Spring Trips
Upper School students ventured abroad in school-organized trips during spring break. Allan Schaefer toured students around Italy, and the Global Initiatives Program gave students the opportunity to see China and Cuba: Cotter Donnell and Rick Thompson visited China with a group, and Rick Caragher and Jose Melgoza enjoyed Cuba with their group.
Many thanks to Natalie Triester (Italy), Simone Abegunrin (Cuba), and the various members of the trips who provided pictures! For detailed accounts of the trips, read on.
Italy:
As usual our trip was a cultural excursion, and we flew into Venice Airport where we were picked up by boat and escorted to our hotel on the Lido. Venice was beautiful, although rainy and cold. We saw the San Marcos Basilica, the Campanille, the Doges Palace, and the Piazza filling with water as the tide was rising.
Students were happy to take the train down to Florence where the weather was much better after two nights.
We spent a couple of warm days filled with strolls down Renaissance streets, visits to Michelangelo's David and Bruneleschi's Duomo, piles of pasta, and of course gelato at every turn. We said goodbye to Florence and grabbed another fast train down to Rome, where the group saw the Colosseum, the Forum, the Pantheon, Trajan's Column, the Vatican museums, the Sistine Chapel, Saint Peter's Basilica, and more.
The kids came home tired, and perhaps they should get P.E. credit for all of the miles they walked, but the smiles on their faces say it was worth it. Students handled the inclement weather well, camaraderie was high, and it was inspiring to see how the students watched out for each other.
China:
During spring break of this year, a delegation of 16 students and three members of the Upper School faculty participated in the school's third trip to Beijing, China. Offered as part of the Global Initiatives Program, the trip is an opportunity for Poly students to experience China firsthand.
One of the trip's main objectives included learning about historical and contemporary China. We visited important Chinese cultural and historical sites, including the Forbidden City, the imperial Summer Palace, and the Matianyu section of the Great Wall. Students had an opportunity to contrast these historical sites with their observations of contemporary China; we took a tour of a Beijing hutong, checked out the Olympic Village, played games with Chinese seniors in Jingshan Park, and explored Beijing's vibrant and cosmopolitan 798 Arts District.
Another key goal of the trip was to maintain relationships with many of Poly's peer schools across the Pacific. Visits to both Public School 161 in central Beijing and the International program at Public School 35 gave our students a chance to connect with Chinese students and compare learning experiences. We also visited a school for students recovering from cochlear implant surgery and enjoyed dancing and singing with students becoming accustomed to hearing for the first time. According to the students, the best experiences of the trip were those that allowed them to communicate with new Chinese friends. Participating in "English Corner" at the Xicheng branch of the Beijing Public Library and having dinner in the home of a School Year Abroad student's host family gave our students these kinds of experiences throughout the trip. "I'm so glad I did it," said one Poly student, "because I got to talk to so many Chinese people who really opened my eyes to the cultural differences between our two countries."
The trip was organized by Rick Caragher, chair of the Global Initiatives Program, and led by upper school teachers Lois Chung, Rick Thompson, and Cotter Donnell. The student delegation included members of the ninth, tenth, and eleventh grades; about two-thirds of the students take Mandarin here at Poly, while the rest were learning Chinese for the first time.
Cuba:
In late March, 20 Upper School students and two faculty chaperones ventured legally to Cuba for nine days of interacting with the Cuban people, participating in community service, and studying many aspects of the Cuban culture.
This trip to Cuba was Poly’s second in nine months and what awaited us blew us away. We essentially experienced AP Cuban Culture 101 in a condensed version. We were treated to a private performance by the premier Cuban Flamenco dance company, heard a mesmerizing lecture covering the roots and development of Cuban-African music in the past 500 years, saw an incredible collection of Cuban paintings at the National Museum, learned Cuban Salsa dance steps, and danced the night away with the Buena Vista Social Club performers. These firsthand cultural immersion experiences left us emotionally exhilarated and drained, and in awe.
The highlight of the trip was face-to-face encounters with the Cuban people. Whether in the Café Tertulia inteview exercise, visiting educational centers like the Martin Luther King Jr. Center or Patio de Pelegrin, or playing a spontaneous baseball game with some Cuban boys on the grounds of the Capitol building, we were moved by the openness of the Cuban people and their appreciation for Americans. Many of us could not get enough of the opportunities to interact with the Cuban people. One of the highlights of the trip was hiking through picturesque Viñales Valley and arriving at recently launched organic farm in which we helped till the soil, relocate dirt, plant seeds and water the crops. We’d love to go back in four months to see the fruit of our labor. Perhaps the most unique experience, and also incredibly meaningful, was our group’s opportunity to stay in rural western Cuba with families for two nights. What an amazing experience to reside in the homes (casa particulares ) with these warm-hearted people.
This odyssey revealed to us the heart and soul of the Cuban people. As one participant remarked, “I never expected that this one-week long trip could change me so much. I also didn’t expect it to hurt so much to leave. I really fell in love with the Cubans and our group of 22. Seeing the Cubans’ daily routines made me appreciate all of the privileges that I have at home. It was a humbling experience. Also I really loved the fact that the Cubans were so friendly (not necessarily the case in the US). It was heartwarming to see the abundance of REAL conversation in Cuban; whereas in the US and especially at Poly, people are constantly on their phones texting or on online social sites. As I come home from Cuba, I bring with me a newfound understanding of community and appreciation of Cuban citizens.”
“I will honestly never be the same. Because of this trip, I have been to a country unlike any other country in the world. To interact with the ultra-friendly and welcoming people of Cuba has shown once again the power of kindness, positivity, and hospitality in human interaction. Our home stays, guides, and every Cuban we met greeted us Americans, teenagers, from a country with an embargo against their country, with open arms.”
