be honest, I was a little worried about not being able to appreciate everything, considering I did not even learn about some of the places we were going. However, this was not too big of a deal once we arrived. I knew what most of the stuff was and what I didn’t know everyone around filled me in on. In the long run, this trip prepared me more for Mr. Keys’ class and helped me connect the dots. It was really fun to be learning about something in class and being able to say “I’ve been there” or “So that’s was that was!” This once in a lifetime adventure was a real eye-opening experience. It was a blessing to be able to travel to different countries, see chunks of history in real life, and interact with other languages and cultures. I will never forget this trip as long as I live, no matter how old and wrinkly I get. It was just that awesome!
Thank you Mr. Keys, Mr. Lambert, Mr. Burdett, and Passports for making this possible!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
WCS Europe Trip Of 2009
This picture was taken in Venice, Italy while students enjoyed site seeing upon a gondola ride. What an experience! The gondola is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian Lagoon. For centuries gondolas were once the chief means of transportation and most common watercraft within Venice. In modern times the iconic boats still have a role in public transport in the city, serving as traghetti (ferries) over the Grand Canal. They are also used in special regattas (rowing races) held amongst gondoliers[1]. Their primary role, however, is to carry tourists on rides
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
An Experience In Their Own Words: Lisa Scholl
My 2009 WCS Europe Trip Experience
By Lisa Scholl
When our airplane first took off and headed for Paris, France, I wondered what my European adventure would be like. I had never left America before and had no idea of what to expect. As I looked out the window, I could not imagine people living in a completely different culture other than my own. What I now realize was fear, suddenly gripped my mind. I did not speak any languages other than English, and I worried what people would think of me and how I would manage if for some reason, I got lost. I shuddered at the thought of them thinking I was an “ugly American” and promised myself that I would not conform to that stereotype. Eventually, I came to my senses and told myself not to worry. I then turned on my iPod and decided that it was time to rest. The next time I opened my eyes, I was in a foreign country where everything I had once known to be normal was thousands of miles away.
Over the course of nineteen days, our small group of thirty three students, parents, and teachers went to five different European countries: Italy, Switzerland, France, England, and the Vatican. I loved going to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy and seeing with my very own eyes La Primavera and The Birth of Venus by the Renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli. Another highlight of the trip was visiting the Palace of Versailles, the home of King Louis XIV. Although I cherished all the places we visited and everything we saw, these two really opened my eyes. It was this at point in my life that I finally understood how important and relevant history is in our lives. Part of the reason I enjoyed Botticelli’s masterpieces and Versailles so much was that I had learned about both of them in Mr. Key’s world history class. Knowing the history added so much more to the trip than I could have ever thought possible. There was something just mind-blowing about learning something in a classroom, and then actually seeing it in real life. It was as if history were coming alive. Taking the class beforehand enhanced my trip in more ways than I know how to express.
Going on the Europe trip was definitely something that I am going to remember for the rest of my life. I loved every minute of it, and I would not say that unless I truly, one hundred percent believed it. So often as I am going about my day, that I reflect about a particular time and cannot help but smile. I think about the beautiful hike through the Alps in Switzerland or “getting lost” in Venice, and wish so much that I could go back and do it all again. And even though it was over a year ago, I remember everything as if it were last week. My memories and experiences are so vivid and will be forever engraved in my mind.
By Lisa Scholl
When our airplane first took off and headed for Paris, France, I wondered what my European adventure would be like. I had never left America before and had no idea of what to expect. As I looked out the window, I could not imagine people living in a completely different culture other than my own. What I now realize was fear, suddenly gripped my mind. I did not speak any languages other than English, and I worried what people would think of me and how I would manage if for some reason, I got lost. I shuddered at the thought of them thinking I was an “ugly American” and promised myself that I would not conform to that stereotype. Eventually, I came to my senses and told myself not to worry. I then turned on my iPod and decided that it was time to rest. The next time I opened my eyes, I was in a foreign country where everything I had once known to be normal was thousands of miles away.
Over the course of nineteen days, our small group of thirty three students, parents, and teachers went to five different European countries: Italy, Switzerland, France, England, and the Vatican. I loved going to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy and seeing with my very own eyes La Primavera and The Birth of Venus by the Renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli. Another highlight of the trip was visiting the Palace of Versailles, the home of King Louis XIV. Although I cherished all the places we visited and everything we saw, these two really opened my eyes. It was this at point in my life that I finally understood how important and relevant history is in our lives. Part of the reason I enjoyed Botticelli’s masterpieces and Versailles so much was that I had learned about both of them in Mr. Key’s world history class. Knowing the history added so much more to the trip than I could have ever thought possible. There was something just mind-blowing about learning something in a classroom, and then actually seeing it in real life. It was as if history were coming alive. Taking the class beforehand enhanced my trip in more ways than I know how to express.
Going on the Europe trip was definitely something that I am going to remember for the rest of my life. I loved every minute of it, and I would not say that unless I truly, one hundred percent believed it. So often as I am going about my day, that I reflect about a particular time and cannot help but smile. I think about the beautiful hike through the Alps in Switzerland or “getting lost” in Venice, and wish so much that I could go back and do it all again. And even though it was over a year ago, I remember everything as if it were last week. My memories and experiences are so vivid and will be forever engraved in my mind.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
WCS Europe Trip Of 2009
This photo was taken in Wengen, Switzerland. It is a picture of the Swiss Alps located just outside the hotel we stay in. Adjacent to this mountain is the Jungfraujoch!
Strictly, the Jungfraujoch is the lowest point on the mountain ridge between Mönch and Jungfrau, at 3,471 meters (11,388 ft). It is just above this location that the mountain station of Jungfraubahn is located, Jungfraujoch railway station, which at an elevation of 3,454 meters (11,332 ft) is the highest railway station in Europe. The Jungfraujoch is often called the "Top of Europe" in tourist literature.
An Experience In Their Own Words: Mr. Keys
As both a teacher and student of history, I have always thought it very important, when opportunities present themselves, to take students abroad to experience first hand those things discussed in class, and having done such an excursion during my own tenure as a student, I see its value from both the perspective of a teacher as well as a student. Having previously traveled to England in 2004 helped me immensely, and gave me confidence to help students, particularly concerning traveling along the underground in London. Had I not had my previous experience in Europe, I know I would not have been as comfortable when the Lord gave me yet another opportunity to travel abroad. As I always tell my students, you never know what the Lord has in store; in 2004, I had no idea I would go back to Europe, but my first trip there, going as a student, better prepared me for what the Lord had in store for me later in life: a second trip in 2009 and now, 2011.
When in 2009 I was given the opportunity to travel to no less than 4 different European countries, seeing first hand the buildings, paintings, and important battle sites I teach about, I was more than thrilled. During the 2009 tour I saw, for the first time myself, many of things I teach about. Even more rewarding however were the connections students made as they realized that the stories talked about throughout the year are in fact not so irrelevant and that learning about those subjects can be a rewarding endeavor. As I always say, history does not truly come alive, nor is one’s appreciation of it truly realized, until one can see in person those things talked about in a classroom. Personally, this was an amazing experience, but as aforementioned, nothing could compare with watching students, many for the first time, truly come to understand the significance, and for some, the love, of history.
When in 2009 I was given the opportunity to travel to no less than 4 different European countries, seeing first hand the buildings, paintings, and important battle sites I teach about, I was more than thrilled. During the 2009 tour I saw, for the first time myself, many of things I teach about. Even more rewarding however were the connections students made as they realized that the stories talked about throughout the year are in fact not so irrelevant and that learning about those subjects can be a rewarding endeavor. As I always say, history does not truly come alive, nor is one’s appreciation of it truly realized, until one can see in person those things talked about in a classroom. Personally, this was an amazing experience, but as aforementioned, nothing could compare with watching students, many for the first time, truly come to understand the significance, and for some, the love, of history.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
WCS Europe Trip Of 2009
This photo was taken in Normandy France and commemorates an unknown fallen solder who died during the Battle of D-Day during WWII
The Normandy landings were the landing operations of the Allied invasion of Normandy, also known as Operation Neptune and Operation Overlord, during World War II. The landings commenced on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 (D-Day), beginning at 6:30 AM
WCS Europe Trip Of 2009
This photo was taken at the ancient city of Pompeii, Italy.
Pompeii is a ruined and partially buried Roman town-city near modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania, in the territory of the comune of Pompei. Along with Herculaneum, its sister city, Pompeii was destroyed and completely buried during a long catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius spanning two days in 79 AD.
Pompeii is a ruined and partially buried Roman town-city near modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania, in the territory of the comune of Pompei. Along with Herculaneum, its sister city, Pompeii was destroyed and completely buried during a long catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius spanning two days in 79 AD.
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