Back
Many thanks to Natalie Triester (Italy), Simone Abegunrin (Cuba), and the various members of the trips who provided pictures! For detailed accounts of the trips, read on.
Italy:
As usual our trip was a cultural excursion, and we flew into Venice Airport where we were picked up by boat and escorted to our hotel on the Lido. Venice was beautiful, although rainy and cold. We saw the San Marcos Basilica, the Campanille, the Doges Palace, and the Piazza filling with water as the tide was rising.
Students were happy to take the train down to Florence where the weather was much better after two nights.
We spent a couple of warm days filled with strolls down Renaissance streets, visits to Michelangelo's David and Bruneleschi's Duomo, piles of pasta, and of course gelato at every turn. We said goodbye to Florence and grabbed another fast train down to Rome, where the group saw the Colosseum, the Forum, the Pantheon, Trajan's Column, the Vatican museums, the Sistine Chapel, Saint Peter's Basilica, and more.
The kids came home tired, and perhaps they should get P.E. credit for all of the miles they walked, but the smiles on their faces say it was worth it. Students handled the inclement weather well, camaraderie was high, and it was inspiring to see how the students watched out for each other.
China:
During spring break of this year, a delegation of 16 students and three members of the Upper School faculty participated in the school's third trip to Beijing, China. Offered as part of the Global Initiatives Program, the trip is an opportunity for Poly students to experience China firsthand.
One of the trip's main objectives included learning about historical and contemporary China. We visited important Chinese cultural and historical sites, including the Forbidden City, the imperial Summer Palace, and the Matianyu section of the Great Wall. Students had an opportunity to contrast these historical sites with their observations of contemporary China; we took a tour of a Beijing hutong, checked out the Olympic Village, played games with Chinese seniors in Jingshan Park, and explored Beijing's vibrant and cosmopolitan 798 Arts District.
Another key goal of the trip was to maintain relationships with many of Poly's peer schools across the Pacific. Visits to both Public School 161 in central Beijing and the International program at Public School 35 gave our students a chance to connect with Chinese students and compare learning experiences. We also visited a school for students recovering from cochlear implant surgery and enjoyed dancing and singing with students becoming accustomed to hearing for the first time. According to the students, the best experiences of the trip were those that allowed them to communicate with new Chinese friends. Participating in "English Corner" at the Xicheng branch of the Beijing Public Library and having dinner in the home of a School Year Abroad student's host family gave our students these kinds of experiences throughout the trip. "I'm so glad I did it," said one Poly student, "because I got to talk to so many Chinese people who really opened my eyes to the cultural differences between our two countries."
The trip was organized by Rick Caragher, chair of the Global Initiatives Program, and led by upper school teachers Lois Chung, Rick Thompson, and Cotter Donnell. The student delegation included members of the ninth, tenth, and eleventh grades; about two-thirds of the students take Mandarin here at Poly, while the rest were learning Chinese for the first time.
Cuba:
In late March, 20 Upper School students and two faculty chaperones ventured legally to Cuba for nine days of interacting with the Cuban people, participating in community service, and studying many aspects of the Cuban culture.
This trip to Cuba was Poly’s second in nine months and what awaited us blew us away. We essentially experienced AP Cuban Culture 101 in a condensed version. We were treated to a private performance by the premier Cuban Flamenco dance company, heard a mesmerizing lecture covering the roots and development of Cuban-African music in the past 500 years, saw an incredible collection of Cuban paintings at the National Museum, learned Cuban Salsa dance steps, and danced the night away with the Buena Vista Social Club performers. These firsthand cultural immersion experiences left us emotionally exhilarated and drained, and in awe.
The highlight of the trip was face-to-face encounters with the Cuban people. Whether in the Café Tertulia inteview exercise, visiting educational centers like the Martin Luther King Jr. Center or Patio de Pelegrin, or playing a spontaneous baseball game with some Cuban boys on the grounds of the Capitol building, we were moved by the openness of the Cuban people and their appreciation for Americans. Many of us could not get enough of the opportunities to interact with the Cuban people. One of the highlights of the trip was hiking through picturesque Viñales Valley and arriving at recently launched organic farm in which we helped till the soil, relocate dirt, plant seeds and water the crops. We’d love to go back in four months to see the fruit of our labor. Perhaps the most unique experience, and also incredibly meaningful, was our group’s opportunity to stay in rural western Cuba with families for two nights. What an amazing experience to reside in the homes (casa particulares ) with these warm-hearted people.
This odyssey revealed to us the heart and soul of the Cuban people. As one participant remarked, “I never expected that this one-week long trip could change me so much. I also didn’t expect it to hurt so much to leave. I really fell in love with the Cubans and our group of 22. Seeing the Cubans’ daily routines made me appreciate all of the privileges that I have at home. It was a humbling experience. Also I really loved the fact that the Cubans were so friendly (not necessarily the case in the US). It was heartwarming to see the abundance of REAL conversation in Cuban; whereas in the US and especially at Poly, people are constantly on their phones texting or on online social sites. As I come home from Cuba, I bring with me a newfound understanding of community and appreciation of Cuban citizens.”
“I will honestly never be the same. Because of this trip, I have been to a country unlike any other country in the world. To interact with the ultra-friendly and welcoming people of Cuba has shown once again the power of kindness, positivity, and hospitality in human interaction. Our home stays, guides, and every Cuban we met greeted us Americans, teenagers, from a country with an embargo against their country, with open arms.”
